The digital age has seen tremendous changes in human activity. Newspapers have been rivalled with news sites, online radio and television have become popular alternatives, while social media has added value to human interaction.
Businesses today need to think on their feet to survive in the ever growing competitive world. With a growing presence of people on social media, it has become essential for any business to include it in their business activity. Lamudi Ghana offers some helpful social media tips to kick-start small businesses and add further value to existing brands.
A virtual home is important
A website or a blog is considered the touch base for target audiences to understand your brand better. It can be compared to walking into an office and meeting a customer care person who provides you with information relating to its business. As important as having an office is to your business, websites and blogs are necessary for Internet marketing. That way, you can link your social media posts to your website or blog, increasing your brand recognition.
Research on your audience
Before selecting your preferred social media platform, you need to conduct research on where your target audiences mainly engage. This selection will depend on the characteristics of your target audience as well as your line of business. For the Ghanaian market, real estate businesses would be more suited to LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. For consumables, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest are excellent complementary tools. Make sure your selected social media platform will have a positive bearing on your business objectives.
Add a human touch
Social media sites are mainly platforms for social activity. As much as your primary objective is to make sales, human psychology demands you to be as engaging as possible. Your brand should be communicated as a person and not a robot. Engage your target audience in the best way possible to transmit your desired brand perception.
Cultivate professional relationships
Connecting with your target audience is a great way to maximize your business on social media. However, know that other businesses and individuals have a huge list of individuals who share similar characteristics with your existing followers. From bloggers to authors, news sites to businesses, these entities are opportunities for you to expand your reach. Make sure to follow such individuals and do not forget to reciprocate the action of those who have started following you.
Time management is important
It is easy to lose yourself in the ‘social’ moment when you have an objective of engaging your target audiences. A friend may be looking to chat with you on Facebook, the movie teaser you have been waiting ages for may be available on YouTube or a funny picture may be trending on Instagram. Having a schedule and sticking to it is very important in this respect. Use tools such as Google Calendar to help you manage time adequately.
Content, content, content
Content is always central to your social media success. Whether it is a 160-character twitter post or an info-graphic, content is generally what determines your success on social media. Ensure you always post engaging and relevant content. It could be a quote summarizing standards in your industry or a link to helpful tips for individuals. People are usually drawn to such quality and engaging content. You can also contribute to an industrial debate but stay off controversies. The important thing is that content should be prioritized over conversations.
Be responsive
Brace yourself for comments and questions from your audiences. Whether it is a very important contribution towards improving your business or a simple question about where you live, social media responses form an important part of any business. Time is also of essence to your audiences. According to Convince&Convert, 42 percent of customers complaining on social media expect a response time of 60 minutes. Keep it polite and simple. For questions you do not have direct answers to, inform that individual that queries have been forwarded to appropriate colleagues.
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