MY TOP 10 SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING TIPS

​10. Create a content calendar 
I am constantly pushing to my clients the importance of doing all of your strategizing at once. Don’t be afraid to print out a calendar for the whole month and fill it all. It is best to get in the zone and figure out your marketing strategy at once. Then, all you need to do is check your calendar each day to know exactly what you’re going to be posting about. There is nothing worse than midday realizing you haven’t posted anything and throwing something random on Facebook and Instagram just to be seen! 

9. Be sure that your in-store brand is represented online
Every store, office, studio, etc. has an ambiance that they want their customers to feel when they walk in the door. This is what sets our business apart from others. Whether your colours are identifiable, you always welcome everyone with a smiling face or you have a beautiful wood feature wall that strikes everyone's attention; make sure when they visit your social media pages they remember why they love your business. 

8. Know your audience! 
When I start working with a new business the first thing we do is an ideal customer profile. We walk through their customers interests, their income, their marital status, their gender, their age and so much more! We paint a very clear picture of who this person is. Once we’ve made a profile the next thing we ask is- why should they buy your product/service/etc.? And how will my product/service/etc. help them solve their problems? Once you know exactly what it is your doing to help this person you can put yourself in their shoes and share content specifically directed toward them. 

7. Be where your audience is
After identifying exactly who your customer is you can map out where they will be. So, let’s say your ideal is a working mother? We need to figure out when to post if we want her to see your content. For example, during the hours of 7-10am mothers are getting their children out of bed, fed breakfast, clothes on, out the door to daycare/school and then getting themselves to work- so this is not an ideal time to post because they are not active on social media during the craziness of the morning. The hours of 8-10pm are the best times to post if your ideal customer is a working mother because they have tucked their kids into bed and FINALLY have some “me” time to veg on the couch and scroll through social media. 

6. Be consistent
The worst thing a business owner can do is be active daily on social media for 2-3 weeks, start getting their customers engaged and then fall off the face of the earth for 3 months. Your audience is depending on you to be consistent with your information and posts! You don’t have time to be on social media every single day? Then post every other day. Whatever you decide you can handle - stick to it! 

5. Don’t OVER post 
What? You can be too active online? YES! And you will lose engagement and customers. Being to pushy toward your customers online will only make them feel overwhelmed and annoyed with your posts. People spend time on social media to catch up on everything they’ve missed in the last 6 hours, they do not want to see 18 posts about how you got new scarves in stock! Stick to posting 1-2 times per day and anything extra that you want to share put in your Facebook or Instagram stories. 

4. Post high quality, original images
People engage best with content that is authentic, matches your brand, and is relatable. Don’t take your crappy, low resolution ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ post from Google images and pop it on your Facebook page. Instead take a picture of your awesome spread of Thanksgiving food, your family spending time together or a graphic you’ve created specific to your brand and share that with your customers! Trust me, they will appreciate the high quality content! 

3. Utilize your call-to-action button
Use your call-to-action button on Facebook and Instagram to direct your customers where you’d like them to go next. They’ve visited your social media page and now they want to invest in your business! Where are you going to send them? Can they purchase your product on your online store? Then, send them to ‘Shop Now’. Should they call you to book and appointment? Then, have them ‘Call Now’. Wherever you want them to go next make it your call-to-action button.

2. Use automatic replies
Do you check your Facebook messages once a month and notice that 100 people have messaged you with questions about your business? That is 100 customers you could have had spending money! Don’t be afraid to set up your automatic replies to let your customers know that you don’t check your Facebook messages often but they can reach you by phone, email, etc.! You don’t want them to feel like they are not important enough for a reply. 

1. Change up how you share your content
Keep your audience engaged by switching up how you are sharing your content. Ask a question that sparks their interest, posts pro tips that you’ve learned from experience, share a video unpacking new products or sharing an update about your business! The key is not to be over promotional and be sure to share content that your audience relates to. Be original and stand out in the saturated world of social media marketing!

Leave any extra tips or questions in the comments below! 
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Talk soon,