Why Your Social Media Posts Matter

 It's no secret that social media is an essential part of marketing for businesses today, whether for small, family-owned operations or enterprise-level corporations. Social media marketing is often a critical component for business growth, both in the short-term and the long-term. 

What exactly makes social media so important? And how can business owners and marketing managers make each individual post as effective as possible? Let's discuss the answers to these questions in the information below. 

What Makes Social Media Crucial 

Social media may not be what you'd think of as a "traditional" sales channel. However, it often plays a crucial role in a company's overall marketing strategy.  

While content like blogs and web articles are ideal for generating leads and establishing a business' credibility, social media is the perfect medium for increasing customer engagement. It allows companies to deepen relationships with their customers by giving them a forum to ask questions, post opinions, or even communicate directly with the business.  

Social media is also an excellent channel for distributing content (like blogs and videos) and sharing other crucial information with prospects. That helps people find and share your content before it's able to rank in search engines. Furthermore, social media offers a simple way to share information, letting you give quick updates about your company without needing to make any significant changes to your website. A simple post will update changes for your hours, alert people to promotions, or note any event changes. 

Why Individual Posts are Important 

A social media marketing strategy is an important first step toward increasing customer engagement with your business. However, strategies are only as good as their execution — which is why each individual social media post should also adhere to your overall plan.  

Focusing on individual posts only makes sense in terms of deepening relationships with individual consumers. You want to "start small" by crafting posts that interest, educate, or entertain your target audience (or do all three simultaneously). The objective is to elicit a response from your followers, whether as a question or a comment. 

As you zoom your perspective out from the small scale, it's easy to see how to achieve the big-picture goal by building engagement one post at a time. A customer, once engaged, will likely stay engaged for some time. And they may even spread the word about your business to others within their network of family, friends, and colleagues. 

For this and other reasons, having a dedicated social media manager for your business is usually a good idea. While a marketing manager has to wear several hats and focuses on the overall marketing plan, a social media manager focuses entirely on enhancing the company's presence on social media platforms. This role may include creating new content to share, answering customer questions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., and developing a consistent schedule for posting (while leaving some flexibility for special events and unexpected trends that may come up). 

Elements of an Effective Social Post 

Since effective strategies rely on compelling posts, it's a good idea to understand the basics of what makes for an engaging social media post. While this is by no means a comprehensive list, here are some fundamental principles to keep in mind: 

• Tailor posts to your audience. You want to post about things that pertain to your target customers' needs or interests. Post subjects don't always have to be directly related to one of your products or services. As long as they catch the interest of the right people, they can be about virtually any topic! 
• Share valuable tips and content. If you can add value to a user's experience, then you'll go a long way toward convincing people to buy from your company. For example, an HVAC company that posts simple, helpful tips on winterizing a home may win a lot of favorable attention from local residents — and boost their credibility in the process. 
• Use visual elements and hashtags. People are attracted to large and small visual elements, including infographics, emojis, photos, and videos because they convey information without requiring a lot of thought. In addition, using hashtags can help your post get found by users searching for specific phrases. (Don't overdo it with too many hashtags at a time!) 
• Adjust based on formatting and purpose. A fun Instagram post will have a different format and goal than a professional LinkedIn article. Simply put, know your audience, your platform, and your purpose. 
• Share at optimal times. Timing is critical when it comes to compelling social media posts. You want to upload posts on suitable days and times throughout the week to gain maximum exposure. Moreover, it's also essential to post at regular (but not too frequent) intervals to keep customer interest alive. 

Leverage Social Media Posts to Grow Your Brand 

In summary, social media is an exceptional channel for increasing customer engagement and deepening relationships with prospects and clients. Engagement may start small but can lead to significant results. In addition, adhering to certain basic principles can help you to craft outstanding individual posts — posts that, like the individual bricks of a house, will help you build something bigger for your business. 

If you'd like to learn more about using social media to grow your business, consider reaching out to an experienced, reputable media partner today. They can help you to understand in more detail why your social media posts matter and how they'll contribute to sustainable success for your company.