Hands up if you have a marketing, or more specifically, a social media marketing strategy? If you do, well done! If you don’t, stop reading and go and get my 1 page template social media plan template.
In your plan, you are likely to have identified what channels you are going to use to promote your business (hopefully through building a community and sharing valuable content). And if you are going to be using more than one social media channel (or platform) to market your business, then I always recommend creating a mini plan for each one.
Creating a mini plan for each channel is really easy. Get a blank piece of paper, and some different coloured pens (if that takes your fancy!) and start writing.
How to create your social media channel plan
Step 1: Purpose
Putting it simply, this is the WHY. What is the value that this channel brings to your business?
For example: “I will use my LinkedIn profile to build my credibility as an expert in [your industry]”
Step 2: Objectives
Here you will look at no more than 3 specific goals for your channels. These goals should be SMART (Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant and Time Limited) and relate to your business goals.
For example: “I will ask for 3 recommendations on my LinkedIn profile each week for the next 3 months. This will help build social proof and credibility for my business.”
Step 3: Audience
Who will you be talking to through this social media channel? Who your audience is for your Facebook page may be different to who you will be speaking to through Twitter or your LinkedIn profile.
Make sure you are specific as possible – you can’t target all SMEs in Australia, but you can target SMEs owners aged 35 – 50 in Sydney who are B2C focussed.
Step 4: Tactics
What are the actions will you do each day, and each week to reach your goals? Tactics are actions that are in line with your strategy, and will help you achieve your goals.
Examples of tactics include:
Posting 3 times a week
Using specific hashtags
Boost a post
Like and share posts of others
And that’s it! I’d love to hear how your planning is going. Did you find this exercise hard? Did it help you get clarity on what you’re doing? Did you remove or add and social media channels to your marketing mix?
Instagram is the favoured social media platform for many visual based business across Australia. There are around 400 million monthly users on this platform so there are huge opportunities to get yourself know. And if you’re a business owner, Instagram is an awesome way to build or market your brand in a creative way.
But to some, there is confusion over whether to have a personal business instagram account? Others will say, I’ll just switch my instagram account to business account but then will think how will I share updates to my followers that are more personal? Deciding is not easy so let me give you the difference between the two.
Personal Instagram Account
It is normal for us to regularly publish pictures about our every day life. That’s why we have account for personal use. If you do love taking photos and you have a personal blog then it’s ideal to use your personal account. A personal account is usually for yourself.
If you’re account is full of images of your kids, family, you might want to keep that personal. If you’re images reflect a part of your brand and then you might consider transitioning your account for professional use. Or even better, have 2 separate accounts.
Business Instagram Account
A professional business account needs to focus on your customers and not your friends. Your customers and readers don’t necessarily need to see pictures of your baby or your dog or the bag that you’ve just purchased. You can post this type of content, but it would not be all the time.
There are lot of benefits that Instagram can do in helping you grow your business and having a business instagram account can work for you Let’s check some of these benefits:
It can build trust with your customers by telling stories. Since you can share pictures about your business in a more casual way, this can build personal rapport with your customers.
You can easily target your market through hashtags. If you’re business is targeting millennials then Instagram is the best place to market your business because they are the age group that uses Instagram most of the time.
Having an active account can earn engagement and warm from your audience.
I hope this helps you decide how to use Instagram and what type of account to use!
If you want help getting more out of your social media marketing, please download our free step by step guide today!
Everyone wants more Twitter and Instagram followers. Whether you’re trying to grow your personal or business account, it can be challenging to grow your audience. Trying to stand out on an application that has over 600 million users is not an easy task at all. One of the best (and often misused tools) is hashtags.
But before you use hashtags, let us have a quick look at what is hashtag and why do you need to use this. A hashtag is the pound sign (#) and in social media it is used to draw attention, to promote and to organise content around a particular topic. Instagram (and for the most part Twitter) is a medium where hashtags are required for content to be seen. The thing about hashtags is that using the right one can increase you visibility immediately and increase engagement with your audience. Just make sure that you use a hashtag that is in line with the content you are posting.
Instagram has been the popular social media platform in Australia. Australians love using Instagram, especially during weekends. Australian women dominate social media channels with a booming of 58% using Instagram videos and 66% using Instagram images (Datafication). The hashtags that they have used and become popular in just a matter of 24 hours were #australia #cute, #fun, #sydney, #love, #sydney, #lol, #fitness, #music, and #instagood.
Like any other social network there are ways how to use it (and importantly how not to) so let’s check how to use a hashtag and how can it help to grow your audience.
Don’t forget to use the right hashtag. If you use the right hashtag on your content then you are more likely to reach and discover new users. It will be easier for your audience to notice your photo if you use a specific hashtag that is trending. Just remember to make it relevant or your will be shadowbanned.
Timing of your Posts. Yes, you have outlined what you will post but consider also when the right time to post it. When is your target audience likely to be online?
In addition to using branded hashtags (#yourbusinessname), try using industry specific hashtags, and even more general ones. If you wan to know what to use, do a quick serch in Instagram and see how many posts come up – that will tell you what is popular and what isn’t
Share your daily activities. Want to catch the follower’s attention? You can give glimpses and tell what you’re actually doing. This is a great way to make your audience feeling inspired.
Instagram allows users to post up to 30 hashtags but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to use all of them. It’s all about engagement and you need to publish when your audience is active. And don’t forget to measure your efforts so you can tweak your content. Always remember that using a hashtag is easy but you have to make sure that it is relevant and accurate in order for you to be noticed and in time, you will see that your audience is increasing.
If you want help getting more out of your social media marketing, please download our free step by step guide today!
Let’s face it, social media has become so much a part of our lives, that we’re constantly checking our phones for the latest update. It’s also a quick way to connect with friends and loved ones and many SMEs across Australia use it to market their products and services. So when is the best time to post to get maximum exposure?
When it comes to social media, timing sums it all. But posting is not as easy as it sounds because you’re not 100% sure when you will reach your audience. There are literally millions of people checking their accounts regularly, but what really are the best times to post on social media? When should you be sharing your content? Let’s check it out.
Facebook – o get the best reach, it is generally best to post on Thursday and Friday. To get the most shares, it is recommended to post at 1pm and by 3pm. You’re also likely to get the most clicks at this time.
Twitter – The strongest days to post are during weekdays (Monday-Thursday). It is best to post during lunchtime between 12pm-3pm. And tweet less during early mornings and late nights.
LinkedIn – LinkedIn is usually used by professionals during their working hours. Best times to post in this site are between 7:30-8:30 am, 12pm and 5:00-6:00pm.
Instagram – Engagement through Instagram can happen anytime. This is because Instagram is designed for mobile devices and everyone already own one. But try to post at least once in the morning, and at least once in the late afternoon
Pinterest – It is best to post in Pinterest during night time and weekends. Best times will be between 8:00-11:00pm everyday especially on Saturdays.
Tumbler – Tumbler is for evening person so it is best to post here between 7:00 and 10 pm.
Google+ – Google+ users are most active during morning unlike Tumbler. Meaning, the best time to post here is between 9:00-11:00am.
Now that you know, the best times to post on every social media platform,test it out for yourself . However, before posting your content, make sure your content is relevant to the audience that you are targeting. It is not enough to just hit that post button. Every social media post that you bring out will say something or will reflect on your brand or yourself so make sure to make the most out of it.
If you want help getting more out of your social media marketing, please download our free step by step guide today!
Instagram stories can tell the story of your business
Instagram is fast becoming a favorite social marketing tool of brands and businesses, with Instagram Stories being used by big brands daily. Today where most people enjoy being visually stimulated, it makes this social network so powerful for almost any industry.
Once based on image sharing, Instagram has a new feature that lets you deliver a more complete message than a single image can provide to your prospective customers. It’s called Instagram Stories. If you’re wondering how this function can help you boost your marketing strategies, here are three easy ways to use Instagram Stories for your business:
Brand Your Special Offers for Better Results
Instagram Stories is designed to enhance your brand. So whenever you have special offers for your customers and target audiences, it would seem extra-special when complemented with the unique delivery of an Instagram story. To deliver your special offers via stories, you just have to refer viewers to the link in your bio. You can post a coupon as an Instagram story and announce that the offer is valid for a 24-hour story period only. You can take advantage of the time-critical nature of the Instagram story which delivers a sense of urgency for your customers to click on your landing page so that they can learn on how to redeem your special offer. But remember; make sure you offer something valuable! If you stick with low-value offers, there’s a high chance that they’ll tune you out.
Use Targeted Looks to Build a New Level of Trust with Your Audience
Showing and sharing your creative work and skills with your audience can be persuasive. It lets you show the value of your brand and the power of your services and those that you’re capable of providing. It can be in the form of a design sketch, a video of you checking out the manufacturer behind your product, or simply an excellent shot of the final item. These types of personalised approaches can build a new level of trust and interest with your audience.
Humanise Your Brand
Instagram stories may be temporary, but used effectively, it would surely leave a mark on your overall brand. By sharing polished stories that features a more created look at your business in real time, you are improving your brand to existing customers and attracting sales even more. One good example is by sharing a brief behind-the-scenes looks at your business.
With approximately 500 million active users, Instagram is now a super tool in the social media world. By consistently applying best practices and putting an effort to maximise the power of Instagram stories, rest assured that positive results for your business should come in no time at all.
If you want help getting more out of your social media marketing, please download our free step by step guide today!
