Social Media FAQ
Social media can be complicated and time consuming if you take the wrong approach. While there is not one-size-fits-all strategy for every business, there are certain things you should know to help you build a strategy to get you the success you want.
Here are some frequently asked questions when it comes to social media for business.
Q: What platforms should I be on?
A: This all depends on your audience. While you may understand how to use certain social media platforms, they might not reach your audience. You need to get to know where your audience interacts online and be there. And you definitely don’t need to be one every social platform. In fact, sometimes it’s best to be the best at one or two things and focus your energy there – especially if you are a small business and you are either doing it on your own or you don’t have a huge budget to pay someone.
Q: How often should I post?
A: You can search the internet far and wide and come up with millions of differing viewpoints on this topic. The best way to look at it is you want to focus on quality content so you’re not just adding to the noise out there for the sake of posting.
Each social media platform is different in terms of how often you should post and you will figure out the best quantity for you and your audience, but in terms of the most common social media platforms, here is the minimum you should plan to post:
Facebook: 3 times per week
Instagram: 3 times per week
Twitter: 2-5 times per day
Q: Can I post the same content on each social media platform?
A: You should avoid this at all cost. The idea of posting content on social media is that you want to build a community. If you are posting the same content on each platform, why would someone visit you and follow you on all platforms? You can have some cross over, but remember that each social media platform is different in how your audience will engage with content. For example, Twitter is about quick dialogue, whereas Facebook as about community forum style posting. Your audience will also use each platform at different times.
What you should do is cross promote across social media platforms so you can encourage people to visit you on all of your social media platforms.
Q: When should I post?
A: Your posting schedule is not an exact science. There is no cookie cutter strategy that will work across the board, and you will notice that your audience behaviour will change over time. While most platforms have insights that will tell you when your audience is online, you need to track your content schedule to find out when the best time to post is. You will need to do a bit of trial and error to get it right. You may find that after a few months you need to switch things up, and that is ok. Sometimes people’s online behaviour changes seasonally or for other factors. For example, they might be on at different times in the summer than they are in the fall.
Q: How do I get more followers?
A: Getting more followers shouldn’t be your only goal when it comes to social media. You want to have an engaged audience. An engaged audience is more likely to convert to a sale. Like your posting schedule, you should aim for quality over quantity. It’s better to have 500 followers who all engaged than it is to have 1000 followers and have little to no engagement.
To get more followers, you need to give people a reason to follow you. Figure out what value you bring to the table as a brand. Can you teach your audience someone? Can you inspire them in different ways than other people? Do you have special offers or contests regularly that have prizing that attracts people? Whatever it is, you need to provide value. Once you have established that, make sure you engage in two-way dialogue so your audience feels like you care what they have to say.
Q: Is it ok to pay for followers?
A: There are some people who think this is OK. We don’t. Buying followers in this day and age when more and more people are concerned with transparency from their brands is a risky move for more than one reason:
Social media platforms are cracking down on this, so you might log in to your account one day and find that all of your bought audience has disappeared.
Your account might be suspended – not all businesses that sell followers do it in a way that follows the social media platform rules.
Your target audience could find out and this could have a lasting negative impression on your brand reputation. It’s hard to walk away from that if you are trying to appear trustworthy.
Social media doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does take work to do it the right way. It’s best to ask questions, and if you just don’t know where to start, make sure you find someone who will set you going in the right direction and not steer you wrong.
If you need help getting started or figuring out why your current social media strategy isn't working, give us a call!