5 Steps to Master Social Media

Creating a social media account means you have a goal for that account. As a startup, the goal of your social media is to make an impact and get your message across to your audience. Unfortunately, the world of social media is a competitive area, but with a little help and effort your startup has the potential to succeed on all accounts.

Step 1: The Basics

Start by making sure your company’s username is simple, the logo is unique, and you have a hashtag that people can follow. Even if your company has a lengthy name, shorten it for social media by using a keyword from the title or an acronym, if it is simple and easy to spell then more people will be able to find the account. A unique logo is always going to be attention grabbing. Be minimal, use bright colors, and do something to make sure your logo and profile image stand out among the rest. Finally, a hashtag is not necessary, but if you want a single place for all your content and the posts people create about you, a company hashtag is the solution. This gives people just learning about your company something to focus in on and rely on for updates. Similar to the username, keep it simple and easy for your audience to find.

Step 2: Be Original

Figuring out what to post to social media is one of the most difficult parts, but the best posts are always the ones you create yourself. As a startup you cannot rely solely on retweeting other companies and organizations to fill your timeline. A good rule to follow is 80 percent created content and 20 percent curated content. The posts that get the most attention are typically the flyers, images, and videos you create yourself to enhance and promote your company. If you’re new at this, worry not. Twitter analytics, Hootsuite, and Canva are a great [and free] place to start. Even if you are linking to an article written by someone else, make the caption you post with it all your own because that is what people will be seeing first.

Step 3: Retweet and Tag Away, it’s Okay

Although you cannot rely only on this, retweeting influencers in your business and even tagging them in relevant posts is a great way to get your name out there. Not only does this get your name in their notifications, but if they like what they see the chances are they will be liking the post or reposting your content themselves. This will get you noticed by an even larger audience and potentially create a snowball effect, leading to more people finding your account and creating a greater following for you. ​

Step 4: Be There or Be Square

Do not slack on your social media. The greatest downfall to anyone’s, but especially a business’, social media is not being active and letting the account die. Be consistent with your posts and interact with your followers and those you follow. It is beneficial to be checking your social medias multiple times a day and be liking and reposting others content, simply to show that you are active on the accounts. It is also worth taking the time to pick a few days a week where you will post original content for your followers. This shows reliability to your audience and gives them something to look forward to on those days. ​

Step 5: #Goals

All of these marketing steps are going to enhance and grow your account, but unless you are tracking your success, what’s the point? As you start your company and as you continue to grow, it is important to set goals you want to reach throughout the year. Whether this is hitting a certain number of followers, number of likes, or number of retweets, it is essential that your company puts in the effort to track these numbers and see which posts are helping the most to reach these goals. ​

Go ahead and tag @NEOSVF in your posts, we’ll help your snowball start rolling. ​