I’ve blogged before about how important it is for small businesses to use social media for marketing. Seems most entrepreneurs are aware of this, but what I’m hearing lately is that though it’s easy to set up a profile on Facebook, Twitter or Google +, for example, it’s not so easy to know what to put on it!
In an effort to help those who are suffering confusion about content, I’ve sourced some hints and tips from our own social media team here at Dentons, who seem to be pulling in the punters not only for our own pages, but on behalf of clients for whom we undertake social media management.
What to post ….
Obviously you need to keep your content as relevant as possible to your field of business, but it doesn’t all have to be purely about pushing products or services.
- Give your business a human face by posting about events and escapades that you or your staff are engaged in. For instance, if your receptionist runs a marathon for charity, share it on Facebook (with his/her permission of course) – with a picture if possible.
- Encourage your followers to support charity drives that you feel strongly about – and preferably support yourself. For example, tweet about the MacMillan Cancer coffee morning and make sure you post a picture of how you are celebrating it in your office/shop.
- Asking a question is a good way to provoke a comment back – what the social media fundis call “engagement” with your followers. If you’re a florist, for instance, ask your audience what their favourite blooms are. It may take some imagination to come up with something rhetorically relevant, but it’s worth the effort.
- If your area of operation is local rather than national, keep your eyes and ears open for local events and breaking news – useful information that you can pass on and, hopefully, capitalise on. If you’ve got a coffee shop, for example, and hear that nearby motorway is blocked after an incident, invite the delayed travellers to come in for coffee rather than sit in their cars.
These are just a few ideas for positive posts. Use your analytics and insights to see which type of posts bring the biggest response. Each audience is unique, so there are no hard and fast rules – this is an ever-evolving process.
How to post …
Is it better to be formal, or chatty, or somewhere inbetween?
The tone of voice you adopt on social media depends on the nature and character of your business. Obviously a solicitor’s office would be unwise to tweet in slang parlance, while a hairdresser can get away with sharing style tips in the vernacular, and an IT company can throw in some tech jargon.
In general, though, it is best to be friendly but not too familiar. Make sure spelling and grammar are spot on – there’s nothing more annoying (to me anyway!) than glaring mistakes on company websites or social media pages.
Long posts are usually not advisable – the thing about social media is that it is a quick, easy and instant way to get a message across. So keep it short and sweet, but use images and links wherever possible. A picture speaks a thousand words and certainly draws the eye more than a block of text.
When to post …..
If you think about it, it’s logical!
Research shows that engagement peaks on Thursdays and Fridays – in other words posts do better towards the end of the working week.
The best time to have your posts noticed is during the morning and evening commute time, and lunch hours, on weekdays.
At weekends you will reach more customers and clients than B2B connections, so this is probably a good time to push brands and products.
We hope this brief sharing of some of the knowledge we’ve gained about social media posts is helpful if you plan to give it a go yourself.
If you prefer, you can leave it to Dentons Digital to set up and manage a social media package for you at surprisingly affordable rates.
RETURN TO DENTONS BLOG PAGE
Help for those Confused about Content
In an effort to help those who are suffering confusion about content, I’ve sourced some hints and tips from our own social media team here at Dentons, who seem to be pulling in the punters not only for our own pages, but on behalf of clients for whom we undertake social media management.
What to post ….
Obviously you need to keep your content as relevant as possible to your field of business, but it doesn’t all have to be purely about pushing products or services.
These are just a few ideas for positive posts. Use your analytics and insights to see which type of posts bring the biggest response. Each audience is unique, so there are no hard and fast rules – this is an ever-evolving process.
How to post …
Is it better to be formal, or chatty, or somewhere inbetween?
The tone of voice you adopt on social media depends on the nature and character of your business. Obviously a solicitor’s office would be unwise to tweet in slang parlance, while a hairdresser can get away with sharing style tips in the vernacular, and an IT company can throw in some tech jargon.
In general, though, it is best to be friendly but not too familiar. Make sure spelling and grammar are spot on – there’s nothing more annoying (to me anyway!) than glaring mistakes on company websites or social media pages.
Long posts are usually not advisable – the thing about social media is that it is a quick, easy and instant way to get a message across. So keep it short and sweet, but use images and links wherever possible. A picture speaks a thousand words and certainly draws the eye more than a block of text.
When to post …..
If you think about it, it’s logical!
Research shows that engagement peaks on Thursdays and Fridays – in other words posts do better towards the end of the working week.
The best time to have your posts noticed is during the morning and evening commute time, and lunch hours, on weekdays.
At weekends you will reach more customers and clients than B2B connections, so this is probably a good time to push brands and products.
We hope this brief sharing of some of the knowledge we’ve gained about social media posts is helpful if you plan to give it a go yourself.
If you prefer, you can leave it to Dentons Digital to set up and manage a social media package for you at surprisingly affordable rates.
RETURN TO DENTONS BLOG PAGE
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