Is Social Media Working For Your Business? Here’s How You Can Tell!

If you run a business, taking care of your social media may be at the bottom of your priority list. Even if it is something you handle, are you sure your social efforts are working? The following can help you identify if you are using this marketing technique to the fullest and if you may need help.

Make sure you are using social media for the right reasons

If you have an account on all relevant social media platforms, that is a great way to start marketing and interacting with current or potential customers. But, simply having pages set up is not enough. You should know what your goals are and who your audience is before setting up any accounts. Goals include sharing new products and services, engaging with customers, increasing brand awareness, and driving traffic to your website. You should keep your goals and target audience in mind at all times.

Use the right social media platforms

Knowing which platforms are right for your business takes some research, but it will be worth the time spent. You should research who uses specific social media platforms to know that they will work. This can be done by looking at demographics like age, location, income, and gender. For example, a large majority of 18 to 24-year-olds use Snapchat, while a variety of people use Facebook. Some geographic areas are more likely to have Twitter users while others are not.

Share the best types of content at the right times

Knowing that you have the right social media platforms for the correct audience can help you when creating content. This is because your content (posts) should be targeted. Facebook users will be interested in different types of content than Instagram users and may use the networks at different times.

Types of content

The following are just a few of the most popular social media platforms and few things to keep in mind about content for them. Remember that users across all social media platforms enjoy similar content, like videos, images, and giveaways.

• Facebook: This social network is typically used for reaching family and friends, but business use it for marketing too. If you plan to use Facebook, remember that most users do not want to be sold on a product, but have meaningful interactions.
• Twitter: Twitter is great for sharing small amounts of information, gifs, and images. Users should be encouraged to click on your posts to interact further, so make sure everything you share is eye-catching and includes hashtags.
• Instagram: This social media platform uses images instead of long blocks of text or embedded links. The more high-quality your images, the better. Hashtags are also important for this network.
• Snapchat: People who use this platform are typically in the younger generations. They prefer to see interesting, engaging, and flashy content rather than anything that is text-heavy.
• LinkedIn: Primarily a business-to-business platform, LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to reach out to companies that don’t use other social networks. Entire articles can be shared here, but keep in mind that people still prefer helpful images, videos, and other forms of content.

Different types of content will have varying effects on viewers. Videos tend to get more viewing time and interaction, while longer posts can give more detailed information. Paid ads can also count as content, but these can be even more targeted for better results.

When to post

Timing is important when it comes to social media marketing. Your followers and fans will use their accounts at various times throughout the day. Your content should mirror this to get the most interaction. For example, posting on Facebook is usually best done Monday through Friday, during late morning and the afternoon. Twitter posts are most often seen in the morning.

The most popular times for posting on social networks will vary by industry. Luckily, many platforms let you schedule posts and will calculate the best times so you don’t have to, like Facebook.

Track and monitor your social media

Watching your social media posts and pages may seem easy, and in some ways it can be. But, there are many factors that go into including social media in your digital marketing strategy. You can track how many likes your Facebook posts get, how many retweets you get with a video campaign, and how many followers you have on each platform. These are some of the quickest things to monitor. Other things you should be tracking can be more complicated. These include:

• How well ad campaigns do across every platform in regards to return on investment
• Your reputation on each social network based on demographics like age or gender
• The success of articles and pages from your website shared on each platform
• How your competition compares to your strategies and whether they are doing things better or making mistakes you should avoid

Tracking and monitoring does not just mean keeping up with your Facebook analytics or social media campaign ROI. Listening to your followers is just as important. This means paying attention to the good and the bad. Reviews, comments, and suggestions are all good places to find out how people view your brand. Private messages can be used to help resolve problems or answer questions. You can create more useful, targeted content by understanding how people view your business. This can increase likes, shares, comments, and customer loyalty.

By engaging with your audience, and being constructive in how you respond, you can get more out of your social media than advertising. Social media platforms provide the opportunity to work with and for your customers and followers, rather than just push products or services.

Tips for using social media marketing

Whether you already handle social media or or just getting started, the following tips can help you.

Should I hire a company to do social media services for me?

This is an important question, especially for smaller businesses. Although social media can be done in-house, the services you will receive may not be comprehensive. For example, a digital marketing company can handle everything from writing posts to tracking ad campaigns to making sure your brand is consistent on every platform. They can also make sure that your accounts are optimized and match your website flawlessly.

Many times, hiring a company will provide more for your money than hiring a full time social media manager. Marketing companies will have graphic designers, writers, videographers, and social media specialists to handle everything for you. If you prefer to take care of some aspects, like responding to negative feedback or writing posts, this is an option. Digital marketing companies are there to help you succeed and grow online and can coordinate their services to fit your unique needs.

Social media marketing in Amarillo

UCI Digital in Amarillo, Texas offers a variety of social media services. Our Team is experienced in understanding your target audience and working with you to produce high-quality content, including video, text-centered posts, and graphics. We will ensure that your brand is consistent and that your audience sees you as informative, helpful, and trustworthy.

Call us today at (806) 553-5332 or Contact Us by email to learn more about our Services. You can also visit us at 1000 S. Adams Street to talk with us in person.