Our Content and Social Executives, Iasmina and Jody, attended a Social Media Google Event and wanted to share what top tips they’ve brought back to the office…
The social media marketing realm can be a little daunting at first, and since we have only been working in marketing for around a month, a Google Events occasion for social media was ideal!
We had a great day, with plenty of networking, tips from media giants Google and free lunch (who doesn’t love a Caesar sandwich), so here is what we learnt and are looking forward to applying in the office…
1. THE WORLD OF HASHTAGS
It’s easy to forget about hashtags when focusing on the quality and quantity of content, captions and filters, but hashtags are key in making your post appear on people’s timelines and explore pages, reaching those who don’t even follow you. Without hashtags, your posts are unlikely to reach the audience expansion you’d want, so including them as part of your caption or dropping them in the comments of your post is crucial.
We were told that between 10-13 hashtags is ideal, having no more than 13 as they will just confuse your audience and not look too appealing. Now, thinking about what hashtags you need to use is another ball game, having a mix of niche and broad hashtags is where the secret lies. ‘Niche’ hashtags include those detailing what’s in your image or what your company is about, while broader hashtags are usually those popular on any post such as #explore. Hashtags that are very popular have extremely short life spans, with some Twitter hashtags only lasting 7 seconds.
Research your chosen platform’s hashtag usage by looking at influencers or marketing agencies alike who use hashtags, you’ll soon learn what works and what doesn’t!
2. ONE STEP AT A TIME
Nowadays, there are endless amounts of platforms on which you need to post, create, repost and share, and it can get pretty overwhelming, pretty quick. Personally, we use around five platforms per day and that means posting content and engaging with our audience on all five, so how can it be possible for one human to stay interactive on all platforms?
The answer is, you don’t have to.
Focusing on one platform at a time if you are new to social media is a perfect way of beginning. There’s little-to-no point in having five platforms but only posting once a month, instead, focusing on one or two platforms and having regular weekly/daily content is the way forward. If you feel that you’ve built an audience and personal brand on the first chosen platforms, you can slowly expand to more and schedule content accordingly. Google stressed that consistency is key, so choose your first platform and start planning content.
3. 80/20 SECRET
80/20 might sound like we’re switching to a maths lesson but stay with us, because this is the secret Google revealed behind keeping your audience engaged while promoting your services too.
Have you ever been interested in a company, gone to their Instagram page and were completely put off by SALE ON posts and products but had no idea what the brand’s values or team were? That’s because they failed the 80/20 theory. Having 80% product knowledge, brand values, answering customers’ queries and building the reputation you desire is the best way forward. The other 20% can be for product promotion, sales and marketing needs.
Keeping your audience engaged and not bombarding them with constant sales techniques will make your brand more personable and attract not only those who wish to buy from you, but those who want to learn about your products, industry and message.
We really enjoyed the Google Event and we hope that you have got a couple of our tips which you can apply to your own business and make your socials stand out.
Remember, not overloading your feed with sales techniques, keeping content personable and having the correct hashtags while focusing on one or two platforms at a time is the best way forward.
We understand that social media can seem like a pit of quicksand, and not knowing where to begin is normal so drop us a message at hello@getaudience.co.uk for some free marketing advice and more social media tips!
