By Ben Martin

It’s important for businesses and brands to have a social media presence. Reports by We Are Social estimate that there are over 2.3 billion social media users, which is a massive audience to ignore.

Social media can be used to help generate leads and may be the difference between whether a business is successful or not. A study by LinkedIn found that 93 percent of brands are now using social media to grow their business, but just how many of them are getting it right?

If you’re looking for ways to incorporate social media into the success of your business, here are some useful tips to get you started.

Make it meaningful

Stay on top of current trends that matter to your customers. When something relevant happens in the news or your industry, it’s crucial that you’re quick to react and that your content is shared before the story becomes old news. Not only will you get maximum exposure by getting there first, but people will start to see you as the thought leader in your field.

It’s essential that you understand what your audience is looking for and how you can provide it. By offering meaningful content, you will find that relevant people will come back again and again for your insights.

Share your content

There is no point in creating content if you’re not going to make the effort to share it. Be proud of your hard work and how valuable your content is by promoting it on social media. Don’t wait for people to come across your content naturally; shout about it and you’ll generate traffic.

HubSpot found that link clicks account for 92 percent of user interaction in tweets, so include valuable resources, such as whitepapers and downloads, to gain views and shares.

Some businesses fear that sharing content multiple times may overwhelm audiences. Avoid this by creating multiple posts that address the same message – by posting content worded differently each time, you’ll avoid the repetition.

Pictures can speak a thousand words

A study by University of Toronto found that we are able to remember visual information easier than text, as pictures help draw out personal memories.

By including images and videos within your social media content, it will be more visually appealing to users and will enjoy greater levels of engagement.

Do your research

Being social media-savvy means more than just posting content regularly – it’s about working out how well your social posts are performing. Look into who is sharing your content and which platforms work best.

Analytics tools will allow you to investigate what time of day your content receives the most engagement. By doing this, you can schedule future content around a similar time in order to optimise exposure.

Encourage interaction

When someone mentions you on Twitter, consider retweeting them as a way of saying thanks. Alternatively, if someone mentions you in a comment, reply to them and continue the conversation.

A recent study by Trustpilot found that 31 percent of people will trust a brand more when they have conversations with people on social media. Small things like replying or retweeting will show audiences that you appreciate the time they’ve taken to acknowledge you and will allow you to build a strong relationship with them.

Don’t ignore negative feedback

It’s important for you to take the good with the bad. As social media is such an open platform, it’s easy for people to express their opinion; therefore, it’s inevitable that you will come across some negative comments.

Keep on top of any negative feedback by responding straight away and remain friendly and helpful at all times. If things get heated or drag on for a while, it may be best to take things away from public view – look into giving them a call, email or direct message.

Ambassador reports that 71 percent of consumers who have a good experience with a brand on social media are likely to recommend them to others, so turn that negative comment into a positive encounter.

The importance of social media

It’s crucial for you to integrate social media into your marketing efforts – not only in order to stay relevant and up-to-date with your industry, but also to stay in touch with those that matter: your target audience.

By creating and sharing great content, finding what works best for you and engaging with users, you will find that more of your target audience becomes aware of you, thus increasing the likelihood of generating more leads for your business.

About the author
Ben Martin is the Creative Director at Manchester PR and creative agency Peppermint Soda. Find out more about how to successfully amplify your brand with theirsocial media marketing guide.