Are you using Social Media to market your business? If the answer is yes then good. Online marketing is one of the most important and effective ways to drive customers and profit to your business.

Most transactions occur online. Your customers are online. Your social media platforms are one of the best ways to reach out and interact with your customers. You can create the best products, promotions or content out there and still go unnoticed if you do not have an effective profile. Here are some ways to enrich your online branding and reach your audience.

Build a stand-out profile

If your audiences are to view just one social media platform, are they able to know who you are and what your company is about? Are they able to find your website and content easily? Your customers decide if they want to find out more about you or move on to the next company within a few seconds after they land on your page.

• Facebook. This is one of the most popular social media platforms. Facebook provides you with 3 prime locations to establish your brand: profile picture, cover photo and the ‘About’ section.
• Twitter. Choose a username that best represents your brand. It should be easy to remember like @companyname or @yourname. You can get creative with your Twitter handle, but make sure that it is congruent to your business name. For a unified look, choose a profile picture and cover photo that is both creative and reinforces the brand that you want to be known for. Introduce yourself through the Bio section. You can be as creative as you want but make it as short as possible. Also, include a link to your website or a specific landing page that your customers can go to for more information about you.
• Linkedin. This is the most important platform when it comes to business to business opportunities. Make sure your profile is easily searchable. Start by personalizing your Linkedin URL. Instead of saying ‘Manager at..’ include keywords that are highly searchable and will make you stand out. Look up title suggestions in Google Search to getan idea of the most searched keywords in your niche.

Linkedin is 227% more effective in generating leads than Twitter or Facebook so make sure you get the most of it. Spicing up your linkedin profile requires attention and strategy. Let us show you how. Connect with us on linkedin through in.linked.com/in/adamlnmole and send us a direct message.

Creative and consistent engagement

After building a complete profile, focus on the other important aspect of your Social media, your audience. Connecting with your audience is an effective tool in getting leads because those who ask questions are often those who are interested in your products and services. Not only that, whenever someone comments or asks a question about your posts on social media, your company gets noticed by their followers.

• Promote your company on Facebook and Twitter by holding promotions and discounts on your products. These platforms are also the best avenue to hold contests to attract site visitors. Facebook and Twitter contests also encourage engagement with your audience.
• Linkedin groups are an avenue to learn from experts and interact with prospects. You get to join a community that gives you the opportunity to contribute and position yourself as an expert in your field.
• Real time interactions are important. People want to receive answers and feedback as fast as possible. Most successful companies have a dedicated person who receives posts, comments and replies on their social media pages so that it can be responded to quickly.

Kick ass content

• Blog. If you have a small business and you don’t have a blog yet, now is the best time to start. Your blog is an avenue for you to show your knowledge in your field, reinforce your brand, promote your products and be a source of helpful information for your audience.
• One of the best sources of traffic to your content is by broadcasting your freshly released content to your email subscribers. Create a brief introduction to motivate your subscribers to click on your blog.
• Find a facebook group within your niche that has a sizable audience and post a link to your content. You’ll be surprised at how many groups you can present yourself as an expert and as a good resource to. Use Google+ to drive traffic to your content.

Take advantage of all the good content out there

• Everybody has great ideas. Good content is not only exclusive to you; it can come from other businesses’ sites. Share content that you find useful. Share articles, images and videos that you have found helpful. This way you are not only reaching out to your audiences, you are also able to build potential relationships with other business owners.
• If you have written content that reinforces or offers a new perspective to a blog from key players in your niche, let them know. Twitter is one of the best avenues for this since it lets them favorite or retweet you easily.
• Reference your sources. This adds to the credibility of your content from your audience’s’ perspective. Acknowledging your sources also encourages these key players to share your blog.

Call to action. Whether it is to direct your readers to your website, encourage them to download an ebook or tell them about your product, you must have a call to action. In doing this remember to achieve the perfect balance between selling and interacting.

About the Author

 

About Angelica Manlunas

Angelica lives off of coffee and pizza. She spends her time online tinkering on social media, watching short films and poetry slams. Her offline time is devoted to trips to the beach or spending lazy days indoors with a book in her hand. Also, she writes at least 1000 words every day. Email Angelica at angelica.manlunas@transeo.com.au and follow Angelica @ang_transeo.