Getting social with start-ups...
Now that you’ve created a start-up it’s time to focus on your social media strategy. Why? Because it’s easier than ever for budding entrepreneurs to get their start-up ideas out into the business world thanks to social media.
Previously, if you wanted to get some coverage it meant calling in a string of favours to get a blurb into a local paper or on the radio, but now, thanks to social media, you’re just a few clicks away from getting your name out there.
Having said that, getting your name out there is only the first step when it comes to social media plan. You’ll also have to work on keeping your loyal followers while avoiding the trolls.
Here we take a look at several tips that will help you make the most of your company’s social media accounts.
Limit your social media accounts (5-6 MAX)
The more social media accounts you have the more work you give yourself. Find out what kinds of social media your target demographic uses and stick with those.
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are good starting points, but if you think your company could utilise video then make sure to start up a YouTube page.
If not, then use your time on something more productive. You don’t have to have every social site under the sun.
Be engaging
Simply posting offers and sale promotions just won’t cut it. You have to be engaging with your audiences if you want to make it on social media.
If someone says something good about your company make sure to thank them. If they’re critical (in the nice way) then engage them and find out what exactly went wrong and how you can help.
Don’t feed the trolls
Following on from our last point, it’s best just to ignore the trolls. A lot of people think that they can say whatever they like on the internet because chances are they won’t have to face any consequences in the real world.
So if you do come across a troll online, just ignore them. Most social media accounts give you the option to block people, so just block them, forget them and move on. Your loyal followers are MUCH more important.
Make it worth people’s time to follow you
While spamming your account with offers and competitions might start driving fans away from your social media accounts, you still want to make it worth their while following you.
The easiest way to reward your social media followers is by making deals or competitions exclusive to the page you’re posting on, whether it's Twitter or Facebook. Remember: Don’t go overboard!
Images
Pictures speak 1,000 words, so use them when you can. If you’re posting a message to your social media accounts, try to expand on it with images. If you’re currently working on a new product you should begin to tease out pictures to get your fans excited about the company's future.
Memes are also a great way for companies to stay socially in the loop without making the account look like someone’s personal account.
Be grammar savvy
For some social media sites, especially Twitter, you’re limited in the amount of characters you can use in your text. This means you’ll have to choose your words carefully to get your point across.
Pro tip: Only ever use ‘text speak’ as a last resort.
Analytics
Use analytics tools to track what posts work and what posts fall flat on their arse. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube allow users to see what kind of engagement their posts are getting, from likes, to views and even demographic.
So if one post does exceptionally well you’ll be able to see why and this will allow you to repeat the process for your next post.
