Social Media Basics & What is Social Media?

Social Media Basics | What is Social Media?

For those that aren’t familiar with what Social Media is, let me start you off with a definition that lays a good foundation for understanding Social Media basics.

Social Media is simply people communicating, interacting, and sharing information across the web.

Social Media isn’t limited to just Facebook and Twitter, although those are critical points for having a strong social media presence (and are also good for SEO). Social Media encompasses all social networking sites and blogs that people are sharing interests and information which is referred to as content–pictures, texts, links, videos–and content is being shared all day long, around the clock. Popular platforms include LinkedIn for professional networking, Instagram for sharing visual content, and TikTok for short-form videos.

There are many reasons why having a Social Media Strategy for your small business would be beneficial. The most basic reason to get involved in Social Media is to have the opportunity to engage with your customers more easily than leaving a comment card in a drop-box. With the use of Social Media, you can be responsive to your customers in a way unlike any other, and directly influence their perception of your company and brand image.

Another great reason for getting into the Social Media game is having very direct customer insight. Making polls, or asking direct questions, gives you a giant chance to get feedback about products or services. Social Media doesn’t just benefit your company, but it is also there to help your customers. You can provide your customers with promotions, available to those if seen online, and this rewards them for their loyalty. This builds great customer rapport and will increase your customers’ appreciation of you as well! Nothing beats interaction with customers, and let’s face the facts–your customers are definitely already online, understand Social Media basics and beyond, they’re just waiting for their favorite companies to jump on board!

Social Media Basics | Tips To Consider

If you are a beginner at Social Media, this Social Media Basics advice is aimed at you. It will help you on your way to forming a strong Social Media Marketing Plan, and give you more insight into what your customers are going to positively react to. These are just the basics of Social Media, but this will create a very strong foundation.

Facebook

• Facebook is a great place to start. A fan page is an amazing start for any social media basic plan.
• So you have this great space available to you, put it to good use and fill it up! Fill in all of your information, creating a bio and any additional information about your products or services that would be helpful for customers, like business hours, contact info, and location. Those should be obvious. Don’t forget to include links to your other websites and a profile picture.
• Upload more than just a profile picture. It’s nice for your customers to see and recognize your pretty logo, but what customers can relate to are just everyday pictures, like photos from conferences, events, around the office and staff members, and even pictures of your products or services in action.
• The cool thing about Social Media basics is being able to directly communicate with other people using technology. Use the technology, don’t be it! Avoid coming off robotic and unnatural, simply talk as you would in your everyday life. Don’t just make posts and updates, but reply to and ask your customers questions. Sticking to this tip will take you a long way.
• Another great tip is to share others’ content. Showing that you value other peoples’ opinions can say a lot to your customers and shows that you actually enjoy Social Media. It can also spark all kinds of conversation. It puts people a lot more at ease and inclined to add their opinion into the conversation.
• Connect your Social Media. If you have a blog, make it so that your posts are automatically sent to your Facebook so that people can access your content easily.
• Encourage participation by having exciting promotions. Do giveaways, contests, or events that will prompt offline action, as well as online.
• Don’t just make a post here and there. Update and make posts on a regular basis. I would suggest at least once a week, but exceed that if possible. Your customers want to see that you care about your Social Media, and are always looking for something new and interesting from you. Don’t let them lose interest.
• Be relevant, but be fun too. Make posts that are relevant to your target market and to your niche, but don’t always make things so serious. Providing your customers with content that is still relevant to them, but is on the light side, makes it easy to be consistent. This is something that your customers will also greatly appreciate and will certainly increase your brand image in a very, very positive way.
• Go the next step in the Facebook game and make your Fan Page customized. A customized Fan Page features a landing page with suitable graphics that offer interaction, like “liking” your page. With a customized Fan Page, underneath your photo, where you find ‘Info’ and ‘Photos,’ you can create tabs that have whatever you want on them! Some good ideas are special offers, videos or music, testimonials or reviews, etc. If you’d like us to help you customize your Facebook Fan Page, don’t hesitate to contact us.
• Facebook Ads: Utilize Facebook Ads to reach a broader audience. Facebook Ads offer various targeting options that allow you to specify your audience by location, demographics, interests, and behaviors. This can significantly boost your visibility and engagement.
• Facebook Analytics: Use Facebook Insights to track the performance of your page. Insights can help you understand your audience better, measure your post engagements, and refine your strategy based on data.

What The Tweet Is Twitter?

• Twitter is all about tweets–yep, you heard that right, tweets! Tweets are short posts that are sent to your followers, just like Facebook makes ‘status updates.’ Twitter is much like Facebook, but the rules to the game are a bit different. Here are some tips that will keep you on your Twitter social media basics game.
• First of all, pick a name that your customers will remember and recognize as your company and brand, not Jimbo77.
• Just like Facebook, use your space, but with Twitter you’re going to need to use your space wisely. Your bio is limited to 140 characters so be sure that it’s eye-catching and has keywords related to your niche. This last one is important so that when people search for your niche they can find you.
• Listen up and be polite. Shooting out too much information can sometimes come off the wrong way. Twitter is a place for everyone, so interact and listen to what others have to say. Be thankful and be polite. Follow back all of your followers.
• A great way to perk your ears up to your audience is the use of hashtags. An example of a hashtag is “#DetroitConference2011”. You place them at the end of tweets to tag what your post is related to. Use them for event, products, promotion, and conferences to get a better listen at what people have to say about those things.
• Re-tweet. Much of Twitter is re-tweeting content. This plays into the whole politeness thing. ‘It’s not all about you’ applies here. Don’t forget to give credit where it is deserved as well.
• You are only allowed to work with a very, very, very short 140 characters. Not 140 words. Not even 140 letters. But 140 characters. Be concise and get your point across in as few words as possible. You’re also going to want to use a link shortener to save space.
• Advanced Strategies: Engage in Twitter chats to participate in or host discussions about relevant topics. Use Twitter Lists to organize your followers and keep track of key influencers or industry leaders.
• Twitter Analytics: Monitor your performance using Twitter Analytics. Track key metrics such as tweet impressions, profile visits, mentions, and follower growth to gauge the effectiveness of your strategy.

Blogging

• Focus. Make a plan for your content and stick with it. Make sure you know your marketing plan well, and focus the right topics to your right audience. A tight audience is a budget well spent, so it’s definitely a cornerstone of SEO basics.
• Make blog posts often, and not just for SEO purposes (blogs and article marketing are crucial for SEO), but update your blog frequently enough so that people don’t forget that it’s even there!
• Having guest bloggers contribute and make posts is an excellent way to mix up your content.
• Make sure that your ‘share’ and ‘subscribe’ buttons are visible and inviting, so that others will share your content.
• Allow comments to be made on your blog posts, but it may be a wise idea to make them appear only after you approve them.
• Make your posts visually pleasing. This means pictures, videos, and infographics. This also means breaking up your content so that it is digestible. Use headers and titles, or try lists like this one.
• Let your voice be heard and stick to being yourself. Offer your expertise but remain personable and friendly. You want to inform, but you also want to excite!
• Content Planning: Develop an editorial calendar to plan your content ahead of time. This helps ensure consistency and allows you to align your content with your marketing goals.
• SEO Best Practices: Incorporate SEO best practices into your blogging. This includes keyword research, using meta tags, and optimizing images to improve your blog’s visibility in search engines.
• Successful Blogs: Highlight examples of successful blogs in your industry. Analyze what makes them successful and how you can apply similar strategies to your blog.

Advanced Tips and Best Practices

Content Creation

• Diversify your content types. Different types of content, such as videos, infographics, and podcasts, can engage your audience in various ways. Understand what type of content resonates most with your audience and focus on creating more of that.
• Maintain a consistent brand voice across all platforms. Consistency in your messaging helps reinforce your brand identity and makes your content more recognizable.
• Leverage user-generated content. Encourage your customers to share their experiences with your products or services. User-generated content adds authenticity and can be highly engaging.

Community Management

• Engage with your audience regularly. Respond to comments, participate in discussions, and show appreciation for your followers. Active engagement helps build a strong community around your brand.
• Monitor social media channels for feedback. Use social listening tools to track mentions of your brand and industry keywords. This helps you stay informed about what your audience is saying and allows you to respond promptly.
• Host live sessions. Live sessions on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube can help you connect with your audience in real-time. Use these sessions to answer questions, provide updates, and offer a behind-the-scenes look at your brand.

Influencer Marketing

• Identify the right influencers for your brand. Look for influencers who align with your brand values and have an engaged following. Micro-influencers with smaller but highly engaged audiences can be particularly effective.
• Build relationships with influencers. Approach influencers with a genuine interest in collaboration. Offer them value and create partnerships that benefit both parties.
• Track the performance of influencer campaigns. Use analytics to measure the impact of your influencer partnerships. Track metrics such as reach, engagement, and conversions to evaluate the success of your campaigns.

Measuring Success

• Set clear goals for your social media efforts. Define what success looks like for your brand and establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to track your progress.
• Use analytics tools to measure your performance. Platforms like Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics, and Google Analytics provide valuable data on your social media activity. Use this data to refine your strategy and improve your results.
• Regularly review and adjust your strategy. Social media is constantly evolving, so it’s important to stay flexible and adapt your approach based on what’s working and what’s not.