8 tips for promoting your business on social media

It’s 2017 and social media continues to be all of the things. On one hand, it’s noisy and distracting. Our Facebook feeds present a never-ending stream of puppy videos and political scandal…and what superhuman can navigate this emotional hurricane without distraction? However, we keep coming back for more because there’s no denying it; social media is shaping the the way we consume news and current events. It offers us a platform to connect, organize, discuss, debate, celebrate and share.

Love it and hate it, social media is here to stay and we’ve discovered some smart ways to utilize this powerful tool for your business. Here’s our top eight.

# 1 Release your inhibitions…just try it!

If you’re feeling a little awkward taking your message to the masses, don’t worry! This is a normal. What we call social media shyness is super common and easy to overcome. Learn by doing. Get your feet wet. Publish that first post and see what happens. We’re cheering for you!

#2 Use professional photos

While building your social media presence, hire a professional photographer to take your headshot and images of your business. Everything you put into the digital landscape reflects back to you…so represent your high quality brand with high resolutions.

#3 Make a plan

Start with posting once a week, and work your way up. As with anything else, consistency is key in social media marketing. Demonstrating an investment of time and passion to post regular high-quality content will establish your brand as a trusted source. Prefer to sit down once and schedule several weeks of posts in advance? Hootsuite is the most widely used platform for managing social media.

#4 Include your friends

Invite your friends to like your business page. They probably will! Friends support us in our pursuits, and often have similar interests. Taking into consideration the six degrees of separation, friends of friends of friends will soon be liking and sharing your content.

#5 Fill out all the information

Remember the “what, who, where, when, why” of every post. Sometimes it helps to take an idea to paper, and sketch out a few different versions. The challenge comes in making each post informative, but also bite-sized enough to get people interested and engaged. This takes practice…but we know you can do it!

#6 Show your community some love

Our favorite thing about social media is the opportunity to bring together our local network around common causes and events. Tag your business partners, employees and clients so they will share too. Then watch as your community expands.

#7 Work with the algorithm

Keep in mind that every audience is different. In fact, every DAY is different. An intricate Facebook algorithm decides which posts get shown to each user in their News Feed. Connect with like-minded people by staying authentic. Tweak your content with your audience in mind – but don’t forget what you’re trying to say.

#8 $ makes the world go round

As mentioned earlier, it’s easy for a message to get lost in the noise. With paid advertising, your content will reach those more likely to consider it relevant and interesting. Whether you’re looking to increase page likes, post engagement, or website clicks, start with a small investment and see what happens.

One last thought

Remember, all great things take patience – and this includes your successful social media network. Stay creative, stay consistent, try new things, fail big, fail bigger, keep going and soon your message will shine amongst the sea of social content.

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Dot Think Design is a woman-owned & operated agency based in Fairfield County, CT that serves nonprofit and for-profit organizations across the US with branding and marketing strategy, print and web design, social media and email campaigns, technology solutions and development.

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