Not surprisingly, the 2018 Yellow Social Media Report, notes that the number of Australian businesses with a social media presence has hit an all-time high. Facebook remains the most popular platform (about 90% of businesses surveyed are using it), with LinkedIn and Instagram following (second- and third-most popular, depending on business size).

The most popular reasons for social activity? Advertising and promotion were listed as the most popular, followed by customer interaction and contact.  However, remember that customers look at it the opposite way. They want to communicate and interact with just a touch of selling so it’s really important to get the right mix.

If you’re not already getting social with your customers, it’s time.

Which platform?

The golden rule when deciding what social media platform(s) to be on is to think about your target markets: what social media platforms are they on?  To help you work this out, the 2018 Yellow Social Media Report on consumers may be useful.  It provides insights into consumer social media behaviour, the technology and platforms people are using, and when and why they’re connecting.

Tools to help you plan and organise

Social media does take time and planning. One of the best ways to ensure that you’re posting on a regular basis is to include social media as part of your overall marketing plan. That way, you can ensure that you’re posting about events and sales before they happen and don’t forget to share news with your audience in a timely manner.

To help with planning, I’ve put together a free marketing calendar template that you can download and use to schedule all your promotional events for the year, including all social posts. You can customise the template in Excel and adjust it to your needs.

You may also want to consider something like Hootsuite to help you stay on track. Hootsuite is an online social media planning tool that lets you organise and report on all your social media activity, as well as calculate ROI. You can also schedule posts in advance and create assignments for teams.

With Hootsuite, you can try any plan for free for 30 days, and there’s a basic free plan that allows you to manage up to 3 social accounts; more robust plans are available for a monthly fee.

But what about content?

Worried about what to post? Many businesses struggle to come up with enough things to share. Plus, with so many businesses out there angling for the attention of their followers, how do you make sure your efforts aren’t wasted?

Here are a few tips for creating engaging content and working posts into your overall strategy:

1. Add photos, videos & images — Including an image with your text post catches the eye of your followers and helps them engage with and remember your post. Photos and videos are common, but infographics are also great to include because they combine visual interest with information. In fact, infographics are liked and shared on social media 3X more than other any other type of content.
2. Use live video (wisely) — If you read our post on Facebook Live, you know that it can be a great tool – IF used appropriately. You need to practice with this tool, have a good reason to use it and notify followers in advance about the event so you’ll get as much engagement as possible.Think about a way to use Facebook Live that will provide something of value to your viewers so it’s worth their time to tune in. Use it as a chance to answer questions, promote a new product or service, or get feedback from customers.  Don’t forget about YouTube Live, too.
3. Repurpose and link to content — Social media posts are a great way to take people to your website, as well as repurpose other content you’re creating. Remember, social media is about engaging with audiences, so it’s a great way to provide additional information they may be looking for.When you build your strategic plan, look for ways to create social posts that tie into your other marketing efforts. You can also edit text you write or use photos you take for your website, news releases or sales promotions and use them to create quick posts.

The B2Me Experience

Now we’re in the Age of the Individual and customer-led experience, social media has become even more important. It’s the only medium that enables one-to-one communication at scale.  B2Me personalisation is about creating unique experiences that are interesting and timely for the individual.  In social media terms this means that messaging is gaining increasing popularity.  This year, the number of users on messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp grew twice as fast as users on Facebook.  These apps offer fantastic opportunities for brands to establish meaningful conversations and should also be considered as part of your social media strategy.

Need help setting up your accounts or putting together a social media strategy? Contact Breathe Marketing today.

Going ‘live’ on Facebook means that a person or group is broadcasting live video. The video can be of anything from an official announcement (like a press conference or new product release) to a rugby match or a family event.

Regardless of the content, live video is one of the hottest trends in social media for both individuals and businesses. In fact, going ‘live’ can be a great way to generate interest among your followers – and when used effectively, it can build loyalty, help answer questions or share announcements with your customers.

With that in mind, let’s take a brief look at Facebook Live and how you can use it to your advantage.

What is Facebook Live?

Introduced in 2016, Facebook Live allows you to create and share live-stream video. This is different than just posting a video on your page (though that’s good, too) because those videos are pre-recorded. However, once you create and share a live video on Facebook, it will remain in your News Feed as a viewable “post” unless you decide to delete it.

(Note: Not to be outdone, Twitter and Instagram have also added “live” options, and Periscope is a site completely dedicated to sharing live video, so if Facebook’s not your thing, you have other choices.)

How it works

With Facebook Live, you can broadcast video directly from a smartphone or tablet. Friends and followers can “tune in” and see your broadcast at the appointed time.

Here’s a list of the steps:

1. Log into your Facebook account on your mobile device.
2. Open the status bar like you were going to write a post.
3. Click the “Live video” icon.
4. Allow Facebook access to your camera and microphone (this should only show up the first time you test it out).
5. Choose a privacy level. It’s best to choose “Only Me” first just to try things out! Once you get the hang of it, you can go public. Scroll to the bottom to find this setting.
6. Add a description/title. This is optional, but the title will appear in your News Feed later, so be sure to help your viewers understand what you’re showing.
7. Aim your camera at what you want to film.
8. Hit the blue “Go Live” button to begin. As soon as you begin filming, your video will appear in your News Feed just like any post (providing you’ve changed your privacy setting back to ‘public’ after testing). Once you’re done, click “Finish” to stop recording.

Once you’re live, you can take and respond to comments from viewers if you choose. And just like other Facebook posts, you can delete the file if you want to remove it from your News Feed.

Tips for using Facebook Live in your marketing

Facebook Live is easy to use, but to get the most out of it, it’s best to plan ahead. Here are some tips for getting the most out of Facebook Live:

1. Create a strategy
   Think about ways to use live video that would help inform and engage your followers. Have a new product to share? Would a customer testimonial or interview with a member of your team be live-worthy? Put together a plan for how to use live video as part of your overall social media strategy.Also, think about how long your live video will be. Will people stick around for an hour-long event, or do you need to keep things short, sweet and focused? Long events that do well are seminars, roundtables, and training sessions.
2. Rehearse
   BE SURE to try the process out before you go public! Yes, there may be a few surprises with a live broadcast and things may not be perfect, but nothing says “amateur night” like a shaky camera or long, awkward pauses. Your audience is likely to leave.
3. Give notice
   Facebook will automatically notify fans when you’re live, but it’s best to let people know in advance what you’re doing and what your event will be about so that you have as many people watching as possible when you broadcast. Consider sending an email prior to the event or posting advance notices on Facebook for a few days before your event.
4. Or be spontaneous
   Giving notice when you will do a live event can help attract a larger audience, but spontaneity can be good too! Once you have some experience going live, look for opportunities to do a quick spontaneous video. Something fun or unusual happening at the office, an interesting site out in the field, a quick tutorial showing how to use the product in real life, etc. These are great opportunities to really engage with your customer base.
5. Engage
   One thing that makes live video so interesting is that viewers can immediately request and receive information. For example, if you’re presenting a new product, you have the chance to answer questions about how it works and get feedback from viewers on the spot. Get your viewers involved and make it worth their while to tune in.

Need help incorporating live video into your overall marketing strategy? Contact Breathe Marketing today.