Social media has changed business landscape

Social media has drastically changed the business landscape. Now, the savviest companies are embracing social media to better communicate with and engage their key audiences. To have a winning social media presence, companies need more than static pages and profiles. They need compelling content, enticing photos and integrated messages to attract customers and prospects.

To elevate your social media efforts:

Know your demographics. Different sites appeal to different audiences, so plan your strategy accordingly. If you’re trying to appeal to college students, who use Tumblr and Reddit, your approach should be different than if you’re targeting 30- to 45-year-old moms, who tend to prefer Facebook. If your product or service targets a niche audience — like brides — have a presence on Pinterest where people will pin and share your information.

Concentrate on just a few social media sites — and do them really well. Unless your company has a huge, dedicated social media department, it’s unrealistic to think you can successfully manage 20 different social media platforms. Instead, pick a few that appeal to your target demographics and build a strong, relevant presence there. Use these sites to engage with your followers, respond to comments, offer incentives and thank them for their loyalty.

Update your content. Social media is an effective way to quickly and easily share messages with large audiences, but it’s critical to keep their attention with fresh, interesting content. Because of the interactive nature of social media sites, followers expect fresh, interesting content regularly. Posts should demonstrate to your followers (as well as their networks) why they should care about your company.

Integrate your messaging. Be consistent across all marketing channels. Whatever you’re saying in your ads, press releases, and web copy should be consistent with your social media messaging. If your brand is upscale and sophisticated, don’t use words like “wicked awesome” and “killer deals” in your social media posts. Ensure synergy across all efforts.

Be strategic. Any marketing initiatives, including social media, should be strategic. Posting shouldn’t be haphazard. Instead, it should support your other marketing activities. Your goal should be to show your company’s personality through social media, intriguing people enough to connect with you online (and, ideally, offline, too.) Never just throw stuff up on social media because you feel like you have to post something. Posts that aren’t thoughtful or on-message feel inauthentic and can alienate your followers.

Map out your efforts. Schedule your social media efforts for at least a month in advance, outlining what you want to convey. Determine dates for your sales and events, and when you’ll start promoting them. Have pre-written copy ready so your efforts won’t stall if you get sidetracked with other projects. Some sites allow you to set posts to go live at designated times, making the day-to-day operations easier.

Use interesting photographs. The images you post should be creative — beautiful, crazy or funny — visually conveying your brand, messages and/or differentiators. If you own a restaurant, have people in the photos enjoying your meals to increase interest and the number of likes/shares. It’s fine to show a juicy burger, but if you show someone biting into that burger looking delighted, that elevates your photo — and your social media presence — to another level. It’s better to show an atmosphere where people are enjoying your product.

Be funny and creative. Social media is meant to be entertaining, as well as informative, so show off your funny, creative side to keep your followers engrossed. But remember — stay relevant to your brand and message.

Showcase things for a reason. If you sell shoes, you don’t have to post your entire product line. Be selective about what you spotlight. Perhaps you want to show off your top seller or, conversely, promote products whose sales have stalled to give them a boost. Be clear about the actions you hope to inspire.

Stay top-of-mind. Lexi’s Joint in Portsmouth is a great example of a local company successfully leveraging social media. Their Facebook page is constantly updated with relevant, appealing information, including daily specials, incentives and mouth-watering photos. They make people think of their restaurant and crave their food, which is critical to stand out among the competition.

The social media phenomenon can be tremendously valuable for your business. Use these tips to engage your target audience, capture their attention, inspire their loyalty and, ultimately, drive sales.

Tharon T. Cottrell is president of INHOUSE Worldwide in Portsmouth, a best-in-class development agency, offering a full suite of services, including web and mobile development, custom applications, product development, search engine marketing, e-commerce storefronts, project definition and more. For more information, visit INHOUSEWW.com.