Have you found your way on social media? How are you engaging with fans? One thing is certain, social media is always in a flow of change. There are many ideas and tricks you can use to help push the traffic you want to your pages.
The first step to being successful at social media is to give yourself the broadest outreach possible. To do this, make sure that all of your accounts are up to date, (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc.). Be certain all contact information is consistent and complete.
The balance becomes, how much of your own content do you share on social media and what is the appropriate amount of third party information that you should share with your followers? While there is not exact science, there are things and ideas to keep in mind as you do share information, both original content and curated content from outside experts.
Sharing third party information does not make you look unknowledgeable, in fact it shows that you are confident enough in your own work that you are willing to share good information when you see it. While it is important to share your own thoughts and spins on your field of expertise, you can benefit from other people’s thoughts and ideas as well. While many people view them as “competition” that is not the case on social media. By sharing this information you may also find that some of their followers start to notice you.
Learning is vital to the growth of any individual or company. It is important to interact with your followers on all of the social media platforms. Yes, this can become time consuming but it shows your followers that you are engaged and care about them, their questions, views and needs. It is important to monitor your social media, see what works and what doesn’t and adjust accordingly.
Posting to groups allows people of similar interest to see what information you are presenting and gives you a better chance for group interactions and an increase in following. Being a part of a group also allows you to connect with others when you yourself have questions.
Part of gaining followers is to have meaningful, creative, fun, and interesting content. This is called engagement and followers want to be entertained. If you post article after article, you are simply article dumping on your followers who may lose interest. It is important to make them laugh, cause them to think and yes, give them information.
Create a social media calendar to be sure to blend your engagement of others. You can accomplish this by posting funny pictures and videos, an interactive quiz or a contest. It peaks your followers’ interest and causes them to click on YOUR link that will help drive traffic to your website.
Social media takes time and effort. Show your followers that you care, are knowledgeable and that by following you they will learn something and be entertained as well.
About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business growth.