Friday, August 14, 2015

5 Ways to Stand Out on The Social Media Platforms

Internet Marketing
After starting their business most people head towards the internet to establish their online presence. However forging a strong and unique position within the web isn't an easy task. Getting clicks on your social posts is like being picked out of a large crowd; you need to have unique and attractive qualities that differentiate your business from everyone else.

For instance, think of the fans at sports games; you often see broadcasters zero in on flashy body paint, comical signage, or something else that makes those people different. The same is true for social media: You simply need to stand out.

There are a variety of strategies you can apply to your social marketing that will help get more clicks on posts. To help you boost your engagement online, here are five pivotal ways to get more clicks on social posts:

1) Go visual.

No matter what social network you're marketing your business on, posting plain text just won't cut it. You need to attract your audience' eyes by including a visual in order to keep them engaged.

More and more often, social networking sites are becoming image-centric. You don't need to look any further than Instagram's booming success to see how visuals are the new norm for any business to thrive.

Trying using bright images that provoke an intended emotion, and if you can't take a high-quality photo of your own, make sure you avoid using images that are clearly stock photos.

2) Write great copy.

Whether you're drafting a Facebook post or buffering a tweet, you need to follow the three great C's of outstanding social copy: creative, concise and conversational.

The words you craft to accompany a visual are your audience's first taste of the actual content, so don't lose them with bland, long-winded, or overly "news headline-y" captions (research shows that writing full, conversation-like headlines actually increases click-through rates).

You can draw your audience in with compelling copy in a variety of ways. Consider describing amazing benefits the reader will receive by clicking, incorporating surprising numbers and stats, or asking a thought-provoking question.

3) Cater your content.

Before you post anything on your social space on the internet, ask yourself: Do I know who my audience is? No matter how much time you spend taking beautiful photos, editing videos, or drafting creative copy, your social content won't get clicks if you aren't posting about topics that interest your target audience.

Once you understand how to choose the relevant content to share on social media, keep track of what works best. Do your followers like the how to posts? Do they share interesting lists? Do they engage with industry-adjacent topics or are they looking to you for something more specific?

The better you understand their interests and internet habits, the better your can cater your content to their needs.

4) #Hashtag.

What we once called the pound symbol has suddenly become the almighty hashtag, and using it in your social posts can greatly increase their reach.

By adding a hashtag to a word or phrase, you create an automatic search link that brings the reader to every other post also using that hashtag. This way will help to add your thoughts and comments to a global conversation, or on the flip side, an easy way to go looking for information on a particular subject.

Adding hashtags is most commonly seen on Twitter and Instagram, but studies show it's a great way to boost clicks across every social platform where hashtags can be used. However, it's important to note that the number of hashtags you should use on each network varies immensely.

5) Time it right.

Why talk when nobody is around to hear you? It goes without saying that social networks are continuously active, however, there are specific days and times for each platform where user activity is particularly high (or particularly low). You'll get more traffic to your page if you time your posts for peak activity, so learning the optimal time for each network is very important.

In case you're using an app to queue future posts, make sure you manually set posting schedules that fit these premium social times. Applications like Buffer and Hootsuite are there to help you, but you need to be diligent about scheduling your posts appropriately, rather than letting them fly out of your queue at random dates and times.

Conclusion:

No one wants to be perceived as another face in the crowd, and you too shouldn't settle for that. All of the strategies listed above have one thing in common: adding value to your customers' social experience. The more you provide interesting and relevant content, and the more effectively you get it in front of your audience's eyes, the better the relationships you will build. Over time, these relationships will turn into clicks, and from there, more business will be done.

Stand out, start conversations, and connect with your customers. And if you did right you'll be astonished how far you can go with your business. Do you have any other tricks to maximize the benefits of your online existence? We would love to hear about your experience.

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