Eight Social Media Tips to Help Businesses Succeed

During B.O.S.S. Academy’s Phoenix Fridays Leadership Power Hour, questions about how to use social media have arisen. Small business owners have to use social media, but using social media incorrectly will not help. Recently, changes have occurred in social media. Here are some tips.

1. Be Consistent – Many people do not post regularly. They post occasionally, but this is a mistake. While you don’t have to do daily posts, you should post at least weekly. You want to pick one day where you post and keep posting on that day. You also want to be consistent with your content. Use the same profile picture on all your platforms. Write posts that represent you and your business well.
2. Highlight Others – When you post, you want to highlight other companies occasionally. This shows that you understand you have to have help. Business owners do not work in a vacuum. They rely on partners, employees and other businesses. Showing off these other businesses will help you in the long run. In the short run, those other businesses will share the content on their platforms.
3. Post on Wednesday Afternoon – According to a study done by Buffer, the best time to post is Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The study found that business owners are looking at their social media feeds later in the day and early evening. Thursdays and Fridays in the afternoon also are great for posting, the study found. Mondays and Tuesdays are not as good for social media to be effective.
4. Give of Yourself – Social media experts say that business owners should post personal information periodically. While you want to represent your business, you also want to represent you as the owner of the business. People want to buy from people they trust. By offering posts that are personal, you are giving people reasons to trust you and see you are vulnerable. For example, someone targeting business owners and moms would show themselves as moms.
5. Engagement Matters – Even though LinkedIn is geared for businesses, the medium has moved from business toward social, according to Buffer. Therefore, it is important to engage your readers. You want people to comment on your content and share your content. People liking your stuff also is important. Videos, photos and infographics can spark conversation more than straight posts. However, you can get engagement with posts and articles too.
6. Vary Content – You want to post videos, photos and straight text. You want to use hashtags and links. In addition to posts, you should consider writing articles, adding in reels, shorts and others. Articles are shown to people beyond your network. People like to watch and read short items.
7. Posting Parties Help – Gather your network together to post and share people’s content. These posting parties help with engagement and the algorithm. These parties help all involved.
8. Automate Posting – To help busy business owners, software is available that allows people to automate their posting and schedule batches. Take time to schedule your posts for 30 days or longer. This will free up companies to focus on other projects and marketing.