Technology these days can be sooooo overwhelming! With 15 different types of social media avenues out there (I’m probably exaggerating, but it definitely feels like there’s 15!), knowing the best way to navigate the waters, can be tough.

 

As always, my biggest advice is to be authentic and intentional! If you’re anything but, people will see right through it! Cultivating great social media accounts isn’t about how many people like you, it’s the idea of having quality followers.  With quality followers, you’re building real relationships with real people, and in turn, garnering support from real potential customers. Having 10,000 followers doesn’t necessarily mean success, so go for quality not quantity!

 

Also, play up your strengths, so when choosing which social media accounts to utilize, keep in mind the stuff you’re good at.  For instance, I’m horrible at Twitter and Snapchat, but love Instagram (helloooo, wedding and travel photographer here) and Facebook! Because of that, I don’t even have a Snapchat, and everything on my Twitter is stuff shared from Instagram. I don’t promote my Twitter account for that very reason.

 

Having social media accounts isn’t enough and posting every once in a while isn’t enough.  I have 5 very important tips about how to up your social media game for your business!

 

1. Make sure your accounts are public– There is nothing worse than hearing about someone’s product or company, going to their social media account to look at said product, and being shut down by the dreaded “This Account Is Private” message! If sharing cute photos of your kids or your vacation fun is keeping you from making your account public, make a separate page just for personal posts…otherwise, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice.  People want to see what you have to offer. Bonus tip: put your city or location in your profile! This is especially true for photographers. If your location is absent, you may lose out on potential customers if they think you aren’t local!

 

2. Only post related content– If you remember from my last post (The Top 6 Mistakes You Are Making In Your Brand) I talked about only playing up the things that are related to your brand and geared towards your dream client.  Just because you absolutely love something, doesn’t mean it fits into your brand and doesn’t mean it’s going to draw in that dream client. Color shouldn’t be all over the place, content should be similar or have a similar vibe, and images/content should be easy to read and easy to see.  Whatever you decide to do,be consistent, and if it doesn’t fit into your brand, don’t post it!!

 

3. Utilize hashtags– Utilizing relevant hashtags on Instagram and Twitter can be incredibly beneficial for your company! When people are searching any given hashtag, if you’re using the right ones for your business, they may find you and you would gain a new customer! I always suggest using as many localized hashtags as possible before venturing out into more broad ones.  For instance, if you’re a baker in Nashville, and you post a photo of a birthday cake, using hashtags like #nashvillebaker or #nashvillecakes might be relevant, but you could also use things like #birthdaycakes or #amazingcakes. Instagram won’t let you use more than 30 in a post, and using hashtags that are too broad might not do you any good either.  Research what others in your business are using and make your own list to copy and paste into posts!

 

4. Post often– Have you ever visited a company’s Facebook page only to see that their last post was months ago? How did that leave you feeling? Confused, probably.  It can lead a customer to believe the company is no longer in business, or perhaps the company doesn’t get enough business to warrant frequent posts, which in turn can make you wonder, why aren’t they busy? Is there product or service not as good as you thought? Also, the more you see posts in your feed, the more you’re likely to buy from them…the same goes for your customers. If they forget you’re there, they won’t be able to buy from you! In today’s society that is constantly looking to social media for validation on many things, especially whether or not to hire a company, posting often is a must!

 

5. Comment– Another big part of getting your name out there is to network & make friends! Conventional ways would tell us to go out and shake hands in person, and while that is still super important, rubbing elbows online is just as important.  Support your peers by liking their posts, commenting on them, and engaging in them, and you may just get a fun business opportunity out of it! This also goes for replying to comments from your customers and followers.  Not only is it just polite, but it’s great customer service! Again, anytime you’re being active, people are more likely to remember you!

 

Bonus tip:  Instagram is huge right now, so if you can find a way to cultivate a feed that’s right for your business, I highly suggest it! Again, not every social media avenue is right for everyone, so play up your strengths and you’ll be fine!

 

And that’s it for this week!! I hope this has helped! I’d love to hear from some of you on some topics you’d like me to write about!! xo