Every second of every day, tens of millions of people are interacting with their chosen social media platform. Tens of millions of people who could very well take an interest in your business.
But how can you develop the kind of social media presence that ensures you stand out from the crowd? What can you do to emerge as a leader in your field, when up against such spectacular competition?
The short answer - it isn't going to be easy.
On the plus side, you'll stand a much better chance of building a solid and consistent presence if you abide by the following five rules at all times:
- Post early, post often
First and foremost, you need to be at the front of the queue when it comes to the latest news and developments. Not only this, but you also need to post the latest news and developments on a regular basis. Think of it in terms of newspapers - who'd bother with a publication that came out on completely random days and often featured no real news whatsoever? As a rule of thumb, you should be looking at posting fresh, relevant and engaging content around four times a week on average.
- Study your audience
Audience research doesn't come to an end the moment your business is launched. If anything, this is where the hard work starts. You need to know your audience inside out to have any chance whatsoever of boosting your authority. Take a look at everything you do from the perspective of the customer and determine who they are, what it is they want, what they expect from you and what it would take to exceed their expectations. Not to mention, what you can do to ensure you stand out from the crowd.
- Promote your posts
Taking a passive approach to post promotion is the worst thing you can do. Leave any post to its own devices and you limit its reach significantly. By contrast, go out of your way to promote it personally and there's a much better chance of it reaching a wider target audience. Keep your posts concise and snappy, focus on shareable content like quality imagery and don't be afraid to re-post content that may have gone overlooked the first time.
- Keep the conversation going
If and when you come across discussions and conversations regarding your brand, your products or your niche, it's important to do your best to keep them going. Joining the conversation is always a great way of getting your face and your name out in the open. It's also a good way of finding out exactly what other people are saying about you, while at the same time keeping your area of specialism fresh on the minds of your target audience members.
- Be ready to spend
Last but not least, there's a reason why thousands of leading companies worldwide are investing more heavily than ever before in paid social advertising. In this case, it's a classic example of the 'If you can't beat them, join them' methodology. Don't for one minute assume that if your marketing budget is strictly limited, this means you can't afford to invest in paid social advertising. Get it right and every single penny you invest has the potential to deliver a truly extraordinary ROI.