Policies that limit operating capacity and encourage social distancing pose a threat to North Carolina businesses that rely on traditional marketing methods, like word of mouth and distribution of flyers. If your business is one of those bound to be affected by the new normal, keep in mind that every modern business problem calls for a modern business solution.
By leveraging the marketing power of various social media platforms, you can reach out to current and potential clients, address customer concerns, and showcase your catalog. Each social media platform has its own pros and cons, and knowing how to maximize the potential of each one can make your marketing campaign a success.
We’ve listed down three of the most popular social media platforms in the United States, and how each can be instrumental to your business growth.
Facebook (FB) is the biggest social media platform in the world. With over 190 million active users in the US alone, it provides you the widest reach. Take advantage of this huge potential client base by investing in Facebook targeted advertising.
This service targets people who are most likely to click on your ad if it shows up on their feed. By running a special algorithm, Facebook narrows down users according to location, demographics, interest, connection, and behavior, and displays your ad to a filtered list of people who may be interested in your business.
Apart from having access to this powerful advertising tool, being on Facebook also offers a practical benefit: it makes your business look more credible and legitimate. Further reassure your audience that there is a real person behind the account by posting consistently and replying to comments on your page.
Facebook is a highly interactive platform that supports myriad ways to immediately respond to inquiries, issues, and everything in between. For example, you can deploy Facebook chatbots to answer frequently asked questions, allowing your customer service representatives to focus on tasks that specifically require human-to-human interaction.
Instagram (IG) may have fewer users than Facebook, but it boasts of a median engagement rate of 1.6%, which is 17 times the engagement rate of the latter. About 80% of Instagram users also follow a business page, which shows how ideal the platform is for cultivating a following.
Instagram is highly visual and puts photos front and center, so it’s crucial that your page is visually pleasing. Presentation is key: use a recognizable profile picture, write a clear and concise bio consistent with your brand tone and voice, and stick to a specific color palette and font family. For maximum Instagram engagement, try these best practices:
- Add a link in your bio – Your bio is the only place on Instagram where you can share a clickable link, so make it count. Put your homepage link in your bio to drive more traffic to your website, or link to an ongoing promo to boost sales.
- Curate your posts – Use only high-quality pictures to showcase your products and services. You can even plan successive posts that literally create a bigger picture.
- Use Instagram Stories smartly – Turn to this Instagram feature to promote events, discounts, or your own posts. You can also use Stories to show behind-the-scenes content, such as product shoots.
- Make use of Instagram Highlights – IG stories only last for 24 hours, but with Highlights, you can compile individual stories into a collection that you can permanently pin on your profile. Maximize this feature by pinning FAQs, positive feedback, and other information about your business on your page.
- Don’t forget the # – Hashtags allow users to easily look up posts under a specific category. Adding hashtags to your posts puts your business into spaces where interested people are already looking.
Unlike Facebook and Instagram posts that allow chunks of texts, Twitter limits each post — known as a “tweet” — to 280 characters. While this can be a challenge, it is also one of the social media platform’s unique charms.
There is no place for verbosity on Twitter. Each tweet has to be precise and direct to the point to maximize character use. Photo uploads are also limited to four images per post, and videos have a 2 minute and 20 second limit, so any marketing campaign on this social media platform must be concise and deliberate.
Just like on Instagram, you can build a following on Twitter by using hashtags related to your business. By adding one or two hashtags to your tweets, potential clients can find your page via the Twitter search bar and trending list.
And because of its simple interface and direct approach, Twitter facilitates efficient, hassle-free communication among its users. Take advantage of this by launching a Twitter support page for your business. For any concerns, customers and potential clients alike can easily reach out to you by mentioning your Twitter handle, replying to your tweet, or sending a direct message.
Modern technological innovations can raise your business to the next level. Reach new heights with the right IT partner by your side. SpectrumWise is the leading managed IT business solutions provider in Charlotte, North Carolina. Discover how we can help your business grow. Call us at 704-703-9859, or send us a message today.
