The social media landscape is constantly changing. As a business, you need to step up your game to stay relevant and be noticed. We’re not talking about spending thousands of dollars on flashy ads, either; we’re talking about using the tools that are already available for free on social media platforms.
If you want your business to stand out in today’s market, it’s time to start thinking outside the box and taking advantage of visuals as part of your marketing strategy.
Why Does This Matter For Businesses?
Visuals are the most powerful tool for social media marketers.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and visuals are more engaging than text. They’re also easier to understand, as they contain a higher information density than text alone.
You can use visuals in many different ways:
1. You can use them to create your own content or advertise a product/special (think back to Starbucks’s Pumpkin Spice Latte, McDonald’s McRib, etc.)
2. You can gain credibility from video as a local provider. Seeing is believing. If you show the community using your services, you instantly establish credibility as THE local company to use.
3. Or more recently, you can use them to repurpose existing long-form content. Think of taking a podcast on Youtube and turning into 10+ different TikToks to spread your brand (Joe Rogan has multiple social media accounts that post his clips directly to TikTok). This will widen your audience with very little effort. Programs like price4limo.com let you create & cut Youtube videos into various social media formats, and schedule posting.
Let’s dive into how your business can implement social media marketing.
Step 1: Master the Art of Tailoring
Social media is not a one-size-fits-all platform.
You need to tailor each post for each platform you use.
For example, if you’re posting on Facebook and Instagram, there are different rules for what kind of image or video you should use depending on the audience.
These platforms are more direct for selling so be sure to showcase your products here.
An example is Rolex, who posts new product launches here to get buyers into their stores.
On Twitter, it’s all about shortening your message into a few words and using hashtags that people will search for when looking for information about your product/service/event and redirecting interest somewhere else like a video/landing page.
Audi wants you to go to their featured article to learn more about its innovation and build trust with consumers. After watching the video, the next time you think of safety ratings you will remember this video.
On each social media platform there are rules that you have to follow in order to keep up with current trends and remain relevant in their eyes—more than ever before.
Step 2: Build a Visual Presence with Social Media
Now that you’ve decided which networks to use, it’s time to build a visual presence on them.
This is where the fun part comes into play.
You can share photos and videos that showcase your product or service, give viewers an inside look at what goes on behind the scenes at your company, use infographics to break down complex information in a digestible way and more.
You can do anything.
A Florida dealership used TikTok to build up “Norm” as one of the faces of the brand through viral trends and comedy.
Doing this the team has racked up 3.6M Likes and even been featured in the news for “popularizing the Chevy Trax” through running jokes.
Step 3: Take Advantage of Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to get your content out there, especially if you’re looking to promote your business on social media.
Hashtags make it easier for people looking for things in the same vein as yours—like if they’re interested in graphic design or freelance writers—to find you.
Using proper hashtags will tailor your posts to those specific niches so it’s extremely important that you use the right hashtags.
Luckily, you don’t have to do your own research to find the optimal tags to use.
There are plenty of sites and tools out there that do this for you. All you need to do is put in a few tags to start and the tool will give you related hashtags for all the most popular rankings.
Step 4: Original Facts Sell
Everyone knows “PURELL Kills 99.99% of germs”, it has been ingrained everywhere through marketing.
PURELL backs up its product with statistics that make you more likely to buy.
You want the best hand sanitizer right?
A simple and effective fact like this is easy to run with your own business.
Sharing things that are not widely known, interesting and relevant to your audience is an effective way to grab their attention and keep it.
This doesn’t have to be a scientific discovery that you came across.
Simple work the best.
Take food seasons. A local grocery store can post what items are in season and the consumers will gravitate towards these items.
Take the below as an example.
Wrapping up
Visual content on social media is the key to boosting reach and engagement for business owners. Social media users spend a LOT of time on social media (an average of 2 hours per day, according to Comscore).
Visual marketing taps into basic human processes and emotions, delighting the senses which increases sales, brand trust, and audience engagement. Leveraging social media is a valuable and cost effective strategy your business needs.
