Social media is a great marketing tool. Whether you’re aiming to improve your personal brand, or are in charge of upping your company’s image, the following list of tips I have compiled should work well for anyone!

• Pick a platform that works best for you…and stick to it. If you’re just dipping your toes into social media, choose a platform and master it before trying to use multiple networks at once. Make sure you’re where your customers are; if they aren’t on Pinterest, there’s no point in using that channel.
• Social media is not a perfect science. There are many blogs out there that state the “best time” to post on networks. The catch? They all state different times. Conduct a test. Post content that is similar at different times on different days and see what creates the most traction. For some businesses, higher engagement might result from a post at 10 AM, while other brands experience better engagement at 10 PM.
• Strive for quality over quantity. It’s better to have 50 loyal followers who can convert to customers than 5000 followers who aren’t interested in your message.
• Social media is always evolving. New features are constantly being added to various networks. So, ensure that you are on top of what networks are offering and find out how they can benefit your social media efforts.
• Just like social evolves, your strategy should evolve, too. Do not expect to stick with one strategy for a whole year. Adjust your strategy as needed. Find out what works, and if something doesn’t then change your direction ASAP.
• Social media is a 24/7/365 concept. Don’t limit your posts to typical work hours. Your consumers are likely working during the 8 hours that you’re posting. To ensure your content is seen by your customers, try posting on evenings and weekends. And, as always, test what works best with your brand.
• Let your customers know when you’re actually online. If you’re providing customer service via social media, be sure to list the hours that you can be of assistance to them. If possible, and there is a demand for it, extended hours or 24/7 availability works best.
• Be prepared to spend money. Social media is inexpensive, so make use of it! Be sure to allocate a budget that makes sense for your company in order to reach your target market and get your message out there.
• Stick to your budget. It may be tempting when you see a prompt to “add just a few more dollars to your campaign in order to reach a larger audience”. Before you do, ask yourself a few questions: Does it make sense to keep adding money to the same advertisement? Have I exhausted this message? Would individuals be more receptive to another advertisement with a different message?
• Try your hand at blogging. The initial setup, strategy, and creation of a blog requires a lot of work, but it is a great channel to really get your message across. If you choose to blog, don’t constantly talk about your brand. Readers want authenticity. They want to know more about who is behind your brand, rather than what features you can provide them; they want expertise and knowledge. Write about your industry, trends, reviews, tips, and etcetera.
• Follow people/brands that add value to your brand. Just because someone follows you, it doesn’t mean you absolutely need to follow them back. Do a little digging—if you are interested in what they are sharing and they add value to you or your brand in some way, follow them.
• Don’t be afraid to engage in conversation. If you meet someone interesting at an event, Tweet them. If you read an awesome article, share your opinion or simply thank the author.
• Fill out information on your profile. There are numerous fields you can fill out on the ‘About’ section on Facebook, so make use of them. On Twitter, be sure to create a succinct and catchy biography to make individuals want to follow you. Also, upload a profile photo so people know you’re most likely a legitimate brand or person.

That’s all for this week! Next week’s post will feature more tips and tricks!