You know the value of social media marketing, but results can often be disappointing. Audiences may be indifferent or slow to respond to your best efforts. If you've been wondering what you can do to improve your social media campaigns, some of these ideas may put you over the top.
Post at Peak Times
The actual numbers can vary, but on average, studies show that most social traffic comes at a certain time of day. This varies between social platforms. The busy time for Google+, for instance, is in the morning between 9 am and 11 am. For Twitter it's 1 pm to 3 pm, 1 pm to 4 pm for Facebook, and 5 pm to 6 pm for Instagram. Using this information helps you reach more viewers with the same effort.
Use A/B testing
A/B testing is changing a single element at a time, whether it's formats, images, or calls-to-action. Then you determine which one performs best. By consistently testing everything in this way, you're building content that will get you improved responses. It's important to follow the simple this-or-that formula so you know exactly what it is that's affecting audience response. Sometimes there will be an even split, but other times audiences will show a significant preference.
Use More than Organic Strategies
While keywords and organic content are important for SEO, there are other ways to promote your social profile. Major social sites, including Facebook Twitter, YouTube, and Reddit, offer streaming feeds for placing ads. While this costs money, you're potentially reaching more viewers than you'd get anywhere else online. Never miss an opportunity to invite people to your social profile. The essential oils company doTERRA, for example, has found great success using videos and webinars to drive traffic to their site.
Tailor Your Message
Each social media network follows a different format and draws its own specific audience. Understand what appeals to a certain audience and your campaigns will be more effective. If you see what's shared on Instagram, for instance, you'd probably agree that it's the wrong place to promote a software developer. Learn the prevailing demographics and adjust your message. Also, observe the etiquette. Facebook users are actually put off by people asking for "likes". You need to earn them.
Start by finding and focusing on the social media platform that's the most popular with your target segment. Discover what they like and the optimal time to engage them. Your following will start to grow.