10 Incredibly Useful Social Media Tips for Businesses in 2016

During the previous years, social media has become an integral part of the business, to market your brand and spread awareness about it in the audience you are targeting. As 2016 unfolds, social media’s role in brand advertising and marketing is going to be fundamental.
To utilize this important resource and bank customers for your business, it is important for everyone to get in sync with the social media demands and plan their business moves accordingly.
Here are 10 well-practiced tips that businesses and organizations need to incorporate if they are aiming to achieve success in social media.

Make the Most of Mobile Apps

With the arrival of Mobilegeddon, a mobile-friendly website is pivotal to your business, but to acquire success in social media, it is indispensable. You cannot expect your business or brand to expand if you don’t make the most of the mobile. With sites like Globinch on Facebook and Globinch on Twitter as the hottest apps on the new mobile phones, it is essential for you to be seen where it matters.

Incorporate Social Media in Marketing Strategy

Social Media is one very important part of the bigger picture. Incorporate it well with your overall marketing strategy. Underline your message subtly in the social media tactics. Some of the indirect ways in which you can approach your potential and regular clients are as follows:

• Add a human touch to your brand. For instance, have a light-hearted, mocking banter with your competitor, etc. Break out of the boring mold.
• Be social. Interact with your audience. Have a real two-way conversation.
• “A picture is worth a thousand words.” In the social media scenario, it is an absolute truth. Use powerful images to convey your message.
  These are just some of the methods to achieve your goal. You can, or maybe you are already using many other techniques.

Aligned BD and Creative Date

Recording a detailed analysis of everything happening in social media is essential. Maintain records of visits. Track the number of downloads. Keep account of the shares and likes. In short, you should be aware of what is happening, when is it happening and how frequently it is happening.

Choosing the Right Social Media

What is your goal? Who is your customer? It is important that you ponder these questions before you come to a definite decision about choosing the social media. It is useless to be the Jack of all trades and master of none. Just being present on each and every social media medium is not going to work for you if you don’t recognize your audience. For example, your target audience consists of corporate professionals, but you are active on Facebook which is mostly used to keep in touch socially, it won’t work. LinkedIn or Google+, on the other hand, would be a much better choice for you.

Never Underestimate the Power of Sharing on Social Media

Whatever social media tool you think is useful for you, one tactic is necessary for all of them: Sharing. You can never underestimate the power of sharing content, videos and even images on social media. You are missing out big if you are not availing the opportunity to share all the good that your brand or organization is doing. Having sharing tabs for Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, Google + etc. with your posts is as important as being there, and convincing your customer why you are the best in the business.

It’s All about Being in the News

No one likes outdated, stale info. It is crucial for you to keep your content updated, relevant and fresh. It’s all about being in everyone’s conversation. Be in the loop with the national stories that are going viral. Integrate your brand into such narratives to catch the eye of your customers. Come up with posts that are related to the issues that your customers care about, instead of talking about your brand all the time.

Importance of One Core Message for All

One core message for your brand is of utmost importance. From leadership to the company, everyone needs to convey one, a specific message for the brand. It gives the brand more authority and influence. If your company has a profile on LinkedIn or Google +, encourage your employees to create their profile with a unanimous message about your company.

Avoid Social Media Mishaps

Disastrous mishaps can easily happen where social media is concerned. More than a year ago, LG tried to mock Apple with a tweet that said, “Our smartphones don’t bend, they are naturally curved ;).”; Ironically, the message was tweeted from an iPhone. Being vigilant is very important. A tiny mistake on a social platform can prove to be a huge faux pas here.

Why You Really Need Brand Ambassadors

One of your most key social media strategies should be to employ the skills of your Brand Ambassadors fully. Somebody who is emotionally attached to your brand has the potential to communicate positively about it and can prove to be the greatest sales person in your team. You can even engage one or more of your loyal customers to be your brand’s flag-bearer as their loyalty will be more influential in the social media compared to a trained employee.
Recruiting brand ambassadors gives exposure to your company’s brand to numerous social circles which consist of people who are not only interested in your brand, they also have a trust factor for the ambassadors. When someone’s sibling, relative or a friend likes some brand and advocates about it, the chance is that they and others in their circles would like and trust that brand as well.
It is necessary for any business because people and your customers are more accustomed to your brand ambassadors and tend to follow them more quickly. They give a positive boost to your online reputation and their trustworthy influence can actually turn those likes into customers.

Let Your Brand Always be in the Limelight

Make your brand the center of attention. Let your message be fun, yet caring and creative so that people value your brand. Make them fall in love with the message that your brand is conveying through different and ingenious tactics. Be the talk of the town in a positive manner.
Here are a few strategies to stay in the spotlight on social media:

• Look for posts where someone has said something positive about your brand. Thank your follower’s loyalty and award them with a celebrity status. Acknowledge their appreciation. Your genuine response will surely get them to advocate your brand even more.
• In the beginning of this article, it was mentioned that interaction is very important. Take it to another level and ask your customers how you can make yourself better. You are bound to get some really good feedback and don’t forget to respond to that feedback.
• Your website or call centre should not be the only place where your customers can get any help. You can do it on social media as well. Answer queries, solve problems and keep posting other brilliant ideas which would prove useful to your customers.
  Overall, explore the full potential of social media to your advantage. Don’t be shy to interact with strangers because at the end of the day they are your customers.