Building a brand using social media may feel like a massive undertaking with all of the platforms available to you for your business. I’m here to tell you that it’s now easier than ever to use social media to connect with people and create awareness about your business/brand organically. Today, right now, right here, for one day only! (cue laughs) I’ll be giving you some social media tips and tricks that you can apply for your brand/business and thoroughly explain how to use each platform to the fullest extent.
Start with a plan
You need to have a specific and intentional plan for each social media platform you use. It may seem like a lot of work, but each platform has its own rules for generating engagement. Based on what you do, and your brand, you may not need a presence on every platform, but your posts need to be targeted with a strategy specific to that platform.
If you’re just getting started, it’s important to prioritize the quality of your content over number of posts, and sometimes, less is more on social media. For small businesses in particular, trying to tackle five different social media pages often results in doing a mediocre job with little to no results.
Consistency, consistency and more consistency
Consistency is key. Remember each social media platform requires a certain number of posts per day to get the maximum engagement. For example, platforms like Twitter and Instagram Stories perform best when you are active multiple times per day (ideally three-five posts/tweets a day). Others, like Instagram and Facebook posts, don’t have as much urgency and can be used sparingly (less than three times a week), but with more detail.
Don’t get lost or forgotten! If you’re not publishing new content as often as the other accounts out there, it’s easy to lose ground with your audience. Your followers are likely following hundreds or even thousands of other people.
Focus on quality over quantity
Each platform you use will have its own unique audience and reasons for use. There will be overlap of the people you’re targeting on each platform, but it’s still essential to understand your audience so you can focus your message to have the most impact. When you have a solid message or overarching theme that you don’t stray from, you can count on your social media posts to always be relevant to your audience.
Quality also refers to the images and videos that you post. With the exception of IG stories, which are more “in-the-moment” and organic in tone, you want to ensure that the visuals you use to sell your brand are high quality and look professional. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, so take notes on the content in your favourite feeds for inspiration.
Central Counties Tourism has thousands of images that members can use for free, as well as partnership opportunities that can help you build your own image resources. Register for access to the CCT Image Bank here to start browsing.
What’s trending?
Once you have your key messaging determined, keep an eye on popular trends emerging on each platform. If you notice a pattern or strategy rising in popularity and it aligns with your messaging, then it’s a great idea to capitalize on it to drive engagement. That doesn’t mean jumping on the next meme bandwagon or trend you see. If you start creating posts or sharing content that isn’t in line with your overall messaging, you will quickly alienate your audience.
One way to have a steady supply of popular content is to create a list of sites in your industry that publish high quality, current content. Bookmark them, so you’ll have a dashboard of relevant content that you can use as inspiration. York Durham Headwaters (our consumer brand) and other regional Destination Marketing Organizations are also great places to look for examples of quality content.
Track and refine your performance
To make sure you are getting the best results you need to accurately track and measure your efforts. Many businesses don’t properly track their social ROI. This can lead to confusion and not knowing if your strategy is really working. You need to identify key metrics that are important to your brand.
For example, some of the metrics that we use at Central Counties Tourism are:
- Reach and engagement for Facebook
- Impressions, retweets and mentions on Twitter
- Likes, comments and mentions on Instagram
- Views and engagements on Instagram Stories
You should track these metrics on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis so you know when and if you need to make changes to your social media strategy.
Video content boom…
To put it plainly, video content is BOOMING right now with the main players being
- IGTV and Instagram reels;
- YouTube;
- and Facebook Live
More than ever video content is being produced and put into the social media world! Engagement is also much higher with video content. Why you may ask? Video is more interactive, detailed, and dynamic than a static photo.
Build relationships
Social media users crave authentic interaction with the brands they follow. Even though great content is necessary, MAKE SURE you’re keeping an eye on each platform to engage with your audience. Answer questions that come up on your posts, handles or hashtags. Don’t be afraid to chime in when users are having a conversation about your brand or business. Users want to know that there’s a real person behind the post. You want your social media presence to be a two-way line of communication. Engage WITH people rather than just talking at them.
Partner with influencers
A great way to target your audience on a more personal level is to partner with influencers in your industry or niche to help promote your products more organically. When you partner up with an established influencer that has an active following in your niche, you expose your brand to a new audience that might not be aware of your company.
These are just some of the strategies we use at Central Counties Tourism to develop social media content that encourages and inspires people to visit this amazing region. If you have great content that you want us to share, let us know! Our job is to help promote your business, so be sure to tag us in your posts and follow us on social media.
Connect online at:
www.yorkdurhamheadwaters.ca
Instagram: @VisitYDH
Facebook: @VisitYDH
Twitter: @VisitYDH
www.centralcounties.ca
Instagram: @centralcountiestourism
Facebook: Central Counties Tourism
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CCT_RTO6
LinkedIn: Central Counties Tourism
By: Elnaz Borandeh
