by Marketing Donut
By now, most businesses have woken up and smelled the potential of social media. With traditional forms of marketing stepping aside to let digital take priority, social networks are becoming more and more saturated with creative content and competitive brands fighting for attention tooth and nail.
To help your business stand out and get the right kind of attention online, we've rounded up four top dos and don'ts of social media marketing.
DO: Keep up
Tapping into trends such as video content and using emerging avenues to market your brand (such as Instagram TV) could make the difference between someone opting for your business and them settling for another.
Don't be afraid to try new things - explore the potential of new features and give your audience the content they crave.
DON'T: Be over-ambitious
Ambition is great, but you need to be realistic. It might be more achievable to start out on just one social network and really master your strategy before setting up multiple accounts.
Don't beat yourself up if you don't get 100 new followers every day or if every piece of new content doesn't go viral. Remember that quality is more important than quantity, and persistence will take you far.
DO: Go the extra mile and engage
There should be no effort spared when it comes to crafting and presenting your content. This means using images, gifs, videos, @tagging other brands, hashtags, targeting, and so on.
However, you should also be going the extra mile when it comes to engaging with your audience. Like or respond to every single comment on your posts, and make the effort to seek out new conversations. Don't just sit back and wait for people to notice your content (however brilliant it may be).
DON'T: Stick to a rigid plan
There are so many positives to planning your content ahead of time. Using a content calendar or scheduling tool like ContentCal can help you create a library of content that's varied, consistent, and consistently high in quality.
But don't forget to pay attention, be agile and react to what's happening as well. This'll enable you to jump on more trending topics and form a closer relationship with your audience.
