If you have a brand or business today, there’s virtually no chance that you don’t have a social media presence, too. However, is your presence thriving? Is it everything you hoped it would be? If not, now it is time to make some changes. Keep reading for some tips on how to improve your social media efforts and improve your presence.

Create SMART Goals

Do you know why you created a social media presence to begin with? This could be the problem if you don’t, or if you only did this because everyone else was.

SMART goals aren’t a new concept, but they are important to your social media efforts. Put simply; your brand needs to set goals that are:

• S: Smart
• M: Measurable
• A: Achievable
• R: Relevant
• T: Time-bound

If you aren’t using this strategy now, it’s a good idea to implement it if you want to improve your efforts and achieve more success on social media.  

Get to Know Your Audience

Once you have outlined your goals, it’s important to outline who your target audience is. Never assume that “everyone” is your audience – this just isn’t how it works.

Your audience may be potential customers, industry players, or influencers. In any case, you need to break down who your audience is to figure out what social media sites you should create a presence on, when you should post content, what type of content you should publish, profile information, and your brand’s voice.

Some brands find they are just spinning their wheels because they are not creating or posting content that speaks to a specific audience. Take time to get to know your audience personas, understand their challenges and the brands they follow via social media. This type of competitive analysis will help you better understand how to ensure your presence on social media stands out from the crowd.

Show You Are Human

This is an important one. One of the biggest mistakes you can make on social media is that there is no real person behind your business. You don’t want to be viewed as a “faceless” company with no personality. Today, people expect transparency. They want to get to know what you offer on a much more personal level.

To add personality, you need to consider the content you are posting carefully. If you create videos, considered what programs and software to use, such as After Effects vs Premiere. You should also consider using different transitions and tools to make the videos, images, and content more appealing to the people you are targeting.

Strive to Build Relationships

Some people claim that the number of followers you have is a vanity market. Maybe it is, but this is a debate no one is really going to win. Rather than focusing on how many followers you have, consider how many people actually engage with your brand. Your goal should be to engage with people and build relationships. After all, having thousands of followers means nothing if they don’t engage with your brand.

Create an Editorial Calendar

Believe it or not, creating and sticking to a content schedule isn’t just something “extra” top brands do. If there is a common link between some of the biggest and most successful brands, it is that they are posting content consistently. There’s a good chance you are trying to juggle several social channels and trying to get a lot done. While this is true, you still need to make sure you are posting regularly. If you don’t, you will lose the interest of your followers.

As you can see, there are several things you can do and steps you can take to improve and grow your social media following. Be sure to keep the tips and information here in mind, which will help ensure you achieve the desired results. Being informed is the best way to create a social media presence people will be drawn to and want to interact with.