Platform81 Guide to Getting Social in 2016

Most businesses now use social media to promote their products and services.

With the New Year often comes a lot of changes and new trends, and if you’re not careful it’s easy to miss the boat.

Social media is now an essential part of marketing success and to ensure you make the most of it this year, we’re bringing you our top tips, things to get involved in, (and things to avoid!) in 2016. 

Beware of ‘the next big thing’

New social media platforms launch every day but it’s rare for them to become as big as the likes of Twitter and Facebook.

You may hear a lot of buzz about ‘the next big thing’ but beware!

Before putting all your efforts into the latest trend, make sure you do your homework and ask all the right questions…

Is the platform relevant to your business? Is this where your target audience is spending time? Have you talked to someone else who has found it to be worthwhile?

These are all key points you need to consider. If you’re answering ‘no’ to a lot of these questions then it might be worth re-looking at some existing platforms and selecting 1 or 2 which will work hardest for your business.

If you’re struggling to decide, have a read of our guide to the top 7 social networking sites and who should be using them.

Get a ‘buy button’

More and more social media platforms are starting to incorporate a “buy” button feature, so if you’re an e-commerce business in 2016 you need to start getting social!

Facebook advertising already allows users to buy directly through pages and it won’t be long until sites like Instagram and Pinterest follow. Have a research online or give us a call to find out how to make ‘social commerce’ work for you!

Be #consistent

When setting up a social media account for your business, be prepared to send posts daily to optimise the amount of views. Think about the businesses you follow on social media… Do the ones that stand out post daily or monthly?

It might sound obvious but daily tweets or posts are still the best way to get your business noticed, and to make sure you get their full attention; use graphics!

Images allow people to use their emotions, resulting in them instantly becoming engaged with your post. Remember, ‘A picture paints a thousand words’.

If you’re still struggling to make sense of social media, tweet us @platform_81 with your questions or give us a call for further information on Social Media Management.