6 steps to being more social

If you were ever an MSN Messenger teen back in the day, the chances are you’re familiar with the term ‘BRB’ or ‘Be Right Back’. Written whenever Mum made you get off the internet to have your tea and the like, those three little letters reassured your mate that you’d be back online in no time. Except we never leave now. We’re online all the time and an estimated 2.77 billion of us will be using social media regularly by next year. Which means that if you’ve got a business to promote and clients to reach, and you’re not using social media to help do it, you’re missing out big time. Whether you love it or hate, you need social media in 2019. Here’s how to do it…

GO BIG OR GO HOME IN YOUR BIO

Think of your bio as your elevator pitch; a handful of words that need to sell you or your services in a matter of seconds. Be creative, catch their attention. Brag a bit, throw some humour in there if it’s on brand. Get the odd keyword in there but don’t cram them in for the sake of it. Just be you, boo.

A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS

Remember that photo you took on a big night out? You look fit and fun and the lighting in the pub was just right. Yeah, don’t use that one for your profile picture. You want professional but friendly, approachable yet knowledgeable, fun but reliable. Interesting, not inebriated.

GET PERSONAL

Nobody wants to speak to a Robot. Except maybe Terminator but that’s because he was our childhood hero, not because we want him to become a client. When it comes to social media, be sociable, personal, open and use plain old conversational English. It’ll make you appear more approachable and honest, meaning those followers are far more likely to believe you know your stuff.

GIVE IT A BOOST

Unless you’re lucky enough to have a team running your social media accounts, which we assume isn’t the case seems you’re reading this, paying to advertise on them could be a fast-track way to wasting money. Don’t just throw money at the situation willy-nilly. Instead, start slow by just boosting the posts that are performing best organically, targeting them to an extended but focused audience.

EYE-UP THE COMPETITION

If you’re still scared stiff by social media, cheat a little. Watch what your competitors are doing: who are they following? What do they post and how often? How do they interact with their followers? Call it research or inspiration but whatever you do, don’t just copy them.

ENLIST THE HELP OF A PRO

Social media skills are a bit like sex appeal; you’ve either got it or you haven’t, it’s hard to fake and embarrassing if you get it wrong. If your social media skills are lacking, enlist the help of a pro to do it for you. The chances are it’ll be cheaper than you think and the cost will cover itself with a new client or two found by the wonders of Facebook and the like. Sorry, we can’t help on the sex appeal front…

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