Social media has become an accepted part of our culture and people all over the world can connect in seconds, using any platform they choose. Information is exchanged faster than ever and people can do research easily. These conditions are perfect for a business to use social media to their advantage. Nearly everyone is on social media and it can greatly influence people’s choices, since people constantly share their opinions on various topics. If a lot of people are talking about a specific product or business, it can become viral in a few hours. Learn how to market your company on social media and see how much it will benefit the business.

Do some research

Before you begin marketing your company, take time to research the best practices to cultivate engagement for each social media platform. Each platform utilizes different features and there are varied ways to attract an audience on each site. It’s also important to avoid overpowering any social media platform with the same content; think about who your target audience is and then do some research to determine which social media sites that demographic uses the most. Focusing your energy on the most important sites will bring you more success and give you the opportunity to make higher quality content.

Blatantly promote your business

The key to this piece of advice is to not do it too much. Keep in mind the Rule of 7 when it comes to marketing, but remember it’s important to bring other content to your potential customers than merely a sales pitch. Share relevant news, fun facts, and original thought pieces, but intersperse a sales message and advertisements for your products intermittently with your other posts.

Make it personal

Your audience will feel more inclined to patronize your company if they feel a personal connection to it. Share employees’ stories and your own experience. Take lots of photos so your followers can pair faces with names and the company. If you can get customer testimonials or reviews, encourage that and share them on your social media pages.

Engage the audience

If you want consumers to pay attention to your business, it’s important to engage them through social media. Ask questions that are thought-provoking and will elicit a response. Host giveaways that involve sharing a post or liking or following a page. Make sure your image and brand is succinct across all your social media platforms, using the same logo and color scheme. Your audience will appreciate consistency and continue following you if your profiles remain on brand.

Create a rewards system

In addition to giveaways, having some sorts of rewards system in place encourages customer engagement. While it’s a good idea to have rewards for in-store or office visits, you can also create an online system, that allows customers a discount on their first order for following you on social media or reviewing your product. You can offer free samples for other engagement or a discount for signing up for emails and newsletters.