Whether you are on social media or not, it is evident that platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are taking marketing to a whole new level, even for small businesses, and dental practices. You may even have a social media account that you or someone around your office manages. Companies everywhere are leveraging social media as a means of not only connecting with consumers but also to promote their brand. But, what and how you’re posting could end up doing more harm than good. Here are five social media tips that will help you update your business.
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Join Facebook Groups
Facebook groups are smaller networks of users that have similar interests. Now, Facebook allows business pages to join these groups. And, while we say that these groups are smaller networks, there could be as many as 10,000 or more people in one. So, look for a Facebook group that aligns with your niche or service offerings. It allows you to network with other like-minded individuals and build relationships. Also, consider joining neighborhood groups as well. In these groups, people often ask for recommendations for various services and businesses. These are opportunities that could help grow your customer base. Look for groups in your area by using your ZIP code or town name.
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Avoid Engagement Bait
Facebook has a jail. Yes! It’s true. This social media platform, like any others, has a specific set of rules that all, even businesses, must follow. If you violate one of these rules, your account could end up in Facebook jail, which means it is locked for so many days or weeks, even as long as a month. Or, your visibility could be significantly reduced.
Three specific post statements to avoid are:
- Tag your friends!
- Like our page to be entered to win!
- Share our post for additional entries!
While these sound like useful statements, especially if you’re running a contest of sorts, you should avoid using them. Otherwise, you could end up damaging your social media presence on Facebook.
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Post High-Quality Pictures
With today’s technology on smartphones, there is no reason to end up with blurry, grainy, outdated images or images with poor lighting. There are many tools and filters available, and many of these are already apart of your phone’s photography features. Others are available through free apps like Lightroom. If you are using stock images, personalize them for your business by using Canva, a free app that you can download on your phone. Canva also has a website that you can use if you’re working on your computer. Speaking of stock images, don’t just grab anything off of Google. More than likely, all of those images have copywritten protection, and you can’t use them legally. Instead, consider using programs such as Shutterstock, Canva, or Pixby that allows you to download images with permission to use. Attractive photographs are going to get you more likes, comments, and shares. So, don’t just plaster a photo up on your page for the sake of posting. Instead, be sure that your photograph is attractive and that you have the right to use it.
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Use Instagram Hashtags Wisely
If your business isn’t on Instagram, stop what you’re doing and set up a free account right now! A recent survey published by Pew Research states that some 35% of adults are using Instagram. That number is even higher among the 18- to 24-year-olds, whereas 71% visit Instagram multiple times a day. One of the easiest ways for a viewer to find your Instagram profile is by searching hashtags. If you aren’t familiar with hashtags, they are used when you publish a post so that viewers can find everything related to that topic. For instance, search on Instagram for #Nashville, and every post containing that hashtag will be viewable. Now, this particular hashtag is quite broad, and unfortunately, your post is likely to get lost among 13 million other posts using this same one.
So, narrow your focus by using hashtags that are more specific, such as:
- #musiccity
- #eastnashville
- #thegulchnashville
These are just a few examples of more specific areas of Nashville that would yield a much more narrow focus. When looking for appropriate hashtags in your city, you can use Instagram’s search function and try out some trendy city areas or references that apply to your town. The takeaway here is to be intentional with your hashtags, and actually use them!
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Get a Plan
There are so many social media options and considerations that you could easily be left confused and unsure of where to start. Save time and create an effective social media platform by planning. Use a third-party program, such as Hootsuite, that allows you to schedule your upcoming posts so that you aren’t left coming up with fresh content on the regular. Planning should be your best friend. If you’re a procrastinator, then your social media is not going to be very useful. In fact, you may end up doing more harm than good by posting just for the sake of posting. Instead, carve out time in your schedule to sit down and come up with a social media plan for the upcoming month. Rather than scrounging around at the last minute, decide how many days you will post, and what will be posted on each day, and put those ideas down on paper (or in an electronic version on your computer).
As you can see, social media isn’t for the faint of heart! There are a lot of moving pieces when it comes to managing social media platforms, and a ton of planning that goes into it as well. Then there’s creating images, all of which take up your valuable time, which is why hiring a company like Bryant Consultants is the best move you can make. Our social media team knows all of the ins and outs of using Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and will use these platforms to your advantage. Plus, we understand the algorithms and rules of each of these popular platforms to make the most of your social media reach.
If you want to take your business to the next level, you should be using social media to your advantage. To learn more or to find out how Bryant Consultants can take care of all of your business’s social media needs, contact us today!
