Social Media Homework: Do This Today for Better Stats Tomorrow
By Allison on April 28, 2015 in Social Media
We Feel Your Frustration
At least once a week, we get mad at our social accounts. We curse those red arrows that remind us we failed to make new connections. It’s a crappy way to start the week, if not the crappiest.
Everyone who is active on social media is after engagement.
We want to see our content blow up. We want to see it help people. We want to see it featured, shared, quoted, and praised. Those red arrows reminding you that you are nowhere close to seeing your content “blow up” is enough to drive you mad – trust me, we get it.
But, fear not! We have a cure for those red arrows and the strategies work … most of the time – hey, we can’t promise a miracle.
Examples of our low insights this week.
Turn Those Red Arrows Green
Remember when your teachers told you homework would make you smarter? Well, our social media homework isn’t going to make you smarter, but it is going to make your account stronger. It’s going to build a few relationships and posting strategies that you can continue to employ every day you face those ruthless red arrows.
And at the very least, you’ll get some new notifications. Not a bad consolation prize.
Task 1: Make Them Notice
Follow five new accounts that are relevant to your target audience and spend three to five minutes on each account dishing out social love as you see fit. Like, heart, favorite, share or plus posts that are relevant to your page and do it in bulk – perhaps three to five all at once.
- Benefit: The account owner not only receives a notification that you followed them, but gets a series of notifications. This gives the account holder the understanding that you love their stuff. It’s flattering and forces them to take notice of your page. If they are good socialites, they should reciprocate. Even if they don’t, they are more likely to remember the name of your page and the social love you shared.
- Action Tip: Find relevant accounts by stalking industry leaders. Check out who they follow – this is an easy place to find relevant audience members. On Twitter, look at the lists your favorite accounts have made and follow the people in them.
Task 2: Flatter, Flatter, Flatter
Create a list on Twitter, or a circle on Google+ you would be honored to be part of and add at least 10 industry leaders. For example, on Google+ one of our biggest circles is titled “Great People.” On Twitter, we have a list titled “Lawyers Who Get It,” and one titled “Cool People.”
- Benefit: Who wouldn’t want to be part of one of those groups? By flattering the person/company, you are making them feel powerful and important. It’s a social media compliment to be part of a list with a title like that. Be the reason other people feel successful and they won’t likely forget it.
- Action Tip: Here are some other great titles you are welcome to steal (ahem, use without recourse):
- Industry Leaders
- Awesome People
- The Best of the Best
- Folks to Watch
- Movers & Shakers in [INSERT INDUSTRY]
- Powerhouse Tweeters
Task 3: Give The Good Stuff
Join two relevant groups but don’t post anything, just engage. You know what really irks me? When I go to a group page and the same person/company is posting their stuff over and over without contributing to the conversation. Please don’t do that.
The reason people post to groups is the same reason we put up with social media in the first place: to engage. Be the person/company that gives to everyone what they are looking for, not what they hate. Like, heart, favorite, share or plus posts in the group, but don’t add your content – at least not yet.
- Benefit: You are going to make everyone happy by positively contributing to the conversation. Happy people who just got a slew of notifications means happy people who might just return the favor. Regardless of whether you get the social love back, you are establishing yourself as an authority within the page.
- Action Tip: Always be sure to read the full article before showing it love. You don’t want to accidentally condone something inappropriate.
Re-Visiting These Strategies Tomorrow
The best thing about these tips is that you can revisit them as needed. On a slow day, you can always add new followers and blow up their notifications, add people to your flattering titled groups and lists, and engage in group conversation.
The second best thing about them is that they work across all the main social platforms: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest and Instagram (not so much for YouTube). Apply the steps below to all, or your most successful, social media accounts. The platforms listed in the tips above are just suggestions for places to start.
In your social adventures, if the tips above help you, we’d like to hear about it! Connect with us on any platform – we would love to hear from you.
Looking for some more social media inspiration? We’ve got ya covered:
- 13 Things About Social Media You Didn’t Know
- The Best Websites to Spark Ideas for Social Media Posts
- Status Updates You Can Steal & Post Right Now … Seriously
