Top Tips for Social Media

We received some top tips for Social Media from our Social Media guru, Elize Odendaal from OMG Media. Take a look at what she had to say.

Your content should always be unique and where this is not possible, ensure you curate the content to match the voice of your own brand. Simply reposting someone else’s information gives them your brand authority. Content should be on point, topic relevant and in your own voice, this voice will soon become part and parcel of your brand.

Consumers are becoming more possessive over their time. Gone are the days of reading a newspaper leisurely over breakfast, instead, we now rush through traffic to high-stress jobs and have very little time to spare on consuming information. With this said, information consumption is at its highest in history, as social media makes the consumption of data so much easier. Video ensures you can compress a 15-minute article into a 3 min video and have your message be far more effective and relevant to your consumer. The biggest advantage in this day and age is the mobile capability of video, one can now consume your message while at the gym, in traffic or even taking a coffee break at work.

Video

15-minute article into a 3 min video

Create and Curate your content to your specific consumer. If you speak to something that is relevant to them, you will find following and engagement to your content. Think Nando’s and pre-Rugby hype, cooking chicken has nothing to do with Rugby, but their consumers are likely to be gathering on a Saturday for the game, so they cater to their consumers. Don’t beat them with your product … there is a fine line between showing off your best assets and becoming a braggart. Don’t overdo your own self-advertising, as you may alienate the very followers you are trying to grow. Find a middle ground, if you are a vehicle restoration business, talk about changes in the automotive trade, because anyone interested in restoring cars, would most often than not have a passion for all things motoring and therefore find the information you are sharing, relevant to them.

Creativity, Creativity, Creativity! Do not post dull out of date imagery, as this will not gain traction with your following. Rather spend the money and invest in editing software, even better, invest in a graphic designer, who can take your simple snap shot off your cell phone and bring it to life. With the ever growing interest in MOOC’s (Mass Open Online Courses) there is more than one photography course available, take the time to learn the skill and add some much needed artistic feel to your imagery. Also, always have a critical eye. Is there anything in your imagery that could be offensive, however simple and minimal, take caution and ensure you do not post anything that could offend any segment, as this could very easily shut down your social media and cause irreparable damage to your brand. Otherwise, have FUN with it. If you have fun putting a post together, it shows in the final product. Remember it is your personality you are trying to portray to your consumer, so be yourself and let your voice speak through your posts.

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“Otherwise, have FUN with it”

What are your thoughts on influencers?

A simple answer, if you have them, use them. Social Media Marketing is about talking to your consumer, not as a big bad company, but as a fellow man on the street. If this means you grab some limelight from a Kardashian to grow your latest must have accessory, then so be it. Sadly that particular influencer doesn’t come cheap.

Tips about targeting your audiences on each platform? eg. FB, Twitter, Linkin

Each platform has its own unique way of gaining followers and engaging with your consumer. Facebook remains the best fit for all, but the demographic makeup of each platform will give you an indication of whether they would work for your brand. As a preschool, LinkedIn may not be the best tool to gain new young mothers, but Instagram very well could be the same, however, could not be said for a University, who could benefit greatly from LinkedIn and its very professional approach. The only way to truly know if a platform will work for your brand is to invest some time and energy into it. Give yourself two to three months to see if there is any traction and if there is not, then don’t be afraid to accept that this platform may not be ideal for you. Also, nothing stops you from making a profile dormant and trying it again once you have a stronger strategy.

Is twitter dying?

Twitter continues to grow internationally, but in all honesty, it doesn’t work for every business. Twitter is a great tool for many businesses, but if your target audience is not predominantly online and mass data consuming, then your brand may well get lost in the surplus data being constantly posted to the every growing feed. One only needs to look at the political landscape in the US to know that Twitter is still very relevant, however, from experience, if your target audience is young mothers, Twitter may not be the best communication tool. There are better social media tools to communicate with certain segments of the market, which is why Social Media Marketing as a whole is an ever adapting discipline and should be managed on a weekly basis.

Dead Tweet

“-it doesn’t work for every business”

What would be your minimum budget to spend per month on Social Media Marketing?

How long is a piece of string? The reality is, social media spend is based on the size of the brand and potential reach. If you are running a page with a few hundred followers and you are happy to have a steady growth of around 10% you can spend as little as $10 a month per channel (roughly R135), but if you want to do a more targeted approach for a nationwide product launch you could be looking at 10 times that spend. One should never base your spend looking from the outside in, for marketing to be viable, a business needs to set its own cost and then make that budget stretch as best it can, on the most successful platform. Again, this requires consistent managing of platforms to ensure you spend where you see the best ROI.

Also Read: SUPPLIER TIPS – SALES 101 – FOLLOW UP CALLS

How often should someone post?

Again, this is an open ended question. Some companies want to be minimally active, 2 posts a week. While this will never gain you a huge following, consistency is often the most important part of social media advertising. I suggest to my clients, minimum one post per day on your main social media channel, but know of companies where they work on upwards of 5 – 8 posts per day on every channel (with the exception of Youtube, as a decent quality posting can take weeks to complete). Rather say less and be more relevant, then fill your feed with noise. If you share too much ‘noise’ people will view your page or brand as spamming their feed. No one likes to be bombarded with information, especially if the information is not relevant to them. Number one rule of any social media feed – Quality over Quantity, rather post 3 times a week and put really good quality information on your page, then post 5 times a day and it is really substandard.

Get custom quotes for social media or connect with Elize here.

Also Read: WHAT DOES SECTION 12 B MEAN FOR MY SOLAR SYSTEM?

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