Social media is dominating the marketing industry and for good reason.
It’s arguably the best resource for spreading awareness about your brand, business, or blog.
But there’s so much to remember when it comes to managing your different social media platforms.
Social media marketing can seem overwhelming at first.
- Where do you start?
- What should you post?
- What are some guiding principles to follow?
- Don’t let yourself get lost!
Here’s a list of 22 tips for how to launch your social media, build up your brand, and connect with your audience.
You’ll be a complete master in no time at all.
1. Jump In!
The best way to take command of your social media marketing is to START.
While pre-planning is important, it’s not going to be effective unless you take action.
At a certain point, you have to stop hesitating and start posting.
The longer you wait, the harder it will be to motivate yourself.
So go ahead and dive in!
Remember that putting out content is better than expecting perfection.Click To Tweet
Just start somewhere and strive to improve over time.
2. Diversify Your Platforms
A good social media strategy includes a strong presence on multiple platforms WHERE YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE ACTUALLY HANGS OUT.
While focusing all your efforts on one platform might be effective initially, it limits your audience reach, but make sure your target audience actually uses the platforms you choose to focus on.
Consider which platforms will be best for your specific needs.
The powerhouses, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, are always a solid place to start, depending on how you hope to connect with your audience.
If you’re promoting your blog posts, add Pinterest to the mix. Other options might include LinkedIn, Medium, or Tumblr.
If you’re planning on releasing videos, YouTube and Vimeo will be your best friends.
Whatever platforms you choose, you’ll want to be active there. Don’t advertise your presence on a platform if you’re not going to be updating it regularly! That’s just sloppy.
Don’t overextend yourself. You don’t have to be on every platform, in fact, it’s really better to focus your efforts as directly as possible.
There’s a balance that every business has to find, so get searching as early as possible!
Additional reading:
- How To Pick A Platform For Your Business: Snapchat v.s. Instagram.
- How To Choose The Right Social Media Platform For Your Business.
3. Look For Resources
Since social media marketing is now more prevalent than ever, it’s important to note that you’ll never be alone in your outreach efforts.
If you’re ever stuck coming up with content ideas, figuring out how to optimize your bio, or you need help finding hashtags for your niche, you can always ask or refer to LadyBossBlogger posts.
- How To Use Instagram Hashtags Correctly
- How To Auto Post On Instagram And Find The Best Hashtags
- 5 Tools To Save You Time On Instagram
- How To Get 100 Pinterest Followers In 7 Days
- 43 Most-Asked Pinterest Marketing Questions
- How To Use Pinterest To Grow Your Business And Traffic
SOCIAL MEDIA GENERAL
- How To Hashtag: Your Secret Weapon For Social Media
- 5 Apps For Social Media Content Creation
- How To Turn Your Social Media Into A Lead Generation Machine
The resources for social media marketing are both tremendous and easy to find!
A quick Google search might be all you need to answer a specific question, or else you can look up to some experts!
Follow Jenna Kutcher or Jade Darmawangsa and find other social media experts whose tips and tricks will keep your social media looking clean, polished, and engaging.
4. Don’t Be Intimidated Or Overwhelmed
A basic truth for social media marketing:
Someone will always be better than you!
Another business will have a more aesthetic feed, another blogger will have more followers, and another Facebook group will get more engagement.
You’re never going to be the best, so remove that pressure right now!
You want to design and maintain an identity that works best for you and your business.
While it’s okay to check on your competitors and see what they’re doing, you don’t need to compare your progress to theirs.
Don’t be intimidated or discouraged by the success of others. Instead, allow it to push you forward!
Set realistic goals for your social media and stick to them.
There’s nothing worse than feeling like “I can’t do it.”
Success takes time. Anyone who tells you differently is wrong.Click To Tweet
5. Diversify The Content You Post
If I visit your Facebook Page and see 17 text-only posts in a row, that’s an issue.
The beauty of media is that there are so many different types!
Social media is a means to share content of all shapes and sizes, so why waste that opportunity?
No matter which platform you’re using, each one has made it easier than ever to showcase whatever you want.
- Got an event to promote? Facebook makes that easy.
- Need to run a quick poll? Try a Tweet.
- Want to give your followers more fun ways to engage with your content? Instagram stories are loaded with optional features.
The point is that there’s always a way to share what you love. Don’t stick exclusively to text posts. The time for that has passed.
Photos, videos, polls, quizzes, questions, boomerangs, gifs, quotes, news updates, giveaways, stories, events, recommendations, advice, links, information, resources…you name it.
It’s time to post and share more than ever before.
The best way to learn what types of content are most effective for your business or brand is through experimentation.
- Try these 10 Different Ways To Get More Likes On Instagram.
- Or these 4 Steps To Taking Instagram Worthy Photos.
- Or try these 5 Ways To Build Trust Using Social Media.
If you don’t diversify your content, you’ll never know what your followers love to see.
Give them the opportunity to engage! Add more variety to what you’re posting. It’s that simple.
6. Don’t Give Up
So let’s say you start with 26 followers and you’re feeling frustrated. Is the glass half-empty or half-full?
Both, actually.
That means you have 26 people who see your content. They follow you for a reason. Brilliant! You have a start!
That also means there are thousands of other people (potential clients, customers, or followers) who have yet to discover you. Amazing! They’re out there and ready to follow you, but you just have to find them first.
Your social media strategy will need to evolve constantly. Sometimes it will probably fail you. Sometimes you’ll hit bumps in the road.
So you pick up the pieces and keep moving forward. It’s most important that you stay focused on your goals and find the motivation you need to push forward.
Never give up! If there’s a problem somewhere, that means there’s also a solution.Click To Tweet
Read about the 5 Social Media Strategies You May Be Neglecting.
7. Post Consistently
It should be obvious, but it might not be.
If you’re present on a social media platform, then you need to be producing content for that platform.
There’s really no perfect answer to the common “How often should I post?” question.
Whether once a day or once a week, it will ultimately come down to your specific needs.
“Find your groove,” is what I like to say.
Depending on which niche you’re working in, your audience base, and the amount of content you have to share, that will determine how often you need to post.
Keep in mind that different platforms follow a different pattern. Most people wouldn’t post more than once a day or twice a day maximum on Instagram, but Facebook and Twitter are entirely different!
If you prefer only to update your social media for announcements, news updates, or sales/discounts, know that it will be harder to expect consistent growth.
It’s better to develop a range of content that extends beyond the “This exciting thing is happening right now!” posts.
Your followers should know that they can expect consistent content from you. Don’t leave them hanging!
To help you stay consistent, sign up for a smart social media scheduler.
8. Optimize Your Profiles
It’s a fairly simple formula.
Regardless of which platform you’re working on, your followers should know:
- Who you are
- What you do
- Who’s your target audience
- What you can offer your target audience
There are creative ways to handle this on different platforms.
Facebook gives you the most space to share your story through an “About” page, while Twitter and Instagram limit how much you can say in your bio.
Keep it short and simple, but stay on message.
Your bio is an entry point to gaining new followers, so it should be optimized to do just that. It’s also an essential part of crafting your identity, so let it.
- Optional: Strategize with key hashtags and emojis to communicate within your bio.
- Mandatory: The above four-step formula to capture attention, engage, and build your identity.
For more information read: How To Get Clients On Social Media By Hooking Them With Your Bio.
9. Connect Your Social Media To A Larger Purpose
- If you run a business and have a Facebook page promoting it. Great!
- If you’re a lifestyle blogger who likes to share inspirational content. Awesome!
- If you use your Twitter page to connect with influencers in your niche under key hashtags. Perfect!
But who are you beyond that single activity?
What do you offer to your community beyond running a business or blog?
Find a purpose for yourself that extends beyond monetary gain or influencer levels of exposure.
- How can you, your business, or your niche leave a mark on the world in a meaningful and impactful way?
- Is there a global movement you can endorse?
- What about a grouping of local businesses or specific nonprofit organizations you can support?
- How can you advocate for eco-friendly products or services?
- Do you support natural, organic, or vegan ingredients?
Use your presence on social media for more than personal gain. Click To Tweet
Let’s make the world a better place together.
Discover your “why” if you don’t have one yet: 5 Steps To Help You Find Your “WHY”.
10. Link Between Your Website And Social Media
The reason you post is that you want your followers to take action of some sort, whether it is to visit your blog and website or join your email list if you have one.
Let’s say you’re trying to build up your email subscription list and you’re not sure how or where to start.
In order to entice someone to join, consider offering something irresistible (a free e-book, a free e-course, a list of resources, a helpful guide to a complicated to-do task, etc) as an opt-in offer.
LadyBossBlogger has two offers:
- For beginner bloggers: 7-Day How To Start A Money Making Blog.
- For intermediate bloggers: 21-Days To Build A Better Blog Challenge.
Directly link to your freebies or resources within your social media bios.
Social media isn’t a means to an end, its purpose is to draw a connection toward the content on your blog and your email list so people can stay connected with you.
Read: 73 Ways To Promote Your Blog.
11. Find And Follow Experts In Your Niche
This is a commonly forgotten step.
If you’re working within a niche, you love that niche, and you’re seeking to build community within that niche, you’ve got to know where to look.
If you want to be truly informed about what’s happening in your area of expertise, it’s important to know what other experts are saying (<- LadyBossBlogger is #32 in this roundup post of 50 experts).
Since social media is all about connections, it’s easy enough to follow a pattern of what profiles lead to another.
Find the influencers in your niche, the ones who have made a name for themselves.
I’m not telling you to follow just anyone in your niche with 10k+ followers, but I am saying to find the people who are making a remarkable difference, who are passionate about topics similar to you, and who have valuable expertise to share.
Sometimes this can include major brands as well! Don’t disregard the “big names.”
It’s also a great idea to tag these brands if you feature their products or services in a post. This might lead to your own feature from them, but it’s also a means of gaining recognition within your niche.
Additional reading;
- How To Become An Instagram Influencer
- How To Get Brands To Notice, Collaborate, And Pay You As An Influencer
- How Influencers Make Money On Instagram
12. Find the Balance Between Followers And Following
It’s difficult to gain a following on social media without a healthy dosage of following people yourself.
However, you don’t want an extremely uneven ratio of followers to following.
If you’re following 1.2k people and you only have 60 people following you, that looks pretty unprofessional!
Don’t mass follow a large number of people in the hopes that they’ll follow you back.
While the age-old #followforfollow is still alive, it doesn’t give you permission to be a spammer.
Choosing who you’re going to follow should be a tasteful decision.
Have a reason before you hit the follow button.
You should follow people who are your target audience and who may actually enjoy your content, this will provide the best ratio of return follows.
Read: How To Empower Your Followers.
13. Post Different Content On Different Platforms
One of the best ways to drive traffic between different platforms is by keeping a wide variety of content.
Think about it: If you’re posting the same posts on four different platforms, why would someone want to follow all four of those accounts?
It’s seeing the same thing over and over again!
By posting different content on your different platforms, you’re increasing brand loyalty.
Certain followers will be much more likely to follow you on multiple platforms because they know they’ll be seeing a variety of valuable posts.
You’ll also be broadening your audience because certain subsections of your niche will only follow you on one specific platform.
No one wants to see the same caption, photo, or question more than once unless it’s a promotion, event, discount, etc that you’re advertising as a reminder for your followers.
Keep your content varied and your followers are more likely to view you as a fresh and interesting presence on their feed!
Additional reading;
- How To Build Loyal And Lasting Client Relationships
- How To Build Strategic And Loyal Business Relationships
14. Be Human
Audiences LOVE authenticity.
Sometimes our feeds can feel like they’re filled with fake smiles and fake lives. It shouldn’t (and doesn’t) have to be that way. Let your content radiate with the truth.
What does that mean practically?
- Be your raw and genuine self
- Be open and vulnerable about struggles, challenges, and insecurities (but remember not to broadcast overly sensitive or personal information)
- Give honest opinions and reviews
- Admit when you make mistakes and earnestly strive to correct or fix them
- Make your platform a place of positivity and encouragement, a breath of fresh air in our fast-paced digital age
- Be YOU, with all your emotions, habits, quirks, likes, dislikes, thoughts, humor, etc. Let your personality become a part of your brand.
Additional reading;
15. Engage With Everyone
One of the biggest no-nos on social media? Leaving someone hanging.
The dreaded “left on read” DM, the comments that don’t get acknowledged, or the photo that doesn’t get a like. Nobody wants to feel ignored.
While you can’t engage with everyone, there are a few ways to be known as someone who treats their followers well.
Just as you expect your followers to read and appreciate your posts, you should also be doing the same for them.
It takes ten minutes to skim a platform and see what’s happening! Be an active presence in the lives and businesses of others.
As you’re scrolling, actually engage with the people you’re following. Like, retweet, comment, share, like other people’s comments, etc.
People need to know that you’re there and that you care about content other than your own.
Then respond to the engagement that you receive as well!
Like and respond to comments, express gratitude, answer messages, and generally show your audience that you appreciate their activity on your page.
Engagement shows consideration and care.
Additional reading;
16. Follow The Rules
Know your platform and know the rules for it, both official and unofficial. For example, it’s not an official rule that you shouldn’t post seven times a day on Instagram, but it’s definitely not okay by unofficial rule standards.
Pay attention to the guidelines set by the company owning the platform. There’s a reason Facebook has dozens of bullet points outlining conduct, security, etc, and it’s the same with every other platform.
A few basic rules should seem fairly obvious!
- Don’t harass anyone, ever. Period.
- Don’t steal the work or content of others, ever. However, if you’re giving fair and clearly visible credit to the original creator, that’s not stealing!
- Don’t post inappropriate, rude, offensive, or graphic content. Ever.
Think about how beautiful our online communities could be if everyone followed the golden rule. If we all strive to respect others the exact way we want to be respected, we could open the door for much better online experiences.
17. Schedule Your Content With An Autoscheduler
If you’re hoping to produce a lot of content and post it regularly, then consider using a social media scheduler! There’s an abundance of options ranging from free to paid services that work across almost any platform that comes to mind.
Social media scheduling is a great way to plan days, weeks, or months worth of content and let it run without any extra effort on your part. If you’re worried about posting consistently, scheduling can make sure your feeds stay active and consistent.
Some options to consider:
- SmarterQueue: This scheduler has a unique recycle tool so all you need to do is set up your content and have it recycle itself every 30,60 or 90 days depending on how you set it up. This is the scheduler I most highly recommend above all the others because of the amount of time you can save.
- Sprout Social: A masterfully designed, easy to use, and efficient way to manage all your content. There aren’t any free plan options, but if you’re looking for a professional and intuitive option, Sprout is incredible.
- Later, Preview, Planoly, and others: For Instagram only. Allows you to pre-plan your feed, an especially helpful feature if you’re trying to follow a specific aesthetic or color palette. The best one, in my opinion, is Planoly.
- Tailwind: The ONLY scheduler officially approved by Pinterest! It’s a dream asset for bloggers hoping to schedule loads of pins promoting their blog posts. Now available for Instagram as well.
- Tweetdeck: Twitter only, for those who prefer to schedule their Tweets, but you can also use SmarterQueue to schedule tweets too.
- Buffer and Hootsuite: Great all-around options for an individual, blog, brand, or business. Both paid and free plans available, amazing options whether you’re new or experienced in planning out your content.
- Facebook publishing tools: Available within Facebook itself. This is the best way to make sure your posts are fully factored into Facebook’s post analytics. It’s a strong option for anyone wanting to stay within the platform itself.
18. Use Relevant Hashtags
…but not too much. But not too little! But definitely not too much.
Hashtags are an amazing option for identifying your target audience and promoting your content to them. While you can always use major hashtags featuring hundreds of thousands of posts, try to find the hashtags that work best for your niche and help showcase your content to those who care the most.
Twitter and Instagram are where hashtags tend to thrive the most. Stick to key hashtags and don’t go overboard (especially on Instagram). If you like posting an entire list of hashtags on your post, consider pushing them far down in the caption so that they’re not a distraction. Remember that hashtags are a tool and not the entire purpose of your post!
If you’re feeling bold, curate your own hashtag and encourage your followers to use it in specific posts relating to your brand or business. This is an opportunity to command some follower loyalty and is definitely worth the effort.
Additional reading;
- How To Hashtag: Your Secret Weapon For Social Media
- How To Use Instagram Hashtags Correctly
- How To Auto Post On Instagram And Find The Best Hashtags
19. Share Content From Others
- Facebook has a “share” button.
- Twitter has retweets.
- #Regram on Instagram.
Did you know not all your content has to be original? It’s true!
A great way to build community is by promoting the work of others within your niche. As long as you give complete and visible credit to the original source (tagging, caption, etc), you’re golden!
Acknowledging the artistic, productive, and creative content of others is a respectable choice. It’s also a solid option for getting you out of a slump if you need some ideas for content.
20. Be Relevant
Stay on topic, stay within your niche, and keep your content focused.
If you’re a veterinarian, your followers aren’t likely to want to know your opinion on a recent makeup product release.
Your followers want your content because it’s relatable or reliable, informative or beautiful, helpful or enjoyable. So keep your posts focused on your niche! “Stay in your lane,” as the saying goes.
21. Edit Your Photos And Maintain An Aesthetic
Whether that’s within the Instagram app itself or using a third party option like Snapseed, VSCO, or Adobe Lightroom, there’s a 99% chance your photo(s) can be improved with some minor edits. After all, you don’t have to be an expert to adjust brightness, increase saturation, or crop out a distracting element.
Find a stylistic aesthetic that you want to maintain on your page. That might be clean, bright, and clear images. Maybe you prefer everything in black and white. Maybe you have a signature font for every graphic you create.
Helpful free tools like Canva can help you curate the identity you want to uphold across all your platforms. What’s most important is consistency so that your audience automatically recognizes who you are and how you choose to showcase yourself.
Additional reading;
- How To Create A Logo For Your Brand In 5 Minutes (No Graphic Skills Needed)
- 4 Steps To Taking Instagram Worthy Photos
22. Have Fun
Let’s face it, social media is enjoyable.
Whether it’s playing kittens, gorgeous travel photos, or business tips, there’s something for everyone on social media.
At the end of the day, your business or brand’s presence online should never feel like a burden or an endless list of to-do items.
Find ways to have fun when producing, brainstorming, posting, or engaging with content.
Can you believe it?
22 ways to master your new social media marketing strategy! While there are endless amounts of resources to help you continue exploring the topic, I hope this list serves as a starting point for the amazing content you’re on your way to share!
Karen Simons says
Great tips! Looking forward for more tips!