Social media is an excellent way to market your company and extend your reach to new potential customers. It’s a great way to build a community that follows your business and supports you in your endeavors. As a business that’s also on social media, we have some tips that we’ve learned along the way that we think could help other businesses that are just getting started or aren’t sure how to go about it.

Create a plan

Before getting started with social media, think about which social media sites are best for your company. Choose a few (at most) and make sure they are places your audience will be reached. If your audience isn’t on Twitter, then it isn’t worth your time. Decide how often you’ll post, who will do it, and what kind of content will be shared.

Be consistent

After your plan is formed, it’s very important to stay consistent with it. The plan may change over time, but you’ll want to be sure you can post regularly and keep up with any engagement from others. An inconsistent and inactive profile looks much worse than not being there at all.

Quality over quantity

Aim for quality posts over a certain quantity. Quantity is good as well, but not if it compromises the quality of the content you share. If you can’t keep up with a certain site because it’s too much, deactivate your profile there and focus on the sites you can keep sharing quality, consistent content.

Engagement over sales

People expect to engage on social media and don’t enjoy companies that are there just trying to sell them something. They will have a greater appreciation of your company and higher engagement level if you focus on relating to people and building friendships rather than building sales.

Use imagery

Images have become very important in social media, and can be much more powerful than just text alone. Different sites call for different types of content as well so you’ll want to keep that in mind. Share the type of content that works well for the site, and try to use images to convey your message if possible.

Remember spelling & grammar

People often forget about spelling and grammar on social media, which can make your business look unprofessional. Treat status updates the same way you would treat your website content and make sure to proofread before you share anything.

Switch up the type of posts and content

Some promotional posts are okay to share, but make sure to switch it up with resources that can help your users, quotes, projects you’ve completed, etc. If you’re always sharing the same type of content, it can get stale for your audience.

Use hashtags wisely

Hashtags can be a great thing to use to reach additional people and increase engagement, but shouldn’t be overused. Think about the site you’re on and how it can be used, and with each post think about how you could add hashtags to increase engagement and reach in a positive way.

Schedule your posts

Setting aside a time to schedule posts for a few days or the week can be a great way to stay consistent. It’s also helpful if you’ll be out of town and want your profile to remain active. We like using Hootsuite for scheduling our posts, it helps us to remain consistent and active.

Increase your reach with advertising

Each site offers different ways to advertise, whether through traditional ads or sponsored posts. Look into the different avenues offered on the sites you’re on and try some out to see if the advertising helps extend your reach and grow your audience. Start small with advertising so it isn’t overwhelming and build on it if works well for you.

Social media can be an excellent marketing tool for many businesses if you plan for it and stay consistent. We’d love to hear your experiences, as well as any tips you have for businesses on social media as well. Let us know in the comments below!