The world of social media has taken the marketing world by storm. Basically, “you’re damned if you DON’T” speak to your potential consumers, and frequently! Creating posts that get frequent likes, comments and shares is the trick. If your business is not on social media or are but don’t post often, you’re basically invisible to your consumers. Create a branded business page (or use your current page) to attract customers, invite followers, get to know them and speak to them! The best way to get to know your followers is to see what other pages they follow besides yours. Ideological or fundamental similarities to those pages may be why they liked your page.
How to Get Likes, Comments and Shares
There is a method to getting likes, comments and shares on your social media pages. It is as simple as basic, ongoing communication and relationship building. Your audience is not a list of faceless names but real people with personalities and needs, just like your walk-in brick and mortar customers. They are following you because you’ve asked them to, so now, tell them why they should continue. First, get to know your followers, then speak to them.
Getting to Know Your Followers
Becoming acquainted with your social media followers is crucial to creating a proper post strategy. This will ensure the success of your communication to them. Without it, you may as well be talking to an empty room because your posts will lack interest. First, understand your follower’s needs and why they are following you. Check their profiles and page likes as soon as they like your page to see what they are interested in. Then, determine what types of posts might interest them because publishing posts to a less-than-active audience will do nothing but spin your wheels.
Active Audience
All businesses desire a progressive, active audience following their social media pages. An active audience likes, comments and shares posts regularly because they like what they see. When they share your post, it means you have “spoken” to them and they want to pass along what they consider valuable information. Be genuine in your communication the same way you would if you were speaking directly to them.
Social Media Post Elements
Marketing hasn’t changed, just the medium for the message. Social media posts that contain great image, informative or interactive content and links to learn more are crucial for relationship building. Offering value is the key to success. Let’s break down the 3 elements of social media posts that offer value to potential customers.
Image, Photo Carousel or Video
Your selected image is probably the most important aspect of your posts. “A picture tells a story,” or “a picture is worth a thousand words,” are not just phrases but lessons of marketing 101.These phrases have existed as long as traditional marketing has and have not died along with other mediums used to convey messages.
Pick Images that Brand Your Business Well
Select images to match your branding as many times as you possibly can so you don’t need to clutter up a beautiful image with branding. Limit frustrating “at the moment” posting by preselecting your images, then create posts around them. Be sure to credit or tag the author if it is not a free image. This may garner you more followers too!
Choose different categories of images that are inspirational, humourous and eye catching. Great images will actually inspire you to write fabulous copy that speaks to your social media followers.
Here is an example of a video from the Thiessen Apple Orchards Facebook page. The post didn’t ask for a response but the video itself spoke to the audience. 
Text
The text that accompanies your post is another important element to your social media plan. This is where you will have the opportunity to have your followers respond to you. Be as genuine as possible while offering valuable information like tips, inspirational quotes, new product information or sales. Also include a call to action like asking a question or comment, fill in the blanks. These types of posts start a conversation. Businesses should promote conversation and not controversy and try not to “gift” your followers for their likes, comments and shares. All social media platforms tend to frown on this type of behaviour and rank you lower on the posts that are “seen.”
Nothing says exciting and rare like a home in Windsor’s Walkerville for sale on Pinnacle Plus Realty Ltd. Facebook page.
Pick Relevant Hashtags on Instagram and Twitter
Hashtags # help build your audience. Be sure to only use hashtags that are relevant to your post and don’t use the same ones over and over. As well, some social platforms recommend only using a certain amount of hashtags per post. Research the ever-changing algorithms that Social bots detect that kind of behaviour and will delegitimizes you on the platform.
Tag Other Organizations on Twitter and Facebook
Another great way to build your audience is tagging other organizations and businesses on appropriate social media platforms. By using the @business formula, you’ll notify the other business and their followers of your post. Use accordingly and make sure your post is truly relevant to them. Twitter and Facebook accommodate this type of tagging.
Offer a Call To Action
A call to action is most effective as a link to your website because the more clicks you receive on your website, the better you rank on Google searches. It is also a great idea to endorse articles and sites from other companies or organizations but do less often than your own. Offering this type of call to action keeps you legitimate and validates your expertise in your field.
Here is a successful post from Patio Palace that reflects a call to action to their website offering more information about a desired product..
Analyze Your Posts
The best way to analyze the success of your posts is to compare the likes, shares and comments you receive on each. This tells you what your audience is looking for. If a type of post receives more, use more of those. This analysis will help you find the right formula for your social media plan. Keep in mind as well, a great audience is not created in a day, especially one that actually trusts you enough to purchase from you. It takes time to see a sales funnel grow out of social media. Keep plugging away at it because it is worth it.
Social Media Schedulers
Although posting live right on the social media platform is recommended for best SEO practices, it may not be possible due to time constraints. You may need to schedule your posts on a website that automatically releases your posts onto your social media accounts. At CB Marketing, we recommend quite a few schedulers like Later, which is one of the few that auto publishes to Instagram.
If this all seems quite overwhelming or you just don’t have the time to implement a great plan for your business, contact CB Marketing today and we’ll get you started on a successful social media plan.