Social Media

Do you want a fast, inexpensive, and effective way to reach almost half the world’s population? No joke here actually. Then you need to use social media. While it was once optional, getting online is now essential in order for you to reach your own audience, gain helpful insights into what they want and spread awareness about your brand.

So how can social media help you?

You can use social media to engage with your audience and stay top of mind. Today’s consumer demands authenticity and wants to see the who and why behind your business. By responding to comments, showing behind the scenes or straight out asking for their opinions you can build trust. Trust then leads to a receptive audience and new business.
Use social media to position yourself as an expert in your field and a thought leader. People look to businesses for insights and information, according to the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. Establish yourself as a go-to source.
Boost your website traffic and generate leads through your social media channels. Use content from your website or blog in social media posts, include your website in your social media profile and use social media ads to generate awareness and boost sales.
Social media is a great way to manage your reputation. Your customers are already talking about you online, so it’s time to get online and respond. Social media is also a key part of crisis communication. It will position you to be present and ready to engage should the worst happen.
Social media is quickly becoming a key part of customer service. People expect businesses to be available to answer their questions – in fact, studies show that about half of social media users expect an answer from businesses within three hoursl
Gain important insights through your social media channels. You can learn more about the demographics of your audience, how many people are finding your website through social media and what your consumers are engaging with. These analytics will help you craft the most effective content and get the highest ROI.
Social media will help you stay in the know. Keep an eye on competition, what topics are trending in your industry, and the sentiment around your brand through your social channels.
People expect you to be on social media. 75% of internet users use social media to research brands. Give them something good to find!

While it’s important to be on social media, it may not make sense to be on every social channel. Let’s walk through the most popular platforms. Note that all social platforms offer extensive analytics.

Instagram

Instagram is one of the most visual platforms and Instagram users have a higher engagement rate than those on other platforms so it’s a great way to spread awareness and tell the story of your brand. Instagram offers features like:

Reels

These short form videos that are quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to scroll and discover

Joint Posts

This type of post allows you to invite a collaborator, meaning the post will appear on both users’ feeds. This is a great way to show partnerships.

Influencers

Instagram is one of the platforms most used by influencers. They are a great way to get the word out about your business to a large audience by a trusted source.

Shoppable Posts

You can link people directly to your products, making it easier for people to find you business.

Instagram Stories

These videos live for 24 hours on your profile. It’s a great way to show the behind the scenes of an event, ask questions, share special deals and more. It’s also one of the more authentic forms of social media and helps consumers feel part of a community, according to 57% of Americans..

Hashtags

Move over Google, more and more consumers are using hashtags to find businesses. Hashtags are a great way to set your business apart and make sure future consumers can find you.

Facebook

As the original social media platform, Facebook is a must for social media. Facebook users view that platform as a community and relationship builder. This provides you an opportunity to build the loyalty of your existing consumer base. Your business can benefit from this sentiment by using these features:

Facebook Page

First and foremost, Facebook offers businesses a page.This is different from your profile because others can create posts and engage on a page, whereas on a profile only you can post. It’s a great place to build a community.

Facebook Messenger

Many businesses use this feature as customer service. It also serves as a way for your consumers to reach you directly which builds trust as long as you respond in a timely manner.

Facebook Events

This free feature allows you to promote your business’s events. People can ask questions and engage.

Facebook Ads

This is one of the most popular ways to advertise. Facebook Ads offer extensive targeting options, allowing you to really focus on your desired audience. They also offer different kinds of ads, from boosting a post you already created to a carousel of images that you can link to different products or pages.

LinkedIn

If you want to position yourself as an industry authority, then getting on LinkedIn is something you don’t want to miss.Since it’s geared more towards professional content, LinkedIn is a great way to build your credibility and create a meaningful network. These LinkedIn features can make all the difference for you business:

LinkedIn Ads

You can sponsor text ads, posts you’ve previously posted, messages that go to a user’s LinkedIn inbox, dynamic ads and job listing.

Job Listings

Forty million people look for a new job on LinkedIn every week. You can post a free listing or boost it for a budget that works for you.

Networking

It’s all about who you know! Your professional network will impact your business deals and build trust.

Thought Leadership

Be a thought leader by posting an article. LinkedIn offers the option to post long-form content, which can be used to build your reputation. You can then use this content to promote your brand – you can’t lose.

Twitter

Lead the conversation with Twitter. Because you can only post 250 characters per tweet, the conversation on Twitter goes fast. The audience on Twitter is plugged-in and the ability to retweet allows posts to spread to thousands of users. These Twitter features will benefit your business:

Use Hashtags

Like Instagram, people will use hashtags on Twitter to research businesses or find a business near them. Use hashtags to define your business and make it easy to find.

Make a Poll

You can post a poll on Twitter, which allows you to get direct feedback from your followers.

Do Live Tweets

A live tweet is when you tweet your reactions to an event as it is happening. You can either live tweet yourself to offer a behind the scenes look or show expertise. You can also invite others to live tweet during your event.

Make a Twitter List

A Twitter List allows you to customize, organize and prioritize the Tweets on your timeline. You can organize the List by topic, interest or to keep potential customers, influencers or journalists top of mind.

TikTok

TikTok was the most downloaded app in Q1 of 2022. This app is purely video content under 90 seconds. That gives you an opportunity to share your business in a creative way and get it in front of many different eyes. TikTok should be an essential part of your social media marketing strategy because of these features:

Create Unique Content

TikTok is playful and entertaining which gives your business an opportunity to be authentic and show a different, more human side.

Ask for User Generated Content

Your dedicated users can help you by creating their own content talking about your business and why they love it. Consider creating a TikTok challenge and offering a prize.

Advertise on TikTok

Though TIkTok is not focused on monetization, you can still run in-feed ads, brand takeovers and TopVew ads. These last two are ads that show up as soon as a user opens the app.

Leverage TikTok Influencers

Reach new audiences and grow your business with TikTok influencers. More than 100 billion videos are viewed monthly, meaning using these influencers can get your business in front of many new eyes.

With so many different social media platforms, it’s hard to know which one is right for your business. Let Knoodle help you craft an effective social media strategy that makes sense for your brand. We’ll help you navigate content creation, frequency, and build awareness.