8 Ways to Make Your Business Stand Out on Social Media
Social Media is quickly becoming a hub for companies as large as the Fortune 500 all the way to the small businesses that fill our communities. Now more than ever, customers are looking to social media platforms to build relationships with brands and make purchasing decisions.
If you are a small business with limited resources, it can be difficult to stand out online, and choosing the right social channel is half the battle. Ninety-four percent of small businesses use social networks to market their products or services, and this presents a challenge of differentiating yourself from your competitors.
In order to make your social media presence effective, you have to look for ways to set your business apart from your competitors.
Lucky for you, that's what we're good at! Keep reading for eight ways to break through crowded social platforms and make your business stand out to your target audience.
1) Be Consistent
The first thing people notice about any business online is how consistent they are in posting content across multiple channels. If you want to get noticed by potential customers, then you need to post consistently. This means making sure you schedule posts ahead of time so you don't miss an opportunity to share something new. You may not always hit every target date but if you do manage to stick to your content schedule, you'll see results sooner rather than later. We recommend building a content calendar in Excel/Google Sheets to keep track of your content for each social platform.
Consistency should also be used when theming your accounts. Theming essentially means sticking to a distinct color palette or approach, using the same filters, etc. to create a cohesive look and feel. Customers are more likely to recognize your business's content on their feed if you follow a themed brand guide.
2) Create Content That People Want To Share
When creating content for social media marketing purposes, think about who will actually read it. Consider your target audience. Will your potential customers find value in it? Are there specific topics that interest them? What kind of information would they like to receive? Once you've answered these questions, create content around those interests.
For example, if you sell dog food, consider writing blog articles related to dogs or pet care tips. Or maybe you sell gardening supplies; write about landscaping ideas or plant suggestions. Whatever you focus on, just keep in mind that you should provide useful information and fresh content that your target audience will enjoy consuming and sharing. Interactive content that people share increases retention through an engaged audience. More shares = a larger audience = more customers!
3) Focus on Original and Eye-Catching Content
The most important thing to remember when creating visuals for your business is that it needs to be memorable. It’s not enough just to have an image of you or your product, you need something more than that – and the best way to do this is by making sure that your images are unique. This means using different angles, colors, fonts, etc. Make viewers stop in their tracks!
The best type of social media posts to create will depend on who you’re trying to reach. For example, if you’re targeting millennials, you should focus on creating video content because they tend to prefer visual content over text. On the other hand, if you’d like to attract baby boomers, you might consider focusing on infographics instead.
Regardless, your visuals should catch the eyes of your target audience so they are more likely to read what's below the image.
4) Create Recurring Posts/Events
Like we've discussed already, it's crucial to be social on social media. By creating recurring posts or events, you are providing your audience with regular opportunities to connect with you and your company. This could be in the form of an Instagram or Facebook Live, weekly Q&A session, sharing an industry tip on a specific day, etc.
Whatever you decide to implement, get creative, connect with your target audience, provide valuable insight and showcase you and your brand's personality. Keep your followers coming back again and again!
5) Tell A Story/Write Engaging Captions
Make your captions engaging while adding value to your audience. Remember, the point of social media is to connect and be social with your audience. When writing captions, try creating conversations or telling a story that sparks engagement instead of just speaking AT them.
An effective way to create an engaging caption is to include a Call to Action(CTA). A CTA is an action you want your audience to take after reading or viewing your content, such as signing up for your email list, sharing it with their friends and family, buying something from you, etc. The more specific and relevant this call-to-action is to what people are looking at your post about, the better chance they have of taking that desired action!
6) Follow Trends and Hot Topics
Pay attention to current events and know the latest news in your industry. Be a part of conversations about what’s happening around you. Keep up with trends by reading blogs and following influencers who are talking about topics that matter to your business.
Stay informed! Read newspapers, magazines, trade journals, newsletters, etc., so you can stay ahead of competitors.
Surround yourself (virtually) with other thought leaders in your industry that you trust to follow trends and stay up to date!
7) Make a Commitment to Continually Learning and Building Relationships
As mentioned earlier, one of the most important things you can do when building relationships online is to be authentic. If you're not willing to put in the time and effort into learning new skills, then why would anyone else? You'll also find that those who invest in themselves grow faster and become much more successful than those who don't.
If you truly believe that investing in yourself is worth it, then commit to doing it every single week. Whether it means attending webinars, listening to podcasts, watching videos, reading books, going through courses, joining mastermind groups, etc., there will always be ways to learn and improve your marketing strategy.
Social media tools will not transform your website traffic overnight. They need work and dedication to be successful. However, they can really improve your results once you master them!
8) Showcase You and Your Brand's Personality
Your brand should represent you. It shouldn't mirror another business’s personality. That said, if you've been working hard to build your personal brand offline, now is the perfect opportunity to start leveraging all of these efforts online too.
You may even consider sharing stories about how you overcame challenges, lessons learned along the way, tips & tricks, etc. These posts can help establish credibility within your industry and give potential customers a glimpse behind the scenes.
When creating content, make sure it has value to readers first before thinking about promoting it. This could mean writing blog articles based on real problems you encountered while growing your business, posting helpful guides, answering questions, and providing solutions.
Your business is an extension of yourself, so why not connect with its customers the same way you develop relationships?
Avery
