How to Attract Customers with social media

In this article you will learn:

• Social media after the pandemic

• When is best to post per social media platform

• Considerations for developing your social media strategy

In the past couple of decades, we’ve seen an exponential increase in social media usage. The pandemic saw businesses using focus on social media to drive awareness and make sales. This trend is growing still. You need only look at the increase in media spend across platforms like LinkedIn to see how important it’s become.

The good news is that social media isn’t all pay to play – you can achieve brilliant results across all platforms by following some simple best practice. Whether you’re exploring new platforms or want to take your existing company page to the next level, here are four things to consider.

Start by being visible and available

Posting regularly is an important part of getting your business seen. The ‘how often’ will depend on your capacity as a small business owner and vary across social platforms. Most organisations aim to post on average 3-5 times a week though as this ensures you remain top of mind to your customers without irritating them.

Each platform has its own best time to post. You can start with the suggestions below from Hootsuite:

• Facebook: Mon 07:00 SAST

• Instagram: Mon 06:00 SAST

• Twitter: Fri 06:00 SAST

• LinkedIn: Mon 22:00 SAST

• Tiktok: Sun 22:00 SAST

Experiment with timings and see what works for you and your audience. It may be that ‘out of office hours’ are actually the busiest for your customers, so tools like Sprinklr, HootSuite and Oktopost can help you schedule when it’s best for your content to go live. These tools also give you various analytics and help you manage different social media platforms synchronously.

Create and share informative and relevant content

Once you’ve pinned down when your audience is most keen to hear from you, the next thing to consider is what kind of content to post. Variety is key here. Different kinds of content perform well for different purposes so it’s important to always consider the why before putting something out there.

Driving awareness

Inform your customers about industry news or present your company culture and values in statement posts. Host webinars on industry specific topics, promote events like sales and even how-to guides on products. Keeping your customers informed regularly will not only boost engagement rates on social media but it will make your customers feel included and in-the-know about upcoming topics.

They will likely remain loyal to your business and brand as they feel they know you. Content that drives awareness also promotes an ‘engaged’ brand and will promote word-of-mouth promotion of your small business.

Driving understanding

Short films and infographics are a great way to break down complicated data or explain a process or product visually. Sharing examples of how you’ve helped customers can peek the interests of other browsers. From here, encourage them to engage with your brand through Q&A sessions, case studies, blog posts and announcements.

Driving consideration

‘Content directing’ is a strategy in which you tailor your business’s online journey to ensure they see your most important and relevant information as quickly as possible. Share customer stories, be authentic and credible, and be sure to emphasise your business’s purpose. Share content on your progress on being more socially responsible and ask for your audience’s opinion.

This goes a long way with customers and can play a key part in them choosing your business over competitors. Ensure you preach what you post – there is no use in posting something that isn’t quite true.

Start and engage in conversations

We all know that conversations with customers can lead to some great insight. With social media, you have the power to ask them things directly via tools such as polls on Facebook and Instagram stories, or simply asking people to comment on your posts.

Engaging in conversations on topics relevant to your business is key to boosting your visibility online. You can do this by searching a relevant hashtag such as ‘#ecommerce’ and join in the discussion. This is a great way to find a like-minded customer base. Engage with measured caution – once your comment is out there, you can’t take it back.

Stand for something

Build on this by thinking about your own business ethics and beliefs. What do you want your feed to say about you as a business? Having a purpose can help your business stand out in a competitive industry. Being purpose-driven doesn’t mean launching a global campaign. Start small with something that you truly believe in and show your customers by encouraging their buy-in and engagement. For example, you could ask customers to donate to a charity of your choice when they purchase one of your products, which lets them stand a chance to win a prize. Show the world how you are making a difference.

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