This is the introduction to social media that every entrepreneur needs (but most never receive.) We’re keeping it brief because we understand social might not be your passion or forté, but it’s still an important asset.
Most business owners dive into SMM without understanding basics and we get how overwhelming it can be.
Think of social media as your toolbox with incredible potential to amplify reach and all of these platforms are your tools, BUT without understanding their purpose or how to use them, they’re virtually worthless to you & your business.
First, it’s important to understand WHY SMM works & why it’s a great method for advertising. Simply put, it’s because it is NOT advertising—at least it shouldn’t appear that way. Some of the best social media marketing is disguised as user-generated content, because the posts appears in the same feed as all of our friends.
By discovering your post in this social space, users are more receptive to your message! The last thing you want to do is alarm them with an aggressive ad. USG and social media dynamics should influence every aspect of your creative.
1. Keep your images clean! There are (rare) exceptions, but in general do NOT place text on your images. If you’ve ever advertised on Facebook, then you know the 20% text rule. If you haven’t, it basically means that they will reject your ad or significantly reduce reach if you have text on more than 20% of your image. In Instagram you’re working with less space, so we suggest keeping text under 10%—essentially headlines, titles and nothing more.
2. Choose your words wisely. Ever heard of an elevator pitch? Bios and captions are your chance to generate leads and engage with new clients and you’ve got a very limited number of characters to do so. Be clever, be enticing, exciting, witty and funny, but whatever you do, DO NOT be wordy. Before hitting that “post” button proofread and ask yourself if there was a more precise way to convey the same message.
3. Quality over quantity! People will unfollow spammy accounts that post repetitive content or too frequently. Make it a goal to add value to the feed. Answer these questions— Why should people follow you? What do you have to offer? Now demonstrate with some beautiful + compelling visuals! (Yes, professional photography is a wise investment!)
4. Tags are your key to being discovered and seen. Take advantage of #hashtags on Instagram & Twitter to amplify organic reach. Tagging people and businesses in your posts can make you appear on their page too, so if it is a profile you want to be affiliated with then go ahead and tag them.