By Julie Watson- In The R.A.W. Creative/IPA Board Member

If you haven’t embraced social media as part of your marketing strategy now is the time to re-consider as social media is the way of the future and too important to ignore. Maybe you are unsure if any digital platforms will target the right audience or perhaps you are uncomfortable or unskilled using social media. You’re not alone!

Social media is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to reach potential customers, right where they are …Online. Almost everyone either has a smartphone or checks social media during their daily activities. Creating effective social media campaigns can help raise brand awareness and build lasting connections with your customers and suppliers. If you want your brand to stand out, I am here to help with the following social media tips.

1. Digital platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn are not going away and you need to be in the game:
   1. It’s often thought it is hard to reach your target market. It’s not. They are on their smartphones all the time! And this is how you reach them.
   2. Most of these sites allow you to schedule posts ahead of time, meaning you can batch the work so it’s not a ‘daily chore’.
   3. Remember to have your posts monitored through email so you will know if you have a comment that needs to be responded to. You don’t want to keep them waiting!

2. Optimise for ‘Social’ media.
   1. It’s Social so you need to make sure you are too. Keep your posts conversational, informative and fun
   2. Don’t promote your business on every post. Approximately every third or fourth post should be self-promotion…the rest should be social!

3. Target your market
   1. You can choose very specific target markets with Facebook ads or Boost Posts, and it doesn’t need to cost a fortune
   2. Go through the process and see for yourself so you can determine if this is for you. You choose your target market, choose your budget (from $5), choose your location, choose your age group and choose keywords. Easy.

4. Optimise your content
   1. Use this as the new SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) for your business. It’s where most of your audience is spending their time and it’s low cost and targeted.
   2. Use keywords, based on ‘Facebook Groups and Pages’ who are in your target market. If they are talking about ‘Plant Walls’, then use this phrase, even if it’s not what you would normally call them.

5. Make your product or service ‘post-worthy’
   1. If your product has a poor photograph or poor text which is not enticing, you will get poor results. PHOTOS ARE EVERYTHING. They will catch the first impression so make sure they are high-quality visuals.
   2. Text must then follow up to make the post engaging. Ask a question. Have a competition. Show before and after images. Give REALLY useful tips. Include fun quotes. And don’t forget to try to include your keywords.

6. A little effort and minimal investment can lead to large followings.
   1. This is not the end goal, but you need to gain followings to gradually build better results (usually sales).
   2. Once you have a following, you should start to see results as you link them to your blog, website or ‘buy now’ button

7. Call to action
   1. Yes…you should have a call to action which is ANYTHING that gets the consumer to take action.
   2. Buy Now. Enter here. Read more. Post your answer in our comments section below.
   3. This is how you build engagement and relationships and trust…and it’s all about trust.
   4. Invite your family and friends to like your page

8. Two-way conversations
   1. By using Social Media channels you can directly engage in conversations with your potential customers. Even those who are not prospects will share your posts if they are engaging enough. Tell jokes. Give tips. Get people to FALL IN LOVE with your page.
   2. Encourage people (not all the time) to like, comment and share your posts. Respond to them promptly and you will become known as a trustworthy person, brand and business

Social Media changes rapidly because the consumer’s priorities are shifting…constantly! Even this article could be out of date before you know it. You cannot afford not to constantly update your Social Media Marketing as this will ensure your business continues to grow! If you don’t have the skills or the time to manage your social media strategy it would be cost effective to employ someone who can! This could be an existing employee, contractor or freelancer.

Stay tuned for future articles. In the meantime, ‘Get out there and get social!