Any business operating online should already have a robust social media campaign. From informative Instagram stories to timely X posts and winning LinkedIn likes, your business should be an integral part of its industry’s social arena!

But if you have been analysing the metrics and found that your social media posts are lacking then you must make a change. After all, social media is about driving conversions and winning sales, and if this is not the case then it’s definitely time for a makeover.

Be sure to follow these essential “must-dos” if you want your social media strategy to enter a new era of success:

 

1. Do keep your profile active & complete

Think about it: your business has an incomplete Instagram profile. Perhaps it is missing the company logo as its profile picture? Or, perhaps it lacks a regular stream of posts for your followers to enjoy? Either way, incomplete social media profiles lack credibility and even make your brand look… dodgy.

Conversely, customers love knowing that businesses take the time to complete and maintain active social media profiles. It shows that you care about your business and want to share your expertise with your followers. This is great for business credibility, so be sure to include all necessary logos, business information, addresses and all other blanks that require urgent filling!

 

2. Do ensure that your profiles are consistent

You need to ensure that the kind of content you post is consistent across your social media profiles. After all, it’s likely that your fans will follow you on at least two or more platforms, so you don’t want to confuse them with conflicting posts that seem incongruous from one another. This could be as damaging to your business credibility as having incomplete information, as customers will start to think there is a very loose marketing operation occurring on your end.

So, it is important to maintain a similar content output regarding style, themes, written content and more. But this doesn’t mean sharing the exact posts across channels, as you need to alter your content to suit the platform’s format and product (i.e. short posts on X, videos on TikTok etc.).

 

3. Do create new & unique posts

Customers love to see a little creativity in a brand’s posting. They want to know that there are some clever creators behind the brand as this forms an idea that the product itself is of a higher quality. Therefore, it is a great idea to take some time to get creative and think of posts that would set you apart from your competitors.

This is all part of your branding and how you represent yourself to your target demographic. This is also how you show your point of difference and why your audience should choose you over the competition. Therefore, it is imperative that you develop a brand voice that makes you unique and gives you a voice to remember.

 

4. Do make social media relationships

One of the great wins for businesses on social media is the way in which they can connect with their followers like never before. You can build relationships with followers from all over the world, fostering existing relationships whilst creating new and exciting ones in the process. All this can create a wealth of exciting business and sales opportunities that were simply impossible before the advent of social media.

But it’s important to know how and how often you should engage with your public so as to form an effective relationship. Using tools to harness existing and new social media relationships is a great place to start. What’s more, you should be available to respond to your followers’ questions and comments on your social media posts!

 

5. Do use the most suitable platforms

Your target audience may not use a particular platform. For example, if you run a financial website aimed at established professionals, you probably don’t have to be too present on TikTok. It’s important that you research your target demographic and the platforms they engage with the most. This is an absolute fundamental, as posting content across a platform that your demographic won’t see is an egregious waste of time!

 

6. Do keep your posts entertaining & informative

You should typically avoid trying to directly sell through your social media posts. This can be off putting for customers, who prefer to see entertaining and informative content that could then direct them to your website. Instead, it is recommended that you go with the 80/20 rule: 80 percent entertaining/informative content with 20 percent sales content. This way your customers won’t think that you’re trying to force sales on them like a cheeky grifter!

 

7. Do post relevant content to the right platform

As aforementioned, you must post the right content to the right platform. This is because each platform has its own audiences and own formats, and so it’s important to produce content that resonates with these different audiences. For example, you wouldn’t try and facilitate business conversation through Instagram – this is a LinkedIn kind of thing. Conversely, you wouldn’t go posting about exciting discounts via LinkedIn unless they could build your B2B relationships in some way.

 

8. Do make your posts aesthetically-stylish

Visual imagery is renowned for ensuring greater engagement. Think about it: social media is made for scrolling. Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and X all have scrolling formats, so the last thing users want is to get bogged down by a boring written post when there are fun visuals to be seen above and below your post.

So, if your business is one that can benefit from visually-creative posts, go for it. You will likely see a much greater level of engagement from customers who enjoy the content of your post and want to engage with it!

 

9. Do maintain your brand across platforms

You have to establish a clear vision for how your brand will be perceived across social media platforms. You must be rather discerning here in order to maintain consistency across networks. After all, the different audiences and formats that social media platforms offer can convolute a brand’s identity, so you must be conscious of this and maintain your image across the networks regardless of the content you post!

The best way to avoid brand-confusion is to preemptively stop it through your branding process, paying close attention to your brand’s beliefs, principles and voice. This will ensure consistency across networks regardless of the post or its formatting.

 

10. Do give credit to the work of others

Trying to pass off someone’s post as your own makes your brand look lazy. Instead, always attribute the post creator when using their piece to boost your own credibility. Doing so can also help you make new industry connections from valuable members, so giving credit where credit is due is paramount.

What’s more, you should always ask for permission before tagging someone in an article. Unsolicited tagging can have a seriously negative impact on your business. It can create a bad reputation whilst leading to followers disengaging with your brand.

 

11. Do have fun with your posts

Trust us: social media is one of the most enjoyable parts of digital marketing. It’s the creative side of all the metrics and it’s where you get to try out some new fun content that your customers might love. So why not have fun when you’re doing it? You’ve done all the hard market research and you know who your audience is – it’s now time to bring them into a fun and friendly conversion!

 

12. Do be kind online

It’s a very rare occurrence for users to take the side of a nasty business owner. You know the ones: those who belittle their audience on social media just because the user had the nerve to call them out on their product or service. Unless the business owner can provide a very good reason why the customer was, in fact, in the wrong, it’s highly likely that any attempts to argue online will reflect poorly on the business.

Therefore, it’s always recommended that you are cool and calm with your following. Of course, you are not always going to agree, and social media can be very unsocial (i.e. people being nasty about a brand for no reason). However, it’s important to maintain a level of conversational professionalism that seeks to elicit a proper response from the provocateur. It makes you look mature and this reflects strongly on your brand to any social media users ready to get out the popcorn.

 

13. Do grow traffic organically

When you create your business social media profile you should always create it away from your personal account (or create a new personal account). This will help grow traffic organically whilst avoiding any confusion about what chats/content are business or personal.

 

14. Do work to build a community

Depending on the nature of your business, social media can either be used sparsely or it can be fundamental for driving conversions. If it is imperative to your business then you should work to build a community around your profile. This can include anything from engaging followers through questionnaires to organising events and sharing them through your posts.

 

15. Do enlist the experts

Because all of this can be a lot of work. Social media experts know exactly how to convey your branding to your audience in order to attract new customers. If you find that maintaining your social media presence is a little overwhelming then feel free to call our experts today and we will grow your online presence for you!

 

Mastering social media is vital for your business’s success in the digital realm. From crafting unique posts to building meaningful online relationships, each step is crucial. If you’re struggling or wish to elevate your social media game, don’t hesitate. Reach out to our Social Media experts at 1300 663 995 or visit our contact page for tailored strategies that resonate with your audience and drive conversions. Your digital marketing transformation awaits!