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Fail to plan. Plan to fail. So true, especially when it comes to social media strategy for your business and actually finding new clients, customers, patients, students, etc. If your business wants to maximize the potential of marketing with social media, you need a strategy.
Here are 13 expert-level tips that help our thousands of clients win big on social media!
1. Keep Facebook Ads Fresh
Keep your ads current and relevant. Remember social media advertising is advertising. Whether ads are commercial, print, or social media, they become outdated. Make sure to update them on your social media pages!
Remember that variation is key and work to implement this practice into your Facebook advertising strategy because customers want to see something new. Be creative!
2. Use New Facebook Ad Types
Have you heard of Facebook Lead Ads? Lead ads automatically collect customer information without forcing users to leave Facebook. The ads are designed for mobile first to ensure your customers get a user-friendly experience no matter where your ad is viewed.
3. Track Your Facebook Ads Properly
Tracking your Facebook Ad campaign performance will help you determine which campaigns are working and which ones are not. This can be accomplished with Facebook conversion pixels which track website leads in your Facebook ads manager and allow you to build custom website audiences to better reach customers with targeted offers and promotions.
4. Use Online Video Ads Properly
While it may be tempting to share YouTube videos directly onto your Facebook page, don’t do it. Sharing this way ends with a choppy and unprofessional post. Instead, post your videos directly to Facebook. They automatically play, have a cleaner appearance, and generate more clicks.
5. Consistently Check for Comments on Ads
An ad campaign is virtually useless without follow-up. The power of an ad is only as strong as the consistency of response to the inquiries about them. Comments on ads do not appear on your timeline but the comments may include inquiries about your products and services. Make checking your ads for comments and leads part of your Facebook marketing strategy.
6. Have Positive Reviews on Top Sites Like Google
89% of consumers said they used Google to research a business before buying. Google now showcases reviews from around the web, so even if customers aren’t actively looking for reviews about your business, they will still see them.
Searching for and seeing your business through the eyes of a new customer is a key online reputation management strategy. Search keywords that someone might use to find your business or organization and remember – a positive online reputation is insurance for any marketing dollars you’re spending. Monitoring, improving and managing your social media and review sites can be a full-time job.
7. Pay Attention to Yelp & Use Check-In Offers to Get More Reviews
Yelp reviews are seen by millions of people. Apple even showcases Yelp ratings in its Maps app, so when Apple users are looking for directions to your business or organization they’ll also see your Yelp rating.
Here’s another pro tip: use check-in offers to get your positive Yelp reviews to “stick”. Digital Air Strike™ offers enhanced Yelp profiles, which block competitor ads from your page and highlight your business better.
8. Don’t Try to Game the System
No business likes getting bad reviews, and getting more positive reviews will “push” the negative ones down. However, the positive ones need to be legitimate. In fact, it is illegal to offer freebies or any kind of currency for reviews. Another temptation may be to create fake customers to leave fake reviews or hiring a company that offers this service. Review sites like Yelp are too smart for such tactics and these practices will end up hurting your business.
9. Check Sites Regularly
Did you know your business can be duplicated by search engines? It is important to check sites regularly though searches online to make sure the results include accurate information. We monitor and manage 325+ sites for our clients to improve SEO and can do the same for your business or organization. Get a free Intel Report from us to see how you look online and get pro tips for looking even better.
10. Keep Your Content Appropriate, Fresh, and Error-Free
Keep it clean. Anything that can be deemed even remotely controversial such as jokes (that possibly only you find funny) or religious content should be avoided. Also, make sure to keep the material fresh and updated. Include your latest deals, specials and day-to-day endeavors.
Remember: outdated content could make people think you’re out of business! Make sure the content is accurate. Spelling and presentation matters, so double check your work before posting.
11. Responding to Comments = Leads
Social media is all about communication and interaction. Comments can be leads, so if you’re not monitoring your posts for comments, how will you know if someone is asking about the car you’re selling or the course you’re offering? You don’t want to get the reputation of being unresponsive. You also don’t want comments – – good or bad – – to be ignored! Remember to thank the people who leave positive comments and address the concerns in the negative comments by taking the conversation offline immediately.
12. Promote Posts Wisely
Promoting posts is a great way to boost money-making content for your business. Facebook has an auto promote feature but this is not recommended as not all content will lead back to your business.
Examples of non-business-related posts include:
-“It’s reading month. Check out these great books to devour over the summer!”
-Motivational Quotes
Promoting these posts will not lead customers back to your business. In fact, content with links to other websites will only benefit those sites. In worst case scenarios, these promoted posts might lead customers to another website with competitor ads on them! Make sure to only promote posts that lead directly back to your business.
13. Ensure Your Images are Clear & Properly Sized
Our final tip is that images need to be clear, informational and branded for your business. If you choose to use the same image for other social media sites, i.e. Twitter and YouTube, make sure to adjust the image size. Always test the image to see it through the eyes of a new customer. If it looks unprofessional, change it. Also, keep in mind a profile image will be attached to everything that is posted so attempt to be as professional and branded as possible for your business.
Let us show you how our award-winning social media and reputation management strategies can help your business. Request a free, 10-minute demo.
