followers Archives - Mutant Communications

With the increasing global smartphone ownership, social media surrounds us. It’s inescapable, and for businesses, it means we can interact with anyone at any time.

Having said that, it’s a common misconception that brands need to be on every social media channel possible to achieve mass coverage. I’ve seen businesses get excited and set up accounts across all the major social media platforms expecting a wave of new business overnight. And then… nothing!

Like a content marketing strategy, social media takes focus and dedicated long-term commitment – there is no overnight success. Let’s take a look at Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest. Each social media platform is targeting a unique audience with a dedicated engagement purpose:

So, how do you go about selecting what is right for your brand? Well, to make it simple, here are some handy tips to get you thinking about how to make the most of your social media.

1 – Start with purpose

Goal tracking matters! There must be a purpose to your online presence. Write down why you are actually using social media and what it is you would like to achieve. What is the business goal of your strategy? Hint: It’s the things your CEO or investors want.

Get everything down on paper, as chances are, you’ll more likely stick to your goals!

2 – Be strategic

Most companies can’t be perfect on every platform so, instead of being average at all of them, select a couple that match your business goals and rock them! Here are a couple of things to think about:

Who is your target audience and how will you reach them?
How does your social media strategy help you reach your core business objectives?
How will you nurture your followers in order to convert them?

You need to have a clear social media strategy and work out a plan to realistically implement it. Set up a schedule for each week and stick to it – and you can always review it as you go.

3 – Allocate your resources and budget

Do you have time to work on your social media? Or do you plan to outsource this? Whether it’s yourself or someone else working on it, there needs to be significant time dedicated to social media posts and engagement every day.

The intensity of your posts depends on your goals but ensure that you have a solid structure in place in the form of a content calendar that will help you keep track of everything. Allocate a budget that you are comfortable in spending to boost or advertise your posts as this will also help you widen your reach and, is cost effective at the same time.

4 – Keep calm and be patient

Be persistent and don’t freak out if you aren’t an instant overnight success. Remember that a solid social media strategy takes time and patience. The more time you dedicate to your social media strategy, the better outcomes you will get!

Brands have a massive opportunity to utilise social media and if your business does not have some sort of social media presence, chances are you are still living in the dark ages. Step out from under that rock and embrace the social world…it’s truly powerful, and a great and cost effective way to engage with your target audience.

Be careful though, if you don’t have a dedicated in-house social media specialist, there is absolutely no benefit to having any channels linked to your business. In 2016, social media is a full time job. Keep it simple and remember that less is more! Only pick what’s right for your business!

Looking for some structure and strategy around your social media campaign? Get in touch with us at [email protected]

Congratulations! You’ve created an Instagram page for your business. Now what?

Since acquiring Instagram in 2012, Facebook has kept this simple photo-sharing app going from strength to strength.

With developers tirelessly rolling out updates to enhance its existing features, marketers and business owners alike need to ensure they are keeping up with the changes and learning to use the functionalities to their advantage.

Earlier this year, Instagram shifted its focus to its search function, giving users an even more comprehensive experience. This function was later made available on Instagram’s website, making the Instagram’s explore function one of its strongest suits at the moment – excellent news for users seeking out new content!

I’d like to present you with 3 simple, yet frequently overlooked, habits I promise will amplify your content’s visibility on Instagram.

They require little effort and time, and – best of all – there’s no cost attached to help make your content more discoverable (unless, of course, you’re wanting to explore Instagram’s latest developments – advertising – which is taking off around the globe!)

Geotag your content

Geotag: To Include the specific location of your photograph at the moment you upload it.

Essentially, geotagging stores your current location – longitude and latitude – along with your photo, and this data is accessible to Instagram with your permission. You can also choose to add a location to your photo through the “Name this location” option, meaning you can tell people where you are at any time – a restaurant, a shop, an event or a business headquarters.

It’s simple and effective, but most businesses don’t make proper use of this very simple function.

Having your business as a location option allows people who come by your business, whatever it may be, to choose it as a location. This means customers can ‘check in’ at your location, and it allows other used to follow the location link and see other people’s posts related to the same location. This is an incredible effective way to showcase your product or venue and reach new customers. If you’re a shop on a busy street, it can be a great way for tourists to find out about you, for example.

It also gives you the option of regramming (re-posting) the images your customers are sharing to your official business Instagram, if it aligns with your branding and tone. This opens up lines of communication between your business and customers, which is always a positive.

Using hashtags

Another way to enhance discovery on Instagram is to keep up with the #hashtag game.

Please note that I am not encouraging you #to #hashtag #every #little #thing – too many people do this, and it’s a strong indication that they don’t understand the actual usage of hashtags. Too many hashtags will distract your content from its key message and gain invaluable traction.

A good rule of thumb is to stick to one hashtag unique for your business (such as your brand name), along with two to five other hashtags made up of keywords relevant to your content. Not hashtags that will get you as many “likes” on your post as possible. (i.e very generic terms that can be linked to something else entirely.)

Pairing good content with inappropriate hashtags is like putting a snake and a mongoose together – it’s painful to watch, and the mongoose has no chance.

Over time, relevant and appropriate hashtags can create a following of their own, allowing users to search for it and find out more about your business. The more specific you can get with your hashtag, the more targeted your audience will can, which ultimately leads to better engagement.

Following your followers (and non-followers)

If you’re unsure of who to start following, try making use of Instagram’s search function to carry out either a location-based search, or a hashtag search. The search will lead you to images that will help you locate people who have interests similar to yours.

Look through a list of people with interests aligned with your brand’s, or people whose demographics are closest to that of your intended audience. (Their bios and posts would be a good indication of their personalities, to a certain extent.)

If you already have a following, you may want to consider following your followers back. Alternatively, you can go through your competitor’s followers, and identify those you would like to follow.

Following people is almost like an open invitation into their lives, allowing you to find out more about what people are talking about and what they care about. You will also be able to identify social media trends taking place and better craft content around that trend to stay relevant!

If you’d like to speak about your brand’s social media strategy, please feel free to reach out at [email protected].

Image: Courtesy of @sharpie‘s Instagram page