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7 Advanced Social Media Tips

Way back in 2016, I wrote an article on Linkedin with 10 (but really 11) insanely helpful tips for those who were trying to build a brand or strengthen a business on the internet. The point of my article was to show people that you can make a splash amongst the 3.4 billion active internet users. It’s a giant ocean out there, and a question I get a lot is about targeting the right people. How do you target the right audience? How do you make sure your being seen by the people you want to see your content? 

I wanted to elaborate for those with more questions, so here’s my list of 7 advanced tips to help you with your social media pressence:

1. Be Dramatic

This is no time for you to be modest. You need to be BOLD to get SOLD! How are you going to get noticed if you make a post that just has a picture in it? Other people are adding text to their images in bold letters or catchy phrases to pictures. You’ve got to stand out, and there’s really no time to blend into the crowd. Remember how I said there are 3.4 BILLION ACTIVE internet users? Do you really think being subtle is the right move? Make posts with images to capture more real estate, and add text to images on your post. People read them because they look more professional than images with nothing on them. 

2. Be Active

So this might seem like a no-brainer and not an advanced tip at all, but hear me out. You may already know you need to be active on social, but are you using the right tools to keep yourself active? Do what I do for starters and take advantage of sites like Hootsuite where you can literally schedule posts to go out at certain times. I take a few hours out of my week all at once to schedule my posts, and then if something comes up during the week I “live” post - meaning that if I see something I think is good for my business I don’t wait to post it. I’ve had clients tell me they think that if they say too much, people will get annoyed because they get annoyed when they follow a company that posts too much. That’s a bullshit excuse, and we’re adult enough to know it. Activity is measured off engagements. People see a post they like, and they will engage it somehow by liking, sharing, commenting etc. Those kinds of posts then show up in other people’s feeds because most all social media algorithms highlight content that is engaging to people. Next time you’re on Facebook scrolling down your wall, look at the time-stamps on posts. You’ll notice it doesn’t go by most recent like it did in the days of old.

3. Be Optimized

If I’m looking for you on Facebook, then head over to Twitter only to see that your profile image and banner are different then you need a reality check. The average attention span on the web is 8 seconds, so round down to 5 and give yourself 3 seconds of grace period... easy right? Haha... not at all. If you think someone is sitting there with a pencil and paper in hand to study your profile you’ll need to think again. That 5 seconds needs to establish that you’re friendly, can be trusted, willing and able. In other words, when I visit you or even see you on the web, do you grab my attention or am I turned off by what I see? Not everyone is the same and it’s a fine line. Don’t oversell by using those spaces to advertise, and don’t look like a digital billboard. 

4. Be Organized

This one is so simple, yet so ignored. Having a social media plan is clutch for data and analytics. Say you sell a seasonal product, and your biggest sales come in December. While the business doesn’t sell itself, things come easier for your bottom line over that 1 to 2 month period. So what is the plan for the rest of the year? Spirit Halloween Costumes does a great job at this. They send out monthly emails with discounts to subscribers, sell Star Wars costumes at discounts for May the 4th (may the foce be with you), and update their site on a regular basis. Their marketing plan is to remind you they exist so when the busy season does come around, you know where to go. Guess what? They make plenty of sales along the way too. You need to create a plan with real goals every month. If you don’t hit those goals, evaluate using data and measure by realtime metrics. Without analyzing, history will repeat itself.

5. Be Hashtaggy

If you don’t know what a Hashtag is by now, there’s not much I can do to help. Hashtags are just something people use to join a conversation with likeminded people. Some (actually a lot) of people just throw a hashtag on a post and never actually go to that hashtag to join the conversation. That’s #dumb #stupid #omgsobad - so what’s #amazing for hashtags? For starters... research the hashtag before using it! I worked with a microbrewery for 2 years helping to build their brand on social media. Being a hockey themed brewery, they coined the term “Light it” which is synonymous for lighting the lamp after scoring a goal. The problem is #lightit on the internet was usually synonymous with pot smokers. Without doing a little leg work, #lightit would have gone to a different kind of crowd. Your rule of thumb for hashtags is to do your research and never use more than 3 hashtags in a post. Using more than 3 hashtags looks like trash, and not to mention it screams “I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I’M DOING SO I’M JUST TRYING TO CON THE SYSTEM!”

6. Be Poignant

My wife is the nicest person I know, but that actually gets her into trouble sometimes. When telling me she’s unhappy, I usually get a long explanation of niceness of how I can fix some generic things that are going on related to the problem. “The sink needs to be fixed” is easier said than “The sink has been leaking a lot lately, and I know you’re busy with work, but if you find time maybe you...” One is direct, and the other is beating around the bush (by the way, I really do need to fix the sink). When you post on social media, 1 sentence should really do the trick, but never more than 2. Anything that you can’t say in a few words isn’t worth saying. If you really feel like you have more to say, take advantage of the text you’re putting in the image.

7. Be Everywhere

To be clear as day, not every social media platform is right for your business. The one’s that you do pick to be on need to have your fingerprints all over them. Pay to boost posts, and engage in conversations. Look up businesses that do something like you and study them. Hell, engage them in a conversation! You’d be surprised when asking for help, people want to help. Don’t ask for followers or shares. Your marketing budget should be at least 15% of your annual revenue if that helps you understand how much you should be investing digitally. Social media is a full time job... let me repeat for all of you who don’t agree SOCIAL MEDIA IS A FULL TIME JOB! Sorry to those of you who just don’t understand that or grew up in a different generation and get your information via different formats, but social marketing is the wave of the future. It’s cost effective, offers the most accurate analytics, and can truly maximize your reach and profits if handled with care. So on that note, do everything in your power to get noticed.

In 2016, I founded Digimark Design with the goal of making marketing affordable for the small business owner. We’re honest and upfront with our rates, and that’s why we’re one of the few who actually have rates on our website. If you have any questions or need any help marketing your business, please let us know.