Social media consists of platforms that reach across town, across your state, across the nation and even around the world. In the past three years, it seems as though the demands of the various platforms are changing weekly in what you “need” to create a viral piece of content or launch your account into the hundreds of thousands of followers. Though increasing followers can be valuable, the most important statistic to pay attention to is your engagement.

• Are current customers engaging with you?
• Are potential customers engaging with you?
• Are previous customers engaging with you?
• Is your engagement coming from your ideal audience?

Engagement can be evaluated as the number of likes, average view time on videos, comments, direct messages and/or using links to exit the social media platform onto your business website or landing page.

If you’re not seeing engagement or you’re looking to increase your engagement, stick around for a few tips to identify potential opportunities to make informed decisions on your social media strategy.

Social Media Tip #1: You Wanna Be Where the People Are

Your audience. You do not need to be on every single social media platform. You want to be on the platforms that your ideal audience is on. If you don’t know where your ideal audience is, create a survey and link to it at the bottom of your current customer emails that includes a question about what social media platforms they actively use. Alternatively, you can ask clients during your classes or lessons and keep an informal poll. Use the results to create a plan for which platforms you will utilize. Prioritize 1-2 platforms initially.

Social Media Tip #2: Be Easy to Find

Keyword research. Once you have identified which platforms you are going to use for your business, start researching the keywords and relevant search terms on the platforms that correlate with your products or services. These keywords should align with your ideal audience and business offering. When researching, take time to look at other creators using these keywords or search terms as they might have ideas you could adapt to your business. Also be sure to check out your competitors to see what keywords or search terms they are utilizing to engage with their ideal audience.

Social Media Tip #3: Create content people want to read

Create valuable content. Your audience is composed of 3 groups: current customers, potential customers, and previous customers. What do all of them have in common? They want content that makes them feel understood, entertained, and/or educated. Helpful hint: Don’t miss an opportunity to drive engagement and conversion by leaving out a call to action! Include a relevant CTA such as, “Ask your questions in the comments below” or “Click the link provided to listen to our latest podcast episode.”

Moving Forward with your Strategy

With the right social media strategy, your business reach will expand across town, across your state, across the nation and maybe even around the world! Social media is similar to your website in that you’re looking to build trust, make a connection and provide a service or product to those who need it. As a business owner, you don’t have time to waste, so create efficiency and intention with a social media strategy that engages your customers and uplevel your business.