Often in a sarcastic tone, I get this question from business owners. The answer is, “YES, it can certainly be fun”. Believe me, as a business owner myself, social media sounds more like a chore than fun. Then there’s the question of do you know if you’re even doing it right or what should the business expect from your posts.

In a nutshell, the purpose of having a social media presence is to be social. Your brand needs a personality. What is your business personality like? To be clear, nobody likes a salesy personality. Instead, be strategic! Your social media efforts should have an objective. Objective examples: Sharing relevant content, flaunting your brand’s personality, promote an event, gain more customer contacts.

Here are a few tips to jump start your social media strategy.

1. Staff highlights

   Everyone likes a behind the scenes sneak peek. Your potential customers like to see who works there. Introduce them to your staff.

2. Share your knowledge.

   When you know your stuff don’t hide your expertise. Your feed becomes more valuable when you share your knowledge and keeps people coming back for more.

3. Encourage employees to share.

   Your company can be 2 to 200 employees. When you make them part of your social strategy you gain access to their social network. Not only do your reach more audience but the audience you reach came from a trusted source.

4. It’s OK to be funny.

   The fact is that too many social media feeds have become way too serious. Give your audience a laugh with a funny post that still represents your brand well.

5. Celebrate the wins big or small.

   Don’t be shy. Show your audience how your hardwork has paid off. For example, give yourself a pat on the back for getting ALL the new inventory out in record time. (wink)

6. Think sales funnel.

   Social media platforms are places to socialize. Hard selling doesn’t belong here. Instead make it an opportunity to enter your sales funnel like sign up to receive more information or receive a free sample.

7. Don’t ignore the data!

   Numbers don’t lie. Each social media platform comes with it’s own version of analytics or insights. Take a look at these often to see what type of content is working best (and worse) for you.

Engage with your audience. When your audience comments on a post be sure to engage and always answer questions.