15 Must-Follow Social Media Marketing Tips

1. Picture Perfect.  Images are much more likely to catch peoples’ attention, receive likes and comments, and get shared on Facebook.  Try to post at least one interesting or humorous picture a week.

2. Ask Questions Wisely.  Few people are going to write an essay in reply to a status update that asks a complex question.  Ask questions that people can respond to easily using only a few words.  Also try to make use of Facebook’s question feature whenever you can.  Check out our recent post about asking questions to increase Facebook engagement.

3. Author and Personalize. Sign your name when directly interacting with fans in Facebook comments, especially if multiple people within your organization manage the page.  This gives fans an idea of who they’re talking to within the company and also personalizes your brand.

4. Don’t Be a Social Faker. Don’t link your Facebook and Twitter accounts.  There’s nothing social about automating the exact same updates across all social networks.  Your audience on Twitter has different expectations and perceptions of value compared to your audience on Facebook.  Segment your market and appeal to their different needs.

5. Be Considerate.  If you have fans across the globe, making status updates at the same time every day might lower engagement from those fans.  Be consistent, but consider time zones of all your fans.  While you shouldn’t make scheduling Facebook updates a habit, consider HootSuite or Buffer to put out updates during those odd times.

__________________________________________

6. Use the Tools Available.  The scheduling features of Buffer and HootSuite are must-haves for anyone trying to build a following.  But scheduling isn’t a replacement for being social.  You should be tweeting when you’re able to reply to followers and retweets within a reasonable time frame.  Don’t make scheduling updates at 3am a habit if you won’t be able to manage those tweets for 4-5 hours.

7. Interact with Everyone. Social networks are about building relationships and lots of them.  Anytime someone replies to your tweet, retweets you, or posts something that interests you, make it a habit to reply as soon as possible either by thanking or retweeting them.  A general rule for Twitter: Listen to others often, promote yourself sparingly.

8. Use Location-based Searches. One of the most effective and easiest ways to find Twitter users in your area is by using special search operators in Twitter.  For example, if you wanted to find people talking about social media near Louisville, you could use the following search: “social media” near:”Louisville.”  (minus the period)

You can see a full list of Twitter’s special search operators here.

9. Avoid Text-speak.  If you’re struggling to fit your tweet into 140 characters, it’s probably not a message fit for Twitter.  Text-speak looks unprofessional and immature, so avoid it at all costs.

10. Research Hashtags.  A major part of attracting followers is knowing how to get involved with the right conversations.  Using popular hashtags is the way to do push your name in front of people.  TweetCharts, a tool by Dan Zarrella, was recently released and it provides tons of great information about any keyword or hashtag used on Twitter.  Definitely something to check out when you’re scheduling tweets in Buffer or HootSuite.

__________________________________________

 11. Watermark Images.  If you’re pinning and sharing original images (emphasis on “original”), it’s a good idea to watermark them with your website or company name.  When they get repinned and shared by others, you’ll be sure to get credit for the image.

12. Use Keywords and Hashtags in Pin Descriptions.  When you write the descriptions for your pinned images, keep in mind keywords that people are likely to search for.  Also, you can use hashtags similar to Twitter.  This is really helpful when people tweet your pins, because the hashtag will automatically put you in the right Twitter conversations as discussed above.

13. Use Keywords in Board Descriptions.  This seems to be overlooked by a lot of people.  If you go to your Boards page, you can click “Edit” under each board.  This brings up the area to title and describe your board.  Be sure all your boards have keyword-rich titles and descriptions.

14. Bring Out the Videos.  Pinterest has an area dedicated solely to videos.  Embed your YouTube videos on Pinterest and encourage others to repin them!  Get that view count up and push your video into a viral state.

15. Connect with Other Pinners.  You can directly mention other Pinterest users by using the syntax: @USERNAME.  This is a great way to get peoples’ attention and start building relationships throughout Pinterest.  Compliment people on their pins or thank them for repinning your image or video.  Be social!