So, you finally got your business onto social media, did you? You’ve got a Twitter account, a Facebook page, a LinkedIn profile, and you’re ready to go.

Maybe you’ve been at it for a little while, though, and you’re noticing something… the numbers just aren’t adding up the way you’d hoped they would.

If you’re planning on popping the hood, and see if you can locate what’s sapping all your social media energy, here are some things you need to keep in mind for improving your effectiveness.

Tip #1: Be Useful

The most important question you need to ask when it comes to your social media posting is: what value are people getting out of this post?

Are you informing them of something they need to know? Providing them with entertainment? Are you persuading them to a particular viewpoint?

If you look at the most successful posts on social media, you’ll see that they gave the audience something.

Whether it’s a photo series of interesting life hacks to try around the house, or a report about the latest news regarding Hollywood’s upcoming blockbuster, people who see these posts (and who subsequently like and share them) need to get something out of it.

Tip #2: Be Eye-Catching

When someone is scrolling through their news feed on social media, they are bombarded by information.

Depending on the size of their network, there could be hundreds of different posts on their feed every hour. You need to compete with all their friends, family members, and other businesses they happen to be following.

One of the best ways to do that is to be sure your posts are attention-grabbing. That means you should include videos, images, text that’s easy to read, and craft a post that makes someone stop scrolling to see what it is you’re talking about.

Tip #3: Set Concrete Goals, and Make Plans

Too often businesses will just jump into social media with both feet, and try to wing it.

You need to set goals, and come up with concrete steps to reach them. For example, you might have a goal to increase your Facebook followers by 500 in the next three months. That’s a good goal to have, but you also need to lay out some plans for how you intend to achieve it.

Are you going to hold a contest or giveaway, using that to leverage more followers? Are you working with influencers in your industry to boost your signal to reach a bigger audience? Will you be offering coupons, special offers, or other benefits to followers?

These are all options, and they can get people to click that Like button pretty fast.

Tip #4: Engage With People

Social media is just that: SOCIAL!

When you make posts, you need to actually engage with the people who see them. That means your post should encourage people to comment and discuss the ideas you’re putting forth.

If people have questions or criticisms, you need to open a dialogue and talk to them. This shows that you’re a real person, and that appearance of being genuine can go a long way toward making more people sit up and pay attention when you share content, or create posts.

Tip #5: Watch Your Numbers

When you have successful posts, it’s important to dissect the information to figure out why they were successful. Was it the format? The subject matter? The time of day? The images you used? Some combination of all these factors?

Every aspect of a social media post should be understood, and its effect measured, so you can understand what makes your posts successful in order to duplicate that success down the line.

For more advice on how to increase your social media impact, simply contact us today!