Social media can be a powerful tool to develop your brand image and stay connected with your customers. Even if you are not ready to allocate a large budget to sponsored content, there are a number of ways to harness the reach of these platforms for free or on a smaller budget. Here are a few tips to ensure an effective social media strategy without any spending required.
Maximise reach through your employees
For organic posts, your content is largely only visible to your followers, so to maximise reach, it is crucial for your employees to engage with your content. By liking and sharing company posts, they can spread your content to their networks and potentially bring in new followers.
Generate tailored, consistent content
Identify who your target audience is and then generate content that is relevant to their needs. Trying to reach everyone through generic posts will dilute your offering. Ensure your tone of voice and visual style is consistent with your other marketing channels, whether online or offline.
Network with others
Networking online with people and companies can be a valuable way to increase exposure. Tag other companies and individuals in relevant posts such as joint events. They are then more likely to share your content with their followers. However, stay clear of spamming anyone - don't tag someone if the content isn't about them.
Make use of hashtags and keywords
Hashtags are the best way to ensure your content shows up to people not following your page. Ensure your hashtags are relevant and don't overdo them. Keywords are also useful so that your page shows up to those searching for the type of content you are providing.
Make use of CTAs
Ensure every post has a clear and compelling call-to-action - what is it that you want the reader to do, and what can they expect to get out of it?
Track analytics and be flexible
Before you begin, define metrics that will measure the success of your efforts, such as leads, impressions and clicks. Most social media platforms provide analytics tools that will show you how your content is performing. Track this regularly and tweak your content strategy based on the results you see.
Be responsive
Respond to any questions and comments on your posts to keep your followers engaged.
Promote your page
Make use of other brand collateral to encourage visits and followers on your page. Places you can do this includes email signatures, website footers, EDMs, etc.
By implementing these techniques, you can make the most of your social media efforts and engage both existing and potential customers. You can then go on to allocate a budget to sponsor popular content if you wish to increase your reach further.
To find out more about how to develop an effective social media strategy on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram, get in touch with us now.