Social media is changing at the speed of light. Algorithms are evolving, users are demanding more functionality, and brands are rapidly adapting their strategies. Keeping up with all these new rules is pretty daunting, especially if you’re new to the social media marketing game. The first step is to create a solid foundation. Here are some do’s an don’ts of social media to get you on the track to growth.

1.    Don’t share the same post on all of your social media accounts

There’s a good chance your audience hangs out on more than just one social media platform, so having an active social media presence on all platforms is pretty important if you want to reach the most people. But keeping up with all those accounts can be time-consuming. Creating one post and sharing it to all your accounts sounds super tempting. After all, it’s the easiest way to make sure your content gets seen while maintaining a consistent brand. But mass sharing the same post (without at least a few tweaks) can come across as spammy and amateur.

Do plan your social media strategy based on the specifics of each platform

You probably wouldn’t use Instagram to share an article you just read or post a meme on your Facebook story. Most of us know the basics of social media, but there are lots of little tricks you may not know that could really affect your level of audience engagement.

Twitter is likely the best platform for content discovery and communication, while ads and videos do really well on Facebook. Use these specifics to make the most out your social posts and reach more people.

2.   Don’t ‘binge’ post

I love social media, but sometimes 1-2 Instagram posts, 5-7 Tweets, 1-2 Facebook posts, and 7-10 Pins a day seems like an awful lot. Not to mention, sometimes its hard to find or create content right when you need it. Sharing a bunch of content when you have it might seem like the perfect solution, especially if you run a business or work at a full-time job and don’t have the time to post on social media all day. But inconsistent ‘binge’ posting can negatively affect your social media following and engagement by confusing your audience and making them think you don’t care.

Do schedule your posts + stay consistent

Staying consistent with the day, time, and frequency of your posts is key to being seen as both credible and reliable. Keeping a consistent social media schedule will help make sure that your audience knows where and when to find you. Gaining followers is one thing, but keeping those followers will depend largely on how easy it is for them to find and engage with you. Online tools like Buffer and Hootsuite make it easy to schedule your social media posts ahead of time. Find or create content when you can, then schedule it to post whenever you want. This way, your audience will always have great content and you don’t have to stay glued to your computer or phone.

3.    Don’t over-promote yourself

No one likes ads. You’re lying to yourself if the thought of someone desperately trying to sell you something doesn’t make you want to run and hide. Now imagine if your favorite beauty guru stopped posting makeup tutorials or product reviews and instead only talked about their new product and why you should follow them. You probably wouldn’t follow them anymore. In fact, according to the Sprout Social Q3 2016 Index, nearly 60% of social media users are annoyed with too many promotional posts.
Your audience wants to see content that they can relate to or that they find helpful. Too many posts promoting yourself, your products, or your brand can get pretty annoying. Your audience will start to see your posts as useless spam and might unfollow or block you. That’s definitely not what you want!

Do share interesting, relevant, and varied content

The best way to increase reach and boost audience engagement is to share content that is educational, current, and relevant to your intended audience. Most experts recommend an 80/20 ratio. This means that 80% of your content should be engaging and shareable while only 20% should be self-promotional. A good way to find and create interesting content is to start by following influencers in your field and learning what they find interesting. Spend some time checking out your audience’s social media accounts, making sure to engage with and share their posts too!

4.    Don’t ‘Ghost’ on your audience

Just this past year, Facebook announced that they would be changing their algorithm to favor personal posts over posts made by brand pages, and using ‘meaningful engagement’ as a way to prioritize posts. This means that posts with more activity and greater engagement will be ranked higher. In addition, engaging with your audience on social media helps to increase brand loyalty and generate word of mouth. Sprout Social actually did a study which showed that 30% of people who are ignored by brands on social media are more likely to switch to a competitor. So what does this mean for you? Social media will require a bit of time if you want to reap the full benefits. Simply posting your content and forgetting about it won’t get you anywhere.

Do engage with your audience and stay present on social

Responding to comments, sharing UGC (user-generated content), and participating in ongoing conversations are all ways to boost engagement with your audience. Doing these things will lead to more brand awareness and tell Facebook and other social platforms to bump your posts to the top of the feed (since so many people seem to be engaging with it!). Focusing on engagement also lets your audience know that you are present and ready to connect with them.

Sprout Social found that most people expect brands to respond within 4 hours, but most brands take closer to 10 hours to respond! Stay persistent and spend some time every day responding to user comments and mentions and watch your brand take off!

Thanks for reading! If you want to keep up with the latest happenings, you can subscribe or contact me if you’d like to talk personally.

XOXO

Nikita Barry

Your life. Simplified.