Full Service Social Media Marketing

Tis' the season of giving, and what better way to celebrate than by sharing our most valuable social media tips with you! This blog includes 12 exclusive social media tips created by our team PLUS one bonus tip only found here. Oh, and as another extra special gift, we have included a shortened version for you to print out and put at your desk! So, be sure you read allllll the way to the bottom to find it.

Tip One: The 80/20 Rule

This is a guideline to abide by when creating content strategies. 80% of your social media posts should be content your followers WANT to consume. This content can include educational, entertaining, or problem-solving posts. That leaves just 20% as explicitly promotional content that YOU want your audience to consume. Why? Because nobody wants to be constantly bombarded with promotional posts and ads!

Tip Two: Don't commit stock image crimes

While stock images can be great, they can easily be overused. Followers can sniff out inorganic content, so try not to regularly depend on stock photography. So, how can you create, organize and effectively use more organic content? ...TAKE PHOTOS! Events, Team Meetings, and Behind the Scenes is always great content! All you need is a phone or camera and a good set of presets, and you can make your own high-quality images.

It also helps to have a photo bank for your brand. Create a central location where all your images are stored (Dropbox or Google drive are amazing and FREE); this will help you utilize your original pictures before you resort to using a stock image.

Tip Three: Stop giveaways!

Giveaways are great to attract more people to your page, and it's an excellent way to give back to your followers and thank them for their support. However, there is a downside to doing too many social media giveaways. While you’re likely to gain followers from your giveaways, you will also start to attract followers who are only interested in free products. There is nothing worse than having a large uninterested following of users who don't engage with your actual content.

Keeping your giveaways limited will ensure you maintain a loyal follower-ship. We recommend no more than 2-4 a year (it's also nice to save giveaways for special occasions).

Tip Four: Utilize IG Story tools to convert followers into customers

Instagram provides us with great Story tools, and it is time to use them to your advantage. Create an Instagram poll for all your followers and ask if they have bought something from your store before; this will provide you with tons of valuable customer data. Not only will you see which of your followers are engaging with and viewing your Stories, but it will also tell you who to target to make new potential sales!

Once you have your poll results, you can send everyone who voted "no" a generic message and offer them a 'New Customer' discount. You can even go one step further and offer your returning customers who engaged with the Story something as well! Check out our in-depth video tutorial HERE to see how we do it.

Tip Five: Share your top 5's

Are you stuck trying to curate content for your social pages? Lists are always a great way to build quick and informational content. These types of posts also have high shareability, which is a bonus! You can use the following prompts as an easy start to creating posts geared towards your specific brand & content: Top 5 Products, Top 5 Reasons Why, Top 5 Favourites, Top 5 Mistakes & Top 5 Projects.

Tip Six: Collaborate

As a business or content creator, it’s VITAL to build professional relationships and collaborate. There are many benefits to collaborations: you’ll have access to a broad new audience which can open the doors to more business opportunities and customers, you can strengthen your “word of mouth” marketing tactic, and you can reaffirm your brand’s image by working with creators, brands, or non-for-profits that align with your purpose and goals. So get out there and get collaborating!

Tip Seven: Keep it real with Reels

If you want to increase your engagement and discoverability on Instagram, you NEED to be taking advantage of IG Reels. To create reels that are guaranteed to perform, follow these three tips:

1) Start with a hook. You want to grab the attention of your viewers within the first 3 - 5 seconds.

2) Be intentional when choosing audio. Trending audio is excellent; however, it is more useful if you research trending audio within your line of business or niche. This way, you will ensure more meaningful engagement.

3) Keep it short and sweet! Get your message across without taking up too much of your viewers' time; eliminate the fluff.

Tip Eight: Ads baby, ads!

Paid social ads are a MUST! The only way to guarantee that your audience will see your content is to pay to put it in front of them. Here are a few go-to tips:

1) Have a clear call to action on your ad. What action are you hoping they take?

2) Always test! Testing will help you compare what does well and what doesn't before committing to a large ad budget/spend. Always test copy, creative and placements.

3) Know your target demographic! This will ensure your ad reaches the right people.

4) Try a brand awareness campaign! It’s important to warm up your consumer before you try to get them to take an action.

5) Keep learning! Facebook offers free courses on how to run Ads on social media.

6) Hiring a social media/marketing agency is always a great option if you don't have the tools or time on your hands. *Cough cough* We have an #AdsOnly program for just this!

Tip Nine: Unpixelate your pixels

Does it seem like IG is constantly compressing the living pixels out of your high-quality pictures?! You might just have to go into your settings and turn on a switch.

Go into your Instagram settings on your phone, click Account, then click Data Usage. You will then see a section that says "High-Quality Uploads" with a toggle to its right. Make sure that toggle is turned on. Welcome to life in HD.

Tip Ten: Social only sales

Boxing Day is coming up and you might be considering offering a sale to your customers. If you’re on the fence about this, we say DO IT! Sales are always an excellent opportunity to get new consumers to purchase from your brand.

Consider a “social only” sale or discount code for all your loyal followers. Not only will this entice first-time or repeat customers, but it will also make them feel like they are a part of an “exclusive” club.

Tip Eleven: Plan your content

Polished content and brand consistency are key. The best way to create a steady posting schedule is to allocate a few hours bi-weekly or monthly to plan out your content calendar. While scheduling, keep in mind your branding and colours, valuable content, and realistic posting expectations. We like to use a design tool to layout our feed to make sure we are sticking to our brand's colours, and then use a scheduling tool for all of our accounts. We can not stress enough how important a content calendar is; streamlining your content publishing process is such a time saver!

Tip Twelve: Stay in your lane

While social media is all about jumping on the latest trends, it's important to remember your brand voice and objectives when curating content. Sure, posting a meme of Bernie Sanders or nine pregnant emoji’s might get you a few likes - but does it align with your brand? Look for trends that allow you to stay true to your social strategy. Not sure what your strategy is? We can help!

BONUS TIP: Authenticity is key

We’ve said it before, and we will say it again… Your followers can tell when you aren’t being authentic! If you look at brands and social accounts that have skyrocketed over the last 365 days, they all have one thing in common: authenticity and relatability. Your followers are looking for the REAL story behind your brand including the good, the bad and the ugly. They want to celebrate your success, hear how the brand was created from the founder themselves and laugh alongside your mistakes. When scheduling your content or posting a story, ask yourself how this relates to your brand and if it will resonate with your followers.

So, you’re basically an expert now and have just taken a crash course in social media marketing! Feel free to DM us with any questions or comments - we’d be more than happy to chat.

Happy Holidays from the MMG team!

Oh, and since you made it all the way to the bottom, here is that special gift we were talking about! Print out the PDF version of these amazing tips HERE to keep at your desk!