This contributed post is by Jason Dirkham
If you’re running a business and it’s not quite setting the world alight in the way you hoped, you may be wracking your brains for ideas and inspiration to bring about a change of fortune. If you’ve got a great product, but you’re not turning interest into sales, or your website isn’t generating traffic, it’s time to try and get more people talking about the business. You could have the best idea in the world, but if nobody knows about it, you’re never going to hit the big time. With so many of us spending so much time on social media, here are some tricks and tips to help you socialize your way to success.
Choosing your platforms carefully
There’s an ever-increasing number of social media platforms out there, and the likelihood is that you don’t need them all. The key to using social media to your advantage is choosing the right platforms for your business. To do this, it’s incredibly important to think about your target market and to learn more about their online habits. Which sites do they visit most? How much time do they spend on social media on an average day? What do they do online? What kinds of hooks are most attractive to them? You need to cater to your audience, so make sure you know everything there is to know before you streamline your strategy and start putting plans into action.
Spreading the word
Once you’ve decided which platforms to incorporate in your campaign, you can start spreading the word, generating some interest and building an online following. There are lots of ways you can do this, from paying for advertising and sponsored posts to running competitions to encourage people to share your posts. Work with other companies and businesses and promote their content in return for shares and likes. If you’re new to social media and you want to drum up interest quickly, it’s worth getting advice from people in the know like the experts at Appiloque. If you have success with certain types of posts, keep going in the same vein and offer incentives for sharing posts. Be interactive and engage with the people who are taking time to leave comments or ask questions. Make sure all your pages and profiles are linked and use the same handles to make it easier for people to find you.
Creating captivating content
Did you know that the average person spends less than 15 seconds on a single web page? We have very little patience when it comes to the Internet, and we expect to be informed or entertained instantly. Bear this in mind when you’re creating content to post on your social media pages. You need to grab the reader’s attention. Don’t regurgitate the same content over and over again and avoid lengthy passages of text. Post video clips and photographs rather than wordy descriptions and make sure your content is relevant to your business and the audience.
The value of networking has long been understood, but today, adding to your contact list comes in a different form. Although face to face meetings and events can be beneficial, many businesses choose to be sociable online. If you don’t have an effective social media campaign up and running, now is the time to put your business out there and start making friends.
This contributed post is by Jason Dirkham.
