It’s definite: Social media marketing is not something that companies can ignore anymore. It is a current trend for people to follow or become fans of their favorite brand and you don’t want to deny people the pride of telling everyone they use your products and service. And since social media profiles are free to create, why hesitate? But be careful; without considering the 23 important tips listed below, you may end up repelling people instead of attracting them:
- Having a picture that is too large/too small – If the client ends up on your Facebook page and notices that your profile picture is too small or that zoom has made it unclear, there is the possibility that he will leave with the wrong impression. The first thing that could come to mind is “If they weren’t able to get a decent profile picture, are they any good?”
- Sharing buttons for different social networks – We sometimes have no idea what preferences the reader have when it comes to sharing content, so we need to let them choose their own channel. Allow them several form of distribution; this way, those who prefer Twitter will tweet the content they fancy most, while Pinterest lovers will post a picture and those that have a weakness for Facebook will share the content on their wall.
- Promoting different events – Just because people find out about your event from social media does not mean they also know where to sign up or get tickets. Make sure that the description of your event includes clear instructions for joining. It’s easy for people to click the “I’m attending” button, but this is very different from an official confirmation.
- Using keywords that are relevant to your niche – SEO and keywords are a thing of the future. Since search engines reveal profiles of several social media accounts in their results, keywords are more important than ever. The more you use a keyword, the better the chances that your brand will be associated with that keyword on one of more social platforms. Use Google Keyword Tool to make sure that your business gets its relevant keyword.
- Encouraging clients to leave reviews – When people read about the experience that other people have related to your products and services, they gain trust towards your brand.
- Using hashtags that stand out – Hashtags are words or phrases that start with the # symbol, bringing together the messages from the same category. Using descriptive hashtags to maintain fan interest is a great way of attracting them to several of your promotional campaigns.
- Being personal – The more communities grow, the easier it is or clients to feel like they’re lost in a crowd. Dale Carnegie stated that our name is the sweetest and most important sound, no matter the language. This is why it is best that every time your answer a question, you start by writing the name of the person who asked it.
- Adding more social networks – How many new social networks have appeared since you first started developing your social media strategy? It is possible for a new social media channel to help you reach an objective that has proved to be inapproachable so far. The services and products that you offer could match the Pinterest style of sharing information. Could Instagram perhaps expand the action of your campaign with some suggestive images? Re-evaluate the social networks that you currently use and use directories to identify new opportunities in constructing your new social media presence.
- Adding your company name to title tag and meta description – If the blog that you administer does not contain the name of your company, people that perform searches using your name will not be able to find you in their results. Add the name of your company in the title tag and meta description of your blog to eliminate potential problems.
- Pinterest Profile: Private or Not – A lot of social networks provide the option for you to choose if your profile should be displayed in the search results or not. For example, Pinterest allows you to keep your profile hidden from the search engines. To make sure that your profile’s content appears in the search results, so to Settings -> Search Privacy -> No.
- Focusing on the titles of your blog posts – Because you spend too much time finding quality subjects for your article, you can overlook the fact that the title of the post is just as important as the content. Choosing fancy and attractive titles will show the difference.
- Tying the content of your articles to your personal Google profile – The main (dis) advantage of the internet is that there is too much content posted really fast, so it is very easy for your articles to pass by unnoticed in the multitude of results that appear after a search relevant to your niche. Google Authorship ties the content that you publish to your Google+ profile and this way, you will gain visibility in search results.
- Simplifying subscription to the newsletter – There are lots of people that finds blog to their own tasted and want receive fast updates in their inbox. Your sign-up form must be easy to fill in and it must encourage people to subscribe to your newsletter.
- Title must match the content – Aside from using the right keywords, the titles of the post reveal to the readers that they find after they click the link. Faulty titles meant to attract readers will do nothing more than push them away.
- Optimizing your social presence – First of all, you need to make sure that your profiles are 100% complete and they contain accurate descriptions of your business, the logo of your company and the address of the website. Then, comes the time when you start updating news, updates, blog posts, etc. from your website to social media platforms. You must ensure sharing interesting updates that spark an interest among readers, so they participate in comments.
- Grouping tags – According to Brian Wise, social media optimization (SMO) is the new SEO. KnowEm provides a free tool that analyzes your SMO tags and helps you improve them.
- Hiding your profile picture – Are you a Twitter egg or a blue-head on Google+? Think of it this way: you are amongst people every day of your life; you get to know new ones and provide them the benefit of being able to associate your name with a face. This thing should not be different on your social profiles. Profile pictures are important, so stop hiding them. It shows that you are a real person. Aside from becoming more relevant for search engines, you offer people that credibility factor that is often missing from social networks. Your profile picture should represent you in front of other members.
- Profile bio – it happens very often that companies put a great price on visual elements on their profile and forget about the bio part. As per Mar Kelly, a Director from iboxseo.org, the biography should include the company’s industry and the benefits of a potential contract: it should provide a solid reason for a future collaboration: a price discount or even something free. You can include a link to a landing page with a targeted message. Revise your biography every 3 months to make sure the information is updated and accurate.
- Making sharing buttons visible – How many times have you visited a webpage and had to hunt down the buttons that led to social network profiles? They are either on a page which is hard to find or they are often in the About Us section. Most companies prefer the upper right corner of the home page while some of them would much rather opt for the bottom of the page. Follow the other websites in your niche and try to figure out where visitors expect to find these buttons.
- Keeping your visitors updates with your presence on several social networks – In addition to what I’ve stated above, don’t forget to add links to your social media accounts, IMMEDIATELY after you’ve created them.
- Using multimedia content – Photos, video, slides and other type of multimedia content are very useful in creating a nice impression on social media websites. These websites are oriented more to the visual side, while text has a lower engagement rating.
- Hashtag variations – Getting people’s attention for a new product can be really difficult with all the fuss going on in social media. Hashtags are the best option when it comes to promoting new services or a campaign. Twitalyzer provides an in-depth analysis of your Twitter profile and it can be used to record the number of times a hashtag is being used.
- Responding to negative comments – it is very likely that along your career, your products or services will receive some negative feedback. You will eventually come across an unhappy customer that feels the need to post his negative feelings about your company on some social media profile. You need to answer these complaints because it is a sign of respect and because every customer’s opinion is important.