- Time is your friend.
Every audience is different, but a good rule of thumb is to post when people are not at work… early in the morning, after dinner and during lunch. With Instagram’s new update it is even more important that you are posting at the right times.
- Listen carefully.
Don’t skimp on the likes and comments and shares. People will engage with you when you engage with them. Be a people-person, speak with people, instead of speaking at them. No one likes to be lectured and everyone likes to be heard. LIKE.
- Get in with the influencers.
Influencers affect the purchase decisions of others, they’re the people with a strong social reach and pull in your category. They don’t necessarily have to be a celebrity, journalist or blogger; they can be an everyday person with the right connections and social presence. Identify a few influencers within your industry and reach out to them. Having them recommend your product or service goes a really long way.
- Pick a filter. Apply it everywhere.
Put time and effort into quality content with a consistent look. You don’t need to be a professional photographer to take great shots. The key is to have good lighting, a solid look and good composition. Look back through your social feeds and identify the tone of the photography (what was the subject? What was the lighting like? Etc.) and replicate that. Also refer to your Brand Standards Guide for additional help and recommendations. We’re big fans of an app called A Color Story, you should check it out. It’s great for pro-like photo editing without needing the pro-background.
- Sssssshhhhh. It’s a secret.
Use #’s, but secretly. Become the James Bond of #’s. Did you know you can hide them?! Hashtags are a great way to gain exposure and get in front of new people. To hide those powerful little ‘#’s, follow these instructions for Instagram:
- Open the Notes App on your iPhone
- Type . (period) then “Enter” 5 times
- Type your hashtags underneath
- Copy and paste into the comments section of your post
- Your final product should like this:
- Make sure your .com is helping.
It’s important that your website has your social profile links front and center, even on the homepage. Go back to your site and experience it like a new visitor… can you find links to your profiles quickly? Have you made it an easy site to navigate?
- Be 100. Follow the 80/20 rule.
Major rule. MAJOR. Only 20% of your social media presence should be driven by self-promotion or advertising. The rest of the content, 80%, should be focused on material that is authentic and engaging to your audience. Here’s a shortcut:
20% – Include persuasive call-to-actions
80% – Make it shareable. Content that supports your thinking, the way you do business, or what you believe is going on in your industry. Think about retweets, inspirational quotes, links to news, questions, etc.
- Brand Meet Brand. Like meet Like.
A great way to get in front of new people and gain new customers (clients) is to promote yourself alongside other brands that complement your product or service. Reach out for ways to team up with brands that you can help and those that can help you. Make it a win-win for both parties and then create a co-branded content schedule. Think of the great partnerships… Nike + Michael Jordan. Starbucks + Lyft. Your brand + who?
- Embrace the burn.
Not everyone is going to like you, or love you or agree with what you’re saying. (Especially if yours is a brand with strong opinions and brand positioning.) In fact, some may even go so far as to publicly disagree in comments. Well, guess what?… Own that burn. Learn from it. Be a shining example of social grace. ACT WITH GRACE. Doing so goes a long long way in the grand scheme of things, your brand may even benefit from it.
- Make new friends but keep the old.
If you’re not already following HB, stop reading this right now and do that. Because we’ll be sharing a lot more tips (are you still reading this?) and great ways to build your business in the weeks and months ahead.
You kept reading, didn’t you? Nice work.
-HB
