Where To Start When Aiming For Social Media Success

What does social media success look like for your business?

If you are looking for a straightforward answer on how to get more sales from social media, you may be disappointed to learn that there is no definitive one-size-fits-all secret to success. This is because every social media platform is different and each individual account or brand is also unique. What works for one account won’t work for another account and what works on one social platform may not work on another social platform.

Which social media platforms should you be using?

Take LinkedIn, for example. Using more than eight hashtags on LinkedIn with playful captions and a portrait image isn’t going to work well. However, if we take this post over to Instagram, it may perform better, as Instagram is a mobile dominant platform that has a culture that approves multiple hashtags and edgier content. The main consideration you will need to bear in mind when deciding which social media platform to use is who your audience is and where you will find them.

Who is your audience?

Usually, your audience is your existing or potential customers or your clients. One important aspect of social media success is going where those people are - whether that’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, or elsewhere. You don’t need to use all the platforms – you just need to use the ones where your people are. It's also worth remembering that in terms of your audience and your followers, quality is better than quantity. It is better to have ten followers for your social media account who engage with your posts and who are even clients or customers than it is to have a thousand followers who don’t give you any engagement. Having lots of followers may look great, but it becomes embarrassing when your posts get no engagement. It indicates that people who do follow you aren’t interested or even that the followers you have aren’t genuine.

What are your goals?

Before you start posting about your latest blog posts and achievements, or even your latest product, you need to ask yourself an important question. Why am I posting this and what do I want to achieve? Only then should you begin crafting your social media posts.

Often, sales are the ultimate goal, but this finish line doesn’t usually occur on the social platform - it’s usually on your website, so this is where you need to direct people. Additionally, social media is often about the soft sell. You want to create a journey for your customers and sell them an idea that they grow themselves. It’s easier to sell the idea of lying on a sunbed in France than it is to sell the idea of paying £100+ for plane tickets. If you sell the lifestyle, the customer will take themselves through the consumer journey to get there.

Once you know who your audience is and what goal you would like them to complete, you can decide which platforms are the best ones for you to focus on to achieve this, and what content you will post and when you will post it for optimal impact.

When it comes to social media, branding yourself and your products or services is more important than selling them. There is a reason why corporate giants such as Coca-Cola can be found in so many shops, bars, and restaurants. Because it’s reputable. People trust it. They feel familiar with it already. They’ve seen it before. They know people who drink it and may drink it themselves. Branding yourself or your products helps build this reputation and image. This is another goal you may want to achieve with social media – building brand awareness and also building relationships with customers. Introduce them to your brand, your products, and how your brand or products are used in a real life situation. This will have more chance of leading to a sale rather than offering an image and saying “buy this”. Social media success is getting engagement from your audience and having them complete the ultimate business goal you would like them to, which usually means turning followers into customers and even advocates for your brand. However, the specifics of what success looks like in terms of numbers and results – and how to get there – will vary between businesses. That’s why we work closely with each of our clients and tailor marketing strategies geared towards business goals, where social media is just one of the many important aspects of your digital marketing system.

If you would like any help with your social media, get in touch with SilverDisc.