Do you want to build your brand name, grow an engaged online community and ultimately increase sales? If the answer to all these questions is a resounding ‘yes’, then ignore social media at your peril.

This article will help you to establish the presence of your business and voice on social media, as well as provide three great ways to increase traffic to you once you’re up and running.

But before we dive right into the land of likes and even more likes, let’s take a moment to fully consider what your brand message is and the various available platforms you’re consistently going to use to get it out.

Platforms and a Plan

All social media platforms have their own different strengths and weaknesses and it’s important that you consider which ones will be more beneficial to your specific business. For example, Pinterest is a great creative, photo-sharing platform far more suited to industries such as interior design than the likes of tech.

In terms of sheer numbers, Facebook rules the roost (2.38 billion users). Also, on the podium are Instagram and Twitter, boasting their own staggering userbases (1 billion and 330 million respectively). Honourable mentions that are definitely at least worth considering are Snapchat, Tumblr, Reddit and the aforementioned Pinterest. All of these platforms provide businesses with the chance to immediately reach a far and wide audience.

To augment your social traffic, it’s crucial that as a business you have analysed the benefits each platform could offer, the audience they will reach and the brand message they will send out. As might be expected, the demographics of each platform’s userbase do differ and a bit of research can go a long way in ensuring that your products and services are reaching the appropriate audience.

What’s your Goal?

When researching each available platform, it is vital to decide what exactly you want to achieve with social media. Perhaps you have a number of followers you would like to reach in a certain period of time. Perhaps it’s simply a key message you want resonated on the platform. Without a carefully considered set of specific goals laid out, it will be difficult for the correct processes to be put in place to maximise potential traffic to your pages. Such a plan will emphasise the point alluded to earlier that not all social networks are the same and that a one-size-fits-all approach is not a recipe for guaranteed success.

Ok, so what are the three ways you can increase your social media traffic?

1) Visual Content

For businesses such as yours, it’s essential that the content you post is eye-catching. With social media users often following hundreds if not thousands of different accounts, it’s important to remember that their attention spans are frequently low and competition for their attention is high.

Making your content highly visual is a great way to grab a user’s attention. Instagram is a fantastic platform to explore the use of visual content, allowing you to create an overall theme that, in time, can become instantly recognisable each time you post. Sadly, when it comes to great visual content, there are no shortcuts.

Think:

· High levels of professional photography

· Vibrant, striking colour schemes

· Visuals that tell stories and show your business in a new light

· And, above all, a clear message

2) Mobile-Friendly Content

With the vast majority of people using social media on their mobile phones, it’s essential that your content is created in a mobile-friendly manner that will be easy to navigate. Ignoring this point is a sure-fire way to activate that inescapable issue of your audience’s diminishing attention spans. Including key information about your company within its ‘bio’ section is an often-ignored point to keep in mind. Remember to include:

· A link to your website

· Your contact information

· A concise summary of your business

Try to keep things clear and instantly understood.

3) Reply Quickly

With social media has become a way for customers to interact with companies, whether that be reviewing products and services or dealing with any questions or complaints, one of the most effective ways a company can gain popularity is to communicate with their audience as often and as quickly as possible. When we consider that one in three people go to competitors after having been ignored on social platforms, we see that necessity in replying to tweets, private messages or comments. Furthermore, it’s worth considering installing the customer chatbot feature offered on Facebook, creating a live conversation with any potential buyers.

Stay on Track

The best way to see if what you’re doing is working is to keep track of your traffic at regular tri-monthly intervals, while always keeping an eye on what your competitors are doing to ensure you stay ahead of the game.

Again, when it comes to increasing your social media traffic, there really are no shortcuts. Creating the appropriate content and getting your brand’s message across takes time. State your specific goals before you dive and always keep in mind the importance of building relationships with your customers and potential business partners.

Keep all this in mind and you’re well on your way to increasing your social media traffic and gaining more customers as a result.

Good luck!

Byter Team.