The world of hashtags and emojis doesn’t have to be a mystery, so we’ve prepared a guide to make your social media fly.

Why social media?

There are over 3 billion active social media users on the planet. In Australia, around three-quarters of the population uses online networks – far more concentrated than television and newspaper audiences.

Choosing the right channels for your business

In order to find the right online channels, you first need to look inward:

  • What is your purpose for using social media? Are you building a community, offering customer service or trying to increase sales?
  • How do you want to engage with people? Will you conduct customer service by direct message or are you looking to promote brand awareness?
  • What are you trying to achieve? Do you know your core demographics or are you trying to learn more about them?
  • What do you want to tell people?
  • Where are your competitors marketing and how successful are they?

Be heard

It’s important to find the right voice for your brand. Not only does it need to represent you, but it should also speak to your customer base.

Promote your social accounts in everything you do. Link to them from your website, put signs in your store and include them in your business cards.

Post regularly (several times a week). Algorithms favour engagement, so posting will help build a community. Posts don’t just have to be about your business: they can be things that interest your base, such as cute kitten videos or free home-improvement tips.

Facebook

Facebook has the largest audience, but competition for eyeballs is fierce.

When to use it:

  • To find out more about your customer base.
  • Lead generation through highly targeted advertising.
  • Turn leads into loyal followers and customers.
  • Build relationships, and show the values of your business.
  • Stand out from your competitors with engaging content.

How to use it:

  • Utilise Facebook’s insights to see who is liking your page.
  • Fill in all of the information about your business and use a professional photo or logo.
  • Photos and videos get far higher engagement.
  • If you run an advertising campaign, ensure every component, like target audience, creative formats and bid type, aligns to the same objective.
  • Return engagement when customers contact you. Reply to comments, like posts and encourage them share or tag you in photos of their purchases.
  • Facebook now shows how long it takes for your business page to reply to direct messages, so be sure to respond within 24 hours.

Instagram

Instagrammers are the most engaged, brand-aware social media users (with 10x the brand engagement of Facebook). This isn’t the place for cookie-cutter content.

When to use it:

  • Influencer marketing, by collaborating and engaging with popular accounts.
  • Build anticipation for new products.
  • Reward your followers by offering exclusivity.

How to use it:

  • Show what you do in a creative way.
  • If you provide a service, use short videos like Boomerang to show behind-the-scenes content.
  • Use stories for 24-hour advertising campaigns.
  • Track the latest hashtags with a free tool like Hootsuite.

Looking to grow your business through social media? Check out how Prospa posts and engages with customers, and use our marketing calendar to help you stay on top of your schedule.