It's no surprise that social media can be an extremely effective marketing tool. Facebook and Instagram have around 3 billion active users each month. The ability to access a broad audience on these social platforms provides excellent chances for brands to engage with current and new customers, increase brand awareness, and advertise their products in a fun and interactive manner. This is particularly useful now that online sales have skyrocketed in recent years.
Ecommerce in the United States surged by 44% in 2020, the most in twenty years! As the number of individuals who shop online and communicate virtually through social media grows, you should seize the opportunity and use social media as a growth strategy of your own. You may use social media to provide your customers a sense of your brand personality while also expressing your company's "why." Individuals are able to connect with your brand on a more intimate level through meaningful content posted on the platforms, becoming more engaged in the process. We will focus on Facebook and Instagram because they are two of the most popular venues for brands to communicate with customers.
When it comes to expanding your presence on social media, you have two options: paid ads or organic growth. For the purposes of this article, we'll concentrate on organic growth. Posting consistently, communicating with users, and connecting with other accounts are the greatest strategies to expand your social media following organically.
Posting
Users can share status updates, images, and videos on Facebook, as well as reshare other people's material and upload Instagram-style stories. Brands may reach their intended audience in whatever way works best for them because of the variety of sharable material available. Furthermore, Facebook messaging enables companies to respond to customer inquiries and issues in a quick and friendly manner. Brands can promote themselves as more than simply products with a humanistic social strategy, positioning themselves as a community of like-minded people with common interests. Instagram, in comparison to Facebook, provides a more aesthetically pleasing and photo-centric experience. Users can share main feed posts, stories, IGTVs, and reels on this platform (reels are short videos similar to TikToks). Main feed postings can contain up to 10 photographs and/or videos, and they appear on both the user's personal pages and the main feed that appears when the app is initially opened. Stories are identical to main posts in terms of substance, but they are shorter tidbits that run 10 seconds apiece. They can be found at the top of the main feed and on user profiles for a period of 24 hours. IGTVs are longer videos (between one and ten minutes) that users can share on Instagram's standard app as well as the IGTV app. They're full-screen experiences that allow users to share more compelling and useful content than a standard post would allow.
Be Engaging
The user engagements work the same way on Facebook and Instagram: the more people who engage with your material, the more likely the algorithm is to push it into their feeds. A user's curiosity in what you're presenting, the quality of your material, and their appeal to your brand all influence whether or not they engage with your content. It's critical that you only share high-quality material that's connected with your business and your followers if you want them to engage. Another strategy to enhance follower engagement is to engage with them yourself. Respond to followers who leave comments on your posts, tag you in stories, or send you direct messages. The user you communicate with will feel appreciated and seen as a result of this genuine connection (increasing their attachment to your business), and others will notice the interaction as well!
Be Friendly and Approachable
Social media is a place to have fun. Users go online to be entertained, to learn, and to meet new people, brands, and interests, among other things. You must constantly excite your audience in order to capture and grow it. Being friendly is a fantastic way to do this. A big part of this is figuring out who your customer personas are and who is interested in your business. To answer with the charisma, humor, and personality that will resonate with them, you must first understand who they are. Once you've figured it out, tailor your posts to fit. Consider adopting some of TikTok's patterns and language if your target group is young and fashionable. Consider more informational yet entertaining material if your target group is middle-aged professionals. It is critical that you understand who you are speaking to in order to be viewed as friendly.
Be Consistent
Consistency is crucial in the social media world. Showing up in your followers' feeds on a regular basis enhances the likelihood that they will engage with your content, signaling Instagram and Facebook's algorithms to promote your content to them more. However, there is a careful line to walk with this tactic, since publishing too frequently might upset followers and result in unfollowing.
Be Professional
It's crucial to keep your brand's identity in mind while scheduling updates for your social platforms. For one brand, what may appear to be fun and exciting may be absolutely unprofessional for another. Understanding the appropriate tone for your posts can help you get the desired effect. It's critical to only share high-quality content when uploading, both in terms of photo/video content and caption writing. Clear, well-lit, and intelligent content shows to your readers your devotion to excellence. They will associate high-quality content with your products/services if they see it online.
Use Social Media to Connect to Your Amazon Listings
Connecting your social media strategy to your Amazon listings might help you increase sales and raise visibility. There are several options, each with its own set of advantages.
Amazon Posts can be a terrific way for brands selling on Amazon to market their products on the platform. Combining these two marketing strategies allows you to develop a coherent plan that spans many platforms, reinforcing the brand personality you're attempting to promote. Users will see the same type of content when they look at your Instagram vs. your Amazon Posts, further cementing who you are and what you stand for.
Including a Linktree in your Instagram or Facebook bio can help you get more people to see your listings. You may use Linktree to link to your Amazon store as well as other relevant websites that your followers might find useful. Mention your Linktree in your Instagram or Facebook posts to draw attention to the numerous links featured on the page and therefore raise awareness.
Sharing links to your Amazon listing on social media is another effective technique to integrate your social and sales strategies. Followers can go straight to your listing by clicking the link you share, rather than searching for your products on Amazon's SERP and potentially becoming distracted. Consider how often you schedule posts that directly connect to your Amazon listing. Too many direct links in your posts can make them feel like an ad masquerading as a post. Keep in mind that social media is all about building trust and spreading awareness.