You’ve got the content dance down and feel like the world is your oyster. Now, it’s time to spread the word about your social media platforms. But how? In the good old analogue days, flyers and print ads would do the job. But now that the whole world lies at the fingertips of your target audience … how are they supposed to find you?
We wish we could tell you it is easy. Like everything else involving the interwoven internet, it takes some know how to get your consumers to click that like button. Nevertheless, we will persist (and we have a t-shirt to prove it …). Let’s start with the easiest thing you can do: Engaging your present customer base.
Add those icons to EVERYTHING
Once you have your social media platforms all set and ready to go, add the icons to your website, business cards and any other print materials, emails and newsletters (and link them to your account … obviously). This will allow you to spread the word to those you already know enjoy your brand.
Icons are easy to add to the header or footer of your webpage and create a one-click path to your social content. Make sure to invite your customers to check out your social media platforms and remind them to start following you for the latest updates, inside information and exclusive offers.
Cross promote
You know how busy bees will sometimes bring the pollen of one flower to another, creating a whole new species? It is known as cross pollination, and it isn’t a far cry from cross promoting. As the queen (or king) bee, you can benefit from posting about your Twitter account on Facebook or sharing videos from TikTok onto Instagram. Make it easy for your consumer base to find you on multiple channels and watch the flowers of followers bloom!
Don’t underestimate word of mouth … even in the digital age
We know, we know, everything is so different now! Back when we were kids all you had to do was post a flyer advertising your dog walking business at the local park. Now, you need a logo, branding and social for Patty’s Pups to be successful. Even though SOME print (i.e. business cards, snail mail coupons, etc.) is worth considering, you can benefit from combining good old word-of-mouth with the digital platforms your consumers know and love. We often remind our clients that something as simple as a little printed sign by the cash register or a door cling that urges customers to “follow along on social” can aid in the process.
Consider this: word of mouth in this age spreads like wildfire. When followers share a post of yours to their own feed, it means big time eyeballs for you. You may reach 10 or 100 new followers this way and maybe even more! Think of it as an authentic referral! Creating shareable content, therefore, is incredibly important in your success. See our last post about how to make sure you are creating something diverse and unique.
Dive into your social media analytics to discover what your target audience responds to, and then use that knowledge to your benefit when promoting your social channels. By following our steps, you already have success in your court, you just need to put in the effort now to get the word out!
Obviously, this blog involves organic promotion of social media — there are paid options like “boosting” that we will dive into at a later date!
