But what exactly is social selling, and why should you care? Is it another buzzword that’ll quickly fade, or should it hold a coveted spot in your marketing and sales playbook? 

But before you go all-in, it’s important to make sure that social selling is the right fit for your business. So in this comprehensive guide, we’ll take a closer look at what social selling is, why it matters, and how to get started with a social selling strategy that works for you.

Let’s dive in.

What is social selling?

True or false: is social selling synonymous with social media marketing?

Drum roll, please…the answer is false.

Social media marketing is vastly different from social selling. And spoiler alert, it’s also different from social media advertising. So what’s left on these social platforms?

In a nutshell, social selling uses social media platforms to build relationships with potential customers, share valuable content, and ultimately drive sales.

It’s a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes and industries, allowing you to reach a wider audience, build trust and credibility with potential customers, and stay top-of-mind when they’re ready to purchase.

The biggest difference between social and traditional selling methods revolves around building relationships and providing value, rather than coming off as “salsey” or spammy like a used car salesman. 

For example, supplement company Athletic Greens uses basic social selling principles in this Instagram post.

They clearly outline how the six main ingredients solve a problem for people struggling with mental health. Focusing on the benefits and advantages of these ingredients in their greens powder helps the brand attract its desired audience and foster sales naturally.

Let’s break it down even further. Social selling differs from traditional selling methods in several ways:

Online vs offline:

It primarily takes place on digital platforms such as social media and networking sites, whereas traditional selling methods rely on face-to-face interactions and other offline methods like phone calls, emails, or business cards to keep the relationship alive. 

Sales approach:

Helps focus on building relationships with potential customers over time by providing valuable information, sharing industry insights, and engaging in conversations. On the other hand, traditional selling methods tend to focus more on direct selling tactics and pushing products or services.

Audience reach:

Provides a wider reach and targets specific audiences by leveraging the power of social media and online platforms. Whereas traditional methods rely more on personal networks and people you contact with.

Flexibility:

You can do it remotely, from any location, and at any time. Whereas traditional selling methods typically require in-person interactions and more rigid schedules.

Adaptability:

Social selling allows instant feedback and customer communication, allowing marketing and sales teams to adapt and improve their approach in real-time, whereas traditional methods can be less responsive to customer needs and feedback.

Automation:

It often utilises automation tools such as social media management, CRM, and lead generation software, which can help to streamline the process and reach more prospects, whereas traditional methods are generally more manual.

What is the Social Selling Index?

The Social Selling Index (SSI) is a metric developed by LinkedIn that measures your effectiveness at using social media to engage with your professional network, share valuable content, and ultimately drive sales.

The SSI score is calculated based on four factors:

1. Establishing a professional brand, such as having a complete profile and regularly publishing content relevant to your industry.
2. Finding the right people and growing your network.
3. Engaging with your audience by liking, commenting, and sharing content relevant to your industry.
4. Building and fostering relationships with decision-makers.

LinkedIn assigns each factor a score and provides an overall SSI score ranging from 0 to 100.

The higher your SSI score, the more effective you are at using social selling techniques on LinkedIn.

5 benefits of social selling for your business

Are you ready to unlock the full potential of your social media presence and take your sales to new heights? 

Here are the top five reasons you should consider adding social selling to your marketing arsenal:

1. Increased reach and visibility

Social media dominates the internet with billions of monthly active users. So why not capture a slice of that pie? 

You can connect with potential customers and industry influencers globally at your fingertips by utilising platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, with a combined reach of over 7 billion. 

Try picturing that many people in one place together. It’s nearly impossible to imagine. That’s why social media is so powerful.  

And with 26.3% of internet users turning to social media to find products to purchase, you certainly don’t want to miss out on this opportunity to get your brand in front of the right people at the right time (on a massive scale and with minimal effort). It’s a no-brainer. 

2. Improved customer relationships

According to Inc. Magazine, 96% of consumers don’t trust ads.

Like in all relationships, you want to start off on the right foot. And if you are resorting to ads as your main sales strategy, your relationship could get off to a rocky start. 

Consumers are looking for a face behind the brand. It’s no longer acceptable to bombard consumers with spammy ads. Today, consumers crave human interaction and being treated like a person rather than a number in a spreadsheet.

Social selling allows you to tap into the power of social media to connect with potential customers where they already naturally spend their time. Social listening tools help your sales and marketing teams identify the warm leads who actively talk about your brand or industry.

These conversations open the door for you to share relevant, helpful information at the right place and time. Soon your social pages will become the go-to spot when consumers search for information about a product or service. 

3. Greater credibility and trust

When you share genuine content that helps address customer pain points or answers common questions, it’s better perceived than a cold call or cold outreach email.

For instance, we all hate walking past mall kiosks where they try to jam a free skincare sample in your face. It’s not a pleasant interaction, to say the least. And honestly, it makes you less inclined to try the product. 

On the other hand, social selling often isn’t perceived by the consumer as selling. It’s just another conversation on their favourite social media platforms. And at the end of the day, authentic conversations build trust. And trust leads to paying customers.

4. Enhanced targeting and personalisation

Social media has many superpowers. But one area where it shines is the ability to reach your target audience with ease.

Why? Well, certain social media platforms are more popular with different demographics. 

For instance, LinkedIn is a treasure trove for B2B business owners. And TikTok is worth its weight in gold for Gen Z.

Social selling helps you narrow in on the platforms your audience uses, and detailed analytics can also help you identify optimal times to post and engage with your audience. 

Gone are the days of generic, faceless ads. And say hello to personalised comments and interactions with people who care what you have to say. 

5. Increased sales and revenue

According to LinkedIn, brands participating in social selling are 78% more likely to outsell their peers who don’t use social media.

If you still aren’t convinced, further data shows that 51% of businesses participating in social selling are more likely to reach their sales quotas.

Participating in social selling is a surefire way to boost your company’s bottom line.

The best networks for social selling

All the signs point to the increased benefits of social selling. So what’s the best social media platform for optimal results? 

Well, the answer is…it depends. The best networks for social selling depend on the industry and target audience, but here are some popular options. 

Instagram:

Instagram is a popular platform for B2C companies. It’s a visual-heavy platform great for using design templates to create compelling visuals to stand out from the crowd in the food, fashion, and travel industry. 

TikTok:

TikTok has emerged as a new platform for social selling. It’s ideal for companies that want to create short, engaging videos to align with the wants and needs of the younger generations. 

LinkedIn:

The professional networking site is a great choice for B2B companies, as it allows you to connect with other professionals and decision-makers in your industry.

Twitter:

Twitter can be a great way to engage with potential customers and stay up-to-date on industry news and trends.

Facebook:

With almost 3 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the perfect platform for reaching a large audience. It’s also a good choice for B2C companies, as it can help you connect with customers on a more personal level.

Pinterest:

Pinterest can be a great platform for social selling, especially for businesses with a strong visual aspect, such as fashion, home decor, and travel. It ties Twitter with around 400 million monthly active users.

Ultimately, it’s important to choose the platforms your target audience is most active on and where you can reach them most effectively. 

But it’s also wise to have a presence on multiple platforms to maximise your reach.

How to succeed at social selling

Like other sales and marketing strategies, solidifying a game plan is the key to success.

Follow these simple tips to boost the effectiveness of your next social selling campaign.

Identify and engage with the right prospects

Sometimes social media efforts can feel like you are throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks.

So before you dive headfirst into your social selling strategy, it’s critical to identify the people worthy of your interactions. 

Thankfully, social listening tools allow you to monitor conversations about your brand online and identify potential leads already talking about your products or services. And voila, you have a direct insight into their demographics.

Sounds too good to be true, huh? Well, it’s a simple, foolproof method for building your ideal customer profile. 

Build relationships through valuable content and interactions

The key to succeeding at social selling is building relationships with potential customers. And one of the best ways to do that’s by sharing expert knowledge that your audience finds helpful. 

For instance, you can provide value by answering questions about the latest trends in your niche. There’s no better way to develop yourself into a go-to resource than when people have questions about whatever product or service interests them most.

Take Zillow, for example. They conducted a poll about the top housing resolutions for 2023 and turned it into a helpful guide for customers on how to land their dream homes. 

The guide focuses more on the audience than on pitching their tools. It provides valuable insight into the housing market and outlines tips for navigating a challenging market.

Plus, the content shows that Zillow cared about their followers because they collected customer data and published it back to their feed to spread the knowledge (rather than using it for retargeting or other paid advertisements). 

Use social media analytics to track and optimise your efforts

Your social media analytics will quickly become your best friend in understanding the success of your social selling strategies.

Why? Well, the numbers don’t lie. It’s a quick way to confirm if your directed efforts are paying off, what’s working and what’s falling by the wayside. With Hopper HQ, you can see what content format performs best, including views, likes, comments, and saves (all in one simple view). 

For instance, imagine you gained 1,000 followers in one day after you posted an Instagram poll about 2023 beauty trends. That’s a strong indicator that your audience enjoys an interactive post (and you should keep up with that content format).

On the flip side, if your follower count stays stagnant after posting simple graphics with links to blog posts, you know that’s probably not resonating well with your audience, and you should move on to the next content strategy. 

Leverage tools to streamline your social selling process

As the saying goes: work smarter, not harder. 

Social media automation tools make social selling a breeze by taking care of tedious tasks like social listening and sticking to a consistent content publishing schedule (even in the wee hours of the morning).

Not only does it save you time, but these tools help identify the best leads with in-depth analytics. You can automatically schedule posts to keep your brand front and centre with the most promising opportunities.

A workflow software will help you to spend less time and effort on tedious tasks frees up more time to solidify those customer relationships and close more deals. It’s a win-win. 

Tips and best practices for social selling

Are you ready to take your social selling game to new heights? 

Here are a few simple tips and tricks for the best results. 

Use social listening to stay up-to-date on industry trends and customer needs

One of the key aspects of social selling is staying up-to-date on the latest industry trends and understanding the needs of your target customers. 

As we’ve mentioned, adding social listening tools to your tech stack can help you track mentions of your brand, competitors, and industry keywords across social media platforms. 

For instance, ChatGPT has taken over LinkedIn and Twitter feeds by storm. It’s seemingly the only thing marketers have discussed over the last few months.

And HubSpot took notice. They jumped on the bandwagon to create playful social posts around this topic that their target audience finds interesting.  

And the result was incredible. It stirred up a lot of comments and shares during a usually quiet period on the platform for B2B businesses. 

Keeping your eyes and ears open pays off tenfold. 

Engage with prospects and customers in a personalised and authentic way

Remember the golden rule that you learned in kindergarten? Treat others the way you want to be treated. Well, this holds true for social selling as well.

Nobody is interested in generic sales messaging that sounds robotic and forced. Ideally, you want to feel like a brand genuinely cares about its online presence and providing the best product (instead of focusing on maximising margins). 

So make this a priority. Use an authentic tone by writing personalized messages, engaging in direct interactions, and building a community around your brand. 

This simple approach can build trust with your prospects and customers and increase the chances of turning one-time purchases into repeat customers.

Follow the lead of MegaFit Meals for some inspiration. A user commented about their preferences for a vegetarian enchilada meal.

The brand responded by acknowledging the feedback (showing that they care about their customer’s preferences) and said they’d share the feedback with the appropriate team. 

Again, this shows that the brand is paying attention and wants to hear from the consumer to continually improve the product. The brand added vegetarian enchiladas to its menu a few weeks later. 

Offer value and solve problems through your social selling efforts

Another component of successful social selling is offering value and solving problems for your target customers. This means providing helpful information, answering questions, and offering solutions to the problems your prospects and customers are facing. 

By doing this, you can position yourself as a valuable resource and trusted advisor, increasing the chances of building loyal customers around your brand. 

Unfortunately, Twitter has become a platform where frustrated customers voice their feelings about recent interactions with a brand. Airlines typically take the brunt of the criticism on Twitter. 

However, United Airlines took this opportunity to widely address a major delay due to circumstances out of their control and shared a travel waiver for impacted customers.

Any customer with specific questions or concerns can also directly message United Airlines for further assistance. Instead of using Twitter to sell more flight tickets, United Airlines uses the platform to understand current issues and offer real-time solutions. 

Continuously track and analyse your results to optimise your strategy

There’s nothing more frustrating (and hurtful to your bottom line) than throwing time and money at a sales strategy that delivers lacklustre results. Ideally, you want to avoid this scenario at all costs.

Numerous social media automation tools are available on the market to continuously track and analyse your results and optimise your social selling strategy. If a strategy works well today, it doesn’t mean it’ll work ten weeks from now (and vice versa).

By regularly analysing your results, you can make informed decisions about where to focus your efforts and how to improve your social selling strategy to drive more sales for your business.

Spend your resources on things that drive results. If you notice things aren’t working well, it’s time to switch gears to a new approach. 

3 examples of brands doing social selling right

Olipop

The first factor in the Social Selling Index (SSI) is establishing yourself as a professional brand, starting with a complete social media profile.

Olipop, a healthy soda brand, hits the nail on the head with this one thanks to its professional and well-organized Instagram page.

They effectively use the Instagram platform to showcase their product and mission through visually appealing photos and videos. Their Instagram profile also features highlighted stories that provide an in-depth look into the brand, its values, its investors, and positive affirmations from dieticians. 

The bio is concise yet informative. Iteffectively communicates the brand’s unique selling points, building trust with consumers looking for a healthy alternative to soda. 

Zillow

LinkedIn is an underrated platform for social selling. But one brand that uses it to its full potential is Zillow. 

Zillow educates and informs people about the real estate industry by sharing content about current market trends, positioning itself as a valuable, go-to resource for everything real estate.  

They also use their page to share their monthly newsletters and answer frequently asked questions. They’re great at positioning their content so it appears in the right place at the right time.

So, for example, when someone is looking to purchase a home in Nashville later this year, they’ll turn to Zillow for advice. Gaining insights on the current state of the market and then leveraging the platform for their search process. Everything is available at their fingertips. No fuss, no muss. 

Marriott

Marriott does a stellar job with the third pillar of the Social Selling Index. Which revolves around active engagement with your audience. 

They demonstrate their commitment to customer service by replying to comments on their Instagram posts. They make a commitment to provide helpful information and travel tips through their content, and address any concerns or questions customers may have. 

Marriott focuses on building trust and establishing a personal connection with its audience. This boosts the possibility for them to book a stay at one of its many properties.

This approach also shows that Marriott actively listens to its customers. Making it more likely for customers to return and recommend the brand to their family and friends on their next adventure. 

Wrapping up

People hate ads. It’s time to say goodbye to spammy ads for good. And that’s where social selling takes centre stage. 

Social selling is a game-changer for businesses looking to grow and engage with potential customers. 

From identifying leads through social listening to building trust and credibility, social selling is a must-have strategy in today’s market. The benefits are clear, from qualified lead generation to building brand awareness and customer loyalty through personalised and authentic methodologies. 

Don’t miss out on this opportunity. Take the leap and start investing in social selling for your business today. You won’t regret it.

The post Social Selling: Why you should totally invest in it appeared first on Hopper HQ.

Social proof is a powerful tool that any business can leverage to increase its brand reputation and fuel growth. In this blog, we’ll dive deeper into what social proof is, the different types of social proof, and how brands can use social proof to grow their businesses.

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What is social proof?

Social proof refers to the psychological impulse to take a cue from the crowd in order to conform to the “correct behaviour.” The social influence of the “crowd” can come from our friends, family, close work networks, or even random strangers on the internet. Alongside social proof, there sits a common concept known as word-of-mouth, which fuels social proof and can give consumers confidence when trying or buying something new. 

The concept of social proof is at work all around us; We consult our friends and families before eating out or going to a holiday destination. People check recommendations from search engines such as Google and Amazon before buying a product. Nearly 97% of people read product reviews before making a final purchasing decision.

Brands are well aware of the impact of social proof. Check this out.

The Native Deodorant listing on Amazon is basking in social proof. Not just due to its 4.5+ rating based on nearly 70,000 reviews. You’ll notice the conveniently located #1 Best Seller tag right next to the ratings. There are also 261 questions answered for this particular product in the community.

Amazon uses social proof to get prospects across the line and generate more sales.

Why is social proof important in your marketing strategy?

The underlying importance of social proof for any business is to increase revenues. Product descriptions, excellent sales copy, and a great content strategy will only get you so far. Social proof is that extra fuel that amps up prospective customers to make a purchase.

But besides increased revenues, there are other ways that social proof is important, including:

• Showcasing your expertise and authority
• Creating a community of long-term brand advocates
• Reducing your overall marketing expenses
• Accelerating sales

Don’t forget – Google loves social proof.  Google crawlers and bots constantly scrape web pages for affirmations of credibility and authority. Recommendations, reviews, and social proof aggregators, such as links to consumer websites, can boost rankings – especially for local businesses.

In the example above, we have a keyword search, i.e., “best BBQ restaurants in Atlanta.” Google pops up a couple of recommendations with results in the 4.5+ range.

This would explain why local businesses optimize their Google Business Profiles by adding ratings. The more and better ratings a business has, the higher the chances to generate more clicks from the search engine results pages (SERPs). Companies often use Google SERP API to understand exactly what the customer likes. In this way they can optimize their website for their needs.

Types of social proof

Now that we have a solid idea of what social proof is, we’ll dive deeper into the various types of social proof. We’ll look at five types of social proof:

1. User social proof

User social proof is the most common type of social proof. It stems from user reviews, testimonials, and product recommendations. Such content is important because it comes from an unbiased happy customer rather than being promoted by a brand. 

Check out the testimonials page of migration experts – This is Australia. We can count at least nine 5-star reviews from this one testimonials page alone, and there are several of these pages. The reviews look genuine based on the fact that full names, company names, and even profile pictures, are displayed.

Yelp is a popular crowdsourced review platform that can help businesses bolster their online visibility. While Yelp doesn’t verify users or the authenticity of reviews, its sophisticated algorithms can detect bots and other fakes. Accordingly, Yelp reviews are highly trusted compared to other review sites.

This makes Yelp another incredible source of trustworthy user social proof. You can pick reviews from this platform and even embed them on your website and landing pages.

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2. Expert social proof

Expert social proof is where an industry expert such as a business blogger or a niche influencer approves or endorses your product or brand. 

The image above is from Anne Handley, a digital content marketing expert and author of the bestseller Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content. In this tweet, she endorses an industry summit to increase awareness and sign-ups.

3. Celebrity social proof

People are strongly influenced by their favourite celebrities and influencers. The social proof generated by these high-profile personalities can be very beneficial to most brands.

For example, Porsche partnered with Alexandra Daddario – the Baywatch and True Detective actress, for this post.

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Celebrity social proof may not work with all products, though. For example, customer testimonials and reviews may work better for highly specialized products in the SaaS industry than a celebrity endorsement.

Also, celebrity social proof can be pretty expensive. That makes perfect sense since you’ll need a bigger budget to get a celebrity talking about your brand. That’s why this is usually an option for well-established brands that generate more revenue.

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4. Wisdom of the crowd social proof

This is a phenomenon where having a huge number of customers causes other people to want to use your product. This plays into the crowd’s fear of missing out (FOMO). For example, during the Pandemic, Zoom’s year-on-year revenues increased by over 300% since 2019 due to the demand for remote work platforms.

Zoom’s exceptional quality drove its mega success. However, a significant part of this sales boom also came from the FOMO perspective of people transitioning to remote work and not wanting to miss out on this hot new phenomenon called Zoom.

5. Wisdom of friends’ social proof

This type of social proof extends to family and close associates. For example, you are more likely to visit a hotel or restaurant recommended to you by a family member or colleague than one with only recommendations from online strangers.

Social proof and social media

Any brand can use social media to level up advertising without spending a fortune. Social media can also support your efforts to generate social proof. Not only that, but you can also use your existing social proof to enhance your social media campaigns. It works both ways.

How do brands leverage social media for social proof? 

1. #Hashtag campaigns

First, you can create #hashtag campaigns. These will encourage more customers to share their moments using your products. That means more authentic social proof for you. Moreover, it makes it easier for you to track the social proof since it’s all under a single hashtag. 

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Dunkin Doughnuts is an excellent example of a brand that leveraged this technique. The coffee and doughnut company partnered with Charli, one of TikTok’s most followed personalities. Under the #Charlierunsondunkin hashtag campaign, the brand generated tons of social proof on TikTok. The hashtag campaign saw over 218 million views on TikTok:

They even went ahead to create the Charli Dunkin drink:

@dunkin So official, we put it in writing @charlidamelio. Order ‘The Charli’ on the Dunkin’ app! #CharliRunsOnDunkin #TheCharli #Dunkin ♬ original sound – Dunkin’

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2. User-generated content

You can also pull user-generated content from your social networks straight onto your website. This is a great way to use showcase social proof on your homepage, landing page, and other critical pages on your website. And since the users can click on social media posts, this technique makes your social proof look even more authentic.

Next-gen applications and APIs allow you to integrate social media posts, likes, comments, shares, etc., into different web resources. You could embed your Instagram feed into your landing page. Displaying reviews from the real customers, you’re interacting with on social media (for example, during a webinar, Q&A, or live video feed) allows you to display credibility.

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10 ways to use social proof in your marketing

The advantages of social proof extend beyond brand recognition, trust, and increased revenues. Let’s explore how you can leverage the power of social proof in your marketing strategies.

1. Partner with influencers and experts

B2B and SaaS businesses fair well with marketing techniques like case studies, product recommendations, and testimonials. SEO for SaaS is also vital in getting your product out there through a foolproof digital marketing strategy. 

However, beyond these options, SaaS, B2B, and B2C companies can also leverage the power of niche influencers and industry experts. These experts/influencers have built a steady following on social media. In addition, they boast the credibility of being experts in their field, thus earning the trust of their followers.

For example, GymShark partnered with Vikstar, a popular UK YouTube gamer and social media influencer.

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SaaS brands are also keen on influencer partnerships. But unlike B2C brands, SaaS and B2B companies have to be more strategic. You have to partner with a reputable influencer and expert.

A classic example of an industry influencer expert is Neil Patel, who recommends several different SaaS/B2B products. 

In the image below, Neil recommends Zoho CRM as the best budget CRM. This one endorsement alone is enough to boost revenues significantly for Zoho CRM.

Meller is another excellent example of a brand that leverages the power of niche influencer marketing to promote its eyewear brand. The brand has a dedicated page for all its influencers, most of whom are models or beauticians. 

Despite the advantages provided by influencers in terms of social proof, brands should partner with the right people since this strategy can backfire. Influencers should align with your brand values and be enthusiastic about your product/brand. They should also be able to appeal to your target audience by sharing the same qualities.

2. Add testimonials on sales pages and social media

Satisfied customers are the best kind of marketing for any business. Market on South is a plant-based restaurant and bakery in Orlando, South Florida. The restaurant is reaping significant benefits from recommendations and reviews on Facebook. Not only are folks able to write reviews and leave ratings, but they can also share pictures or videos of their best moments. 

Check out the tasty photo from a customer upload below.

A potential customer can view the ratings, reviews, and kinds of food to expect. They can also make reservations, place orders directly from the Facebook page, and recommend the restaurant to their friends and loved ones.

3. Share results from customer surveys

Sharing results from customer surveys helps you utilize the wisdom of the crowd social proof. Let’s say you ran a quick poll or survey asking users something about your product or service. It could be a comparison between two of your product offerings. Then, the poll generates insane engagements from your customers. You can share the results from this survey to show other prospects what they are missing out on.

Netflix is a great example of a brand that leverages the customer feedback loop to tailor its content. On its debut in 2016, the show Stranger Things averaged viewership numbers of 14 million adults. The viewership had increased to 18 million on average by the second season, making it one of the most popular shows on the network.

Naturally, Netflix would want viewer feedback to know whether the show was a hit or miss and if the fans wanted more seasons or not. Netflix conducted a quick survey on Twitter. A majority of viewers overwhelmingly voted to create the second series of the show.

But here is the interesting bit. With such social proof, even Netflix subscribers who had not watched a single episode of Stranger Things would probably jump onto the bandwagon to watch the show.

4. Establish a referral program

Referrals are important because they tell new customers that someone they know has used a product/service and is satisfied with it. 

For example, if you are a website that teaches folks how to create free online courses, getting your business off the ground can be quite a challenge. However, if one customer successfully creates a course with your tools, they can now recommend your services through the referral program while giving a first-hand experience of how good your services are. 

How do you use referrals to generate social proof for your business? Well, a referral program by itself takes advantage of social proof. You are asking users who are satisfied with your product to recommend it to their peers for an incentive. Therefore, satisfied customers will be using their own testimonials or experiences to pitch your product to their friends. 

Make your referral program simple enough and make the reward scheme quick. Customers who’ve made a successful referral don’t want to wait a lifetime for you to fulfill your promise. Also, the best-performing referral programs reward both the referral and the referrer. Therefore, create a double-sided reward system for your referral program.

5. Use case studies

Case studies are a powerful tool that demonstrates what potential customers can expect from your product or service. Beyond sentimental marketing, case studies dive deep into the numbers and provide an in-depth analysis of past and present results.

For data-driven industries such as B2B and SaaS, it’s not enough to say, “Our product offers XYZ that can boost your revenue.” Evidence-based marketing, such as a case study, backs your claims with real results. 

That is one of the marketing strategies used at Audiense. It’s not enough to tell users what audience intelligence tools can do. So, Audiense created a dedicated page for case studies. These case studies are proving to be far more effective than mere customer reviews. 

Why are case studies important? They back brand claims by providing real data. They also demonstrate how someone used your product successfully through a first-hand customer account. Finally, they build credibility and trust. With so many claims and numbers floating around, it’s difficult to tell who is fake and who isn’t.

So, how do you create a winning case study? Follow the tips below:

• Use tools like Audiense to conduct audience research and create an accurate customer persona. Then use that persona to build your case study. Remember, your case study will only be effective if it’s relevant to your target audience, So make sure your prospects can see themselves in that case study.
• Use storytelling to create an emotional connection. Who is your customer, and what’s their story? What were their goals and pain points? How did you satisfy these needs?
• Create a visually appealing case study. Use strong headlines and clear high-definition pictures of the product and your customers. 
• Include dates, real numbers, charts, and graphs to share success stories such as increased sales or profits. 

Finally, don’t forget to include a strong CTA with each case study. You can direct the readers to sign up for a free trial or book a call with your customer reps, for example. 

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6. Share important milestones

Even if not in a case study, you can still showcase your achievements by sharing milestone data. You can do that on your landing page or social media profiles. Use percentages to make the figures relatable to the average person.

Slack is a productivity app that does this quite effectively. Not only does the Slack team display important metrics concerning customers – but it also integrates customer success stories into its website.

Milestones tap into the wisdom of the crowd social proof. For example, showing year-over-year growth in users can help other prospects want to see what the fuss is about. That means more signups for your product.

7. Tap into media mentions

Don’t underestimate the power of a media mention in building social proof. Media mentions, whether printed or audio-visual, can sway the masses or even a niche viewership to your brand. 

LifeSaber capitalizes on media mentions. LifeSaber is a portable personal emergency generator for wilderness survival.

Besides the authoritativeness of the media, psychologically, there is a power in being mentioned positively by different independent outlets. It reinforces your credibility and exposes your brand to different audiences.

8. Add trust badges

Badges, certificates, and awards will automatically capture the attention of potential customers. 

Craven’s Professional Painting proudly displays its badges, certificates, and achievements on Home Advisor. The social proof from these badges is only amplified further by the 4.97 ratings it has received from 25 verified reviews.

With certifications, awards, and badges, third parties also affirm that you are an expert and have fulfilled certain criteria to be accredited. 

9. Leverage user-generated content (UGC)

User-generated content (UGC) is one of the most powerful ways to generate social proof, especially on social media. By encouraging your audience to submit brand-related content, you can build trust and authenticity and leverage the power of connections outside your network.

GoPro is a prime example of a brand that leverages user-generated content within its brand community to promote new products, promotions, and awards. From sponsoring space jumps and partnering with Marriot Hotel guests to partnering with thousands of influencers to generate new content, GoPro has mastered UGC. 

In fact, their Instagram page is a goldmine of UGC. They share stunning content from their creators and other GoPro product users. 

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A post shared by GoPro (@gopro)

Mejuri is another brand that uses UGC brilliantly. The lifestyle brand that successfully leverages UGC as a marketing tactic on Instagram and Pinterest. In the image below, IG user @karenbritchick highlights her Mejuri collection while showing off her dance moves.

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A post shared by Mejuri (@mejuri)

On Pinterest, Mejuri highlights its different jewelry collections with exclusive pins from its customers or models. With 10million+ monthly views on Pinterest, not counting its other social handles, Mejuri is basking in the glory of social proof.  

10. Incentivize customers to write reviews

Customer reviews are highlighted in many content strategy tips as being the “trust” that search engines like Google desire. Google prominently displays positive reviews in the top tier of its SERPs, especially for local businesses. Facebook will also make recommendations for businesses or services based on reviews.

If you have a new product but very few or no available reviews, you could convince customers to write a testimonial through incentives. For example, you could share the following information with a new customer through email:

“Your feedback helps people like you who are new to our products make better purchasing decisions. Please leave a review to enjoy a $10 discount on your next purchase with this coupon.”

Wrapping up

Social proof is not just an abstract psychological concept. When leveraged correctly, it can be the growth engine you need to apply to your marketing strategy to move your business or brand to the next level and boost conversion rates, sales, networks, and customer loyalty.

Social proof also builds brand trust and credibility, provides richer search engine results, and reduces your overall marketing expenses. Use methods such as referrals, customer testimonials, influencer marketing, case studies, awards, and trust badges to display social proof.

Most importantly, your social proof strategy should be centered around familiarizing yourself with your target audience. Identify which channels and types of social proof would be most effective for them before unrolling any new strategy.

Good luck unlocking your new social proof prowess!

Carlos Serra

Carlos Serra is the head of corporate development and strategy at Audiense, a customer insights and engagement company, where he is responsible for managing partner and integration channels, ensuring seamless commercial expansion. He was named a pioneer in The Social Intelligence Insider 50 (2022) by The Social Intelligence Lab.

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The purpose of social media platforms has changed in the last decade. Today, internet users spend 2 hours 27 minutes on social media daily and they use various social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter for shopping purposes. People use social media platforms to constantly search for new products and buy products based on recommendations they see there.

The demand for social shopping has grown, so businesses of all sizes and niches have an opportunity to attract their target audiences on social media, spark interest in products, and convert them into paying customers. 

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Case in point:

Many customers have named American Express the best business credit card in recent years for giving its Card Members the ability to shop on Twitter with #hashtags.

This means the importance of creating a social media sales funnel is on the rise, too.

Before buying your product, modern customers go through different customer journey stages. At each stage of the sales funnel, the customer is at a different knowledge level, experiencing different things.

Luckily, you can reach your goals, increase brand awareness and get more leads with your social media content strategy. To acquire more customers on social media, it’s important to learn more about different stages of the customer journey and create a social media sales funnel that drives results.

What is a social media sales funnel?

A social media sales funnel is a path that your social media followers go through from discovering your product on social media to making repeat purchases.

When it comes to the social media sales funnel, here are four main stages:

• Awareness/discovery
• Intent
• Conversion
• Loyalty

It’s important that you create content targeting all of these stages to get a conversion and then cultivate loyalty.

Research from McKinsey & Company shows that the sales funnel is circular. More and more customers experience it as a circle with them re-engaging at different points with your business.

Despite multiple interactions that customers have with your brand’s social media handles and the lack of a linear model to map the interactions, it’s still possible for you to create content for people at different stages of the sales funnel and help them seamlessly transit from one stage to another.

How to research information for your social media funnel

Every brand has its target audience and every individual buyer’s journey is unique. However, your potential customers may have a lot in common, so it is useful to understand and reflect on customers’ needs to run your marketing efforts.

With the right questions, you have a possibility to better understand your audience at each stage of the buyer’s journey. The intent behind these questions is to figure out how customers are finding you and your brand online.

Here are several questions that help to research information for your funnel:

1. What’s the information your customers need to transit from one stage of the funnel to the next?
2. How do you understand if customers have made the transition from one stage to the next?

Here’s the blueprint for making a funnel:

1. Create buyer personas based on interviews with your customers
2. Identify the segments of your funnel to move people ahead in the journey
3. Create different types of content for different funnel stages
4. Set up Key Performance Indicators for your funnel
5. Measure the changes
6. Test and iterate again

Once you know your customers better, it’s time to create a social media sales funnel. In this article, you will find ideas for each stage. Let’s dive into it!

How to create a social media sales funnel

Having a social media presence doesn’t mean attracting your target audience who show interest in your products or services to become customers. To create a social media sales funnel that brings results, it’s important to take a look at your profile and its content from buyers’ viewpoints.

Once you know your customers’ needs and use social media to solve their problems, you get a chance to remove uninterested people and work closely with your target audience.  

When you have a strong social media marketing strategy and you create valuable content, people are more likely to interact with your content–like, comment, or share it. They can also engage with a brand hashtag campaign or watch your ads. For your business, this means a possibility to focus on interested followers who are about to become your customers.

Here are four stages of a social media sales funnel with actionable tips on how to improve each of them.

1. Awareness/Discovery

Any marketing funnel begins when your people discover your brand. For a social media funnel, that process begins on social media sites.

During the awareness stage, people have a chance to learn more about your business, its values, and its products to understand whether your company aligns with their needs and wants. 

Remember that there’s no need to pitch your products or services during the discovery phase. Start with simple things. Offer value in a way that potential customers remember your brand and come back to learn more.

Long story short: your content should be eye-catching and engaging.

If you grab the attention of your audience, you can tell your social media visitors more about your company and its products to prove that you have a solution for their problems. That’s why your social media profile should be cohesive and eye-catching.

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No matter what social media platform you use, start with making stunning visuals as 65% of the population are visual learners. This means the majority of people perceive visual information better than texts or audio. To stand out from the crowd and boost sales, lay a bet on creative visuals that grab attention.

With a big number of effective photo editing tools, making professional-looking and eye-catching social media posts is no longer a problem for big brands or even small businesses. For example, Photoleap is an all-in-one photo editing app that offers a ton of filters and effects to make artistic masterpieces with photo mixing, blending, and layer editing. Moreover, users can resize their images or choose from a variety of fonts to unleash their creativity while sharing a message.

Example 1: Aiko Reiki

Let’s take yoga trainer Aiko Reiki as an example. She made an eye-catching photo to grab the attention of her audience to her podcast about yoga practice, prove her niche expertise and therefore turn followers into listeners who may ask for her services in the future.

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A post shared by Aiko Ota (@aikoyogareiki)

Example 2: Zoho

Take a look at how Zoho uses a short video to introduce what Zoho Commerce can do for you as an online retailer: 

Example 3: NYX

Here’s another example from a beauty brand NYX, a leader in the beauty niche. The company posts frequently on social channels to get more likes, comments, and shares which also means an opportunity to boost engagement and reach a wider audience of interested social media users.

To tell potential customers about their product variety, the company made a series of product shots. One of their TikTok videos—a simple tutorial on creating wings— got more than 357,000 views million views and generated more than 12000 engagements. 

@nyxcosmetics There’s no such thing as too many #wingedliner hacks!! @Andrea Martin #nyxcosmetics #wingliner #epicink ♬ Art of Self – NYX Cosmetics

2. Intent

Once you reach the right people during the discovery phase, your business gets a chance to interact with potential customers who are more likely to make a purchase. During the intent stage, customers are looking for more specific information about your product or service to make sure your business is right for them. This includes researching why your service or product stands out from your competitors.

Now it’s time to generate more leads and the best thing you can do is to provide even more detailed content about your products and services.

Here are some ideas on creating content that helps people walk through the intent phase:

• Guides
• Explainer videos
• Influencer endorsements
• Product reviews
• Customer testimonials

Example 1: Hubspot

The easiest way is to create image posts with a focus on the product’s features as it doesn’t take much time or effort. When you write captions for these posts, remember to include a CTA that guides users on what to do next, as Hubspot did:

You can also use retargeting ads on Facebook or Instagram to target people who interacted with your website or content in the past. Or you can also include a website to redirect interested users and drive traffic to your site’s pages through social media. Not only does it increase the number of visitors you get, but it also gives space for people who are visiting to explore more of your products and services.

Example 2: Wishfulskin

If you want to stand out from the crowd and wow your hooked followers, one of the best ideas is to post tutorial videos that provide viewers with handy information and market your products at the same time. As a health and beauty, Wishfulskin shares helpful tips and skin care tutorials as reels:

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A post shared by wishfulskin (@wishfulskin)

Example 3: Seattle Coffee Gear

Here’s another example, this time from Seattle Coffee Gear. The company uses its Youtube channel to post informational content that coffee makers will love. By doing coffee machines reviews, viewers get valuable information that solves their problems:

3. Conversion

By the time people reach the stage of conversion, they show clear intent to buy products from you. During this phase, fans become customers if you help them make a purchase.

When building a social media sales funnel, it’s important to optimize your profiles for social shopping and therefore help customers buy from you without leaving the app. In other words, you need to turn your social media profile into a storefront and do your best to help people make in-app purchases, some ideas to help include the following:

• Create product catalogues
• Add product stickers
• Include clickable links
• Provide followers with discounts or promo codes

Example: Freshbeauty

You can also create remarketing ad campaigns that re-engage anyone who has shown interest during the early stages of the funnel and offer a time-limited discount to turn these users into customers.

Fresh is a good example of this strategy; to celebrate Black Friday, the company made a campaign that announced a 25% discount, and within 4 days, the campaign resulted in 8X more content views and it generated 32% of sales from Instagram and Facebook.

When you give a solid reason for interested social media users to buy from you, be ready to receive a big number of questions about your product, delivery time, or payment methods. If you have a customer service team who monitors social media accounts, that’s great. However, you can also include a phone number in the bio section and use call tracking to understand where your interested customers come from.  

4. Loyalty

Practically every business aims to acquire customers. If you have reached more customers on social media, that’s great. Now it’s time to do your best to keep these consumers loyal. Why? Acquiring a new customer is 5x more expensive than retaining an existing one.

Having a loyal following, not only do you get repeat purchases, but you can also encourage people to share positive recommendations with their friends and family. People trust word-of-mouth recommendations.

Never forget about the audience once the sale is over. Continue building relationships so that customers never forget about you.

The buyer’s journey is circular, so nurture relations with first-time visitors to increase brand loyalty. One of the strategies for this phase is to provide valuable content or so-called lead magnets. 

Example 1: Baremetrics

For example, you can offer an ebook and provide your interested social media followers with a lead magnet in exchange for their contact information.

If you’re a B2B company, you can immediately engage a first-time visitor to sign up for a lead. You can also use remarketing ads to offer free trials as a big incentive to start getting interested customers to come back for more.

Here are examples of ads Baremetrics ran for their product:

Example 2: Essie

Another idea is to show love to your customers. Essie values its customers, so the company has created the #essielove hashtag campaign to post photos of how customers are using the product. The hashtag is an opportunity for customers to feel like a part of the bigger community and share their content with Essie’s two million followers.

Example 3: Wise

What is more, you can share customer testimonials to show your loyal customers and therefore set an example for other customers to show appreciation for your business if they are happy with your products or services. For instance, Wise has invited several real customers to share their experiences of using Wise to describe how you can send money for the cheapest fees anywhere in India. Check it out below:

As a business, you will have at least a few happy customers in your industry. Make use of feedback from happy customers to put a quote on the image or create a video testimonial for your social media profiles.

Example 4: Dove x CartoonNetwork

Keep existing customers engaged with the brand by providing them with engaging content. Let’s take this Instagram video from Dove as an example where they partnered with Cartoon Network: 

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A post shared by Dove Global Channel (@dove)

This video generated 1+ million views and drove a 37.3% engagement rate as fans started commenting on the self-esteem project in droves. The action Dove took by fighting against established gender notions resonated with fans. It was the year’s most engaging post from Dove.

Conclusion

Today, customers choose social media platforms to keep in touch with brands, discover new products, or even make purchases. 

No matter your business niche or size, it’s high time to create a social media sales funnel if you market your products on social media. To achieve business growth, it’s important to interact with your fans during each of the four stages of the customer journey. The above-mentioned tips can help your business build a sales funnel for social media that drives results and brings your business to the next level.

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About the Author: George is a writer and blogger at Kamaybloggers.com, a site he started to share cutting-edge marketing insights.

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Enter social media monitoring

There are several social media monitoring tools out there that will track mentions of your brand on social media to keep an eye on what people are saying about you. 

But before you get the ball rolling on your social media monitoring, it’s important to be aware of the potential pitfalls. That’s why, in this article, we’ll go over some common rookie social media monitoring mistakes to take heed of before they derail your social strategy.

What is social media monitoring, and how can it help you?

Social media monitoring is all about staying on top of all the chatter that is happening around your brand, industry and competitors. It asserts a proactive stance towards all types of correspondence related to your business, regardless of the sentiments attached to them. 

By taking note of the conversations that go on around you, you can gather all sorts of valuable information, such as:

• Social share of voice: How visible your brand is in relation to your competition.
• Social ROI: If the money you spend on your brand’s social presence is yielding results.
• Social sentiment analysis: The way people feel and the tone they use when talking about your brand on social media.
• Social trends: The latest trends your audience is captivated by. 
• Relevant keywords and hashtags: Which hashtags or keywords your competitors are using and ones you may consider using in the future.

Note that it’s not just quantitative data you’ll be collecting through social monitoring, but also qualitative insights that can help inform your future posts and campaign strategies. 

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Social monitoring vs social listening

Many people mistakenly believe that social media monitoring and social media listening are the same thing, but they are in fact two very different techniques that should not be used interchangeably. 

Social monitoring refers to tracking, identifying, and responding to individual social mentions of your brand, products, and competitors. Social listening, on the other hand, is the process of gathering data from those social mentions and the broader customer conversations to figure out insights that can ultimately be used to improve business results.

You can think of social media monitoring as akin to putting a band-aid on a wound while social media listening helps you understand why the wound occurred in the first place.

Social media monitoring is a short-term solution, in that you react to what your audience is saying — responding to a customer complaint, for instance. Social media listening, however, is a proactive process aimed at creating a long-term solution based on social media insights — for example, fixing a problem that people are complaining about so others do not have the same issue.

Social media monitoring mistakes to avoid

With the basics of social media monitoring sorted out, it’s time to get down to the juicy details. Let’s take a closer look at the most common social media monitoring mistakes so you can keep yourself from making them. 

Mistake #1: Not laying out a clear plan before you get started

It’s amazing how many companies try to jump on the social media monitoring wagon without proper planning only to be disappointed when they don’t see any positive outcomes.

But if you have no idea what you need to do, how are you ever going to get results?

Before embarking on your social monitoring quest, take some time to sit down and think about what exactly you’re hoping to accomplish with this new pursuit. Your plan should include measures to minimise risk, such as:

1. Which social media channels you’re going to monitor and why

2. What metrics you’ll track and what they mean for your business

3. How often you’ll check in on things

These are all great places to start when you design your social media monitoring plan. It doesn’t have to be super detailed—just make sure you know what you want from your monitoring tools. Once you’ve got that jotted down, you can begin monitoring your social media accounts. 

Mistake #2: Not responding quickly enough

Social media is fast-paced, and the most relevant conversations are often happening in real time. As a brand, you need to be able to react quickly in order to respond appropriately and capitalise on timely opportunities. If you don’t act swiftly, you may lose out on customers. According to the 2022 Sprout Social Index, not responding in a timely fashion on social media causes more than a third (35%) of consumers to turn to a competitor as a result. To further illustrate this point, here’s an example of how Brand24 lured a potential customer away from Salesforce. 

Salesforce’s response time in this case was not the best. Not responding to the customer fast enough enabled the competitor to seize the opportunity by responding quickly and offering a solution of their own.

Even if you manage to retain the customer despite slow response time, your brand will not enjoy the same level of engagement. Why? Simply because the people will have either moved on from the conversation or they no longer feel excited about your brand’s social presence.  

If you want to see just how quickly a company can respond to customers’ concerns, scroll through Glossier’s Twitter feed. The beauty brand works hard at getting back to social mentions as fast as possible. Just take a peek at the timestamps on this tweet for proof.

Being quick to acknowledge social mentions shows your followers that their voices matter and encourages them to continue engaging with your content regularly. It’s also very important to communicate your message effectively. Responding quickly without being able to communicate efficiently will also look bad on your brand.

If you’re a small business and find that it’s difficult to respond in time because you’re just too busy with other tasks, consider using a virtual assistant service to find someone with a social media focus that can help. 

Mistake #3: Not putting social monitoring analytics to good use

Social media monitoring analytics can give you powerful insights if you use them right. The problem is, most people don’t. They read and respond to social mentions—and they never look at the data behind those mentions. 

By digging a little deeper into the monitoring analytics, you’ll gain a fuller picture of your social media efforts.

For example, if you evaluate the spike in mentions in relation to the number of damaging mentions, you can gain insight into your audience’s sentiment. In the event that the negative mentions slope is more indicative of the spike, damage control may be needed. You can then assess the extent of your damage control by comparing audience sentiment and reach.

So, don’t think of social monitoring analytics as an isolated data point pertaining to a single task. View it as a constant source of insight that can help drive your social media strategy.

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Mistake #4: Not using social media monitoring to spot relevant trends

Sometimes it is difficult to figure out which social media trends to pay attention to and which ones to ignore. A trend caught at the right time, however, can prove invaluable for your online visibility. Take a look at how Jamie Oliver is raking in the engagement by riding the Valentine’s Day trend.

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A post shared by Jamie Oliver (@jamieoliver)

If you are simply monitoring and responding to social media mentions, then you are not making the most of the tool available. Social media monitoring platforms make sure you’re never caught off guard by keeping you posted on any upcoming occasions and events you may want to include in your social media content calendar. 

Mistake #5: Not watching your competitor’s activity

If you’re not monitoring your competitors’ social media activity, you’re missing out on golden opportunities to learn more about them as well as about yourself. Keeping tabs on your competition will provide you with a clear picture of exactly where your social media strategy stands in comparison. You’ll be able to:

• Discover which brands in your industry share the most social media attention.
• Listen in on what other people are saying about your competitors.
• Identify social media influencers who are mentioning your competitors.
• See what social media trends or campaigns made your competitor’s engagement and mentions soar.

Analysing your competitors’ online presence will allow you to uncover massive areas of opportunity. Take, for instance, MoonPie’s response to Hostess, a rival snack-cake brand, that promoted its golden cupcakes during the 2017 solar eclipse. MoonPie noticed the attention its competitor was receiving and sought to turn the tide with its terse, but impactful, tweet. 

Mistake #6: Not narrowing down your search

It’s easy to get excited about the sheer amount of details that social media monitoring offers, but you should resist the temptation to overextend the scope of your alerts. It’s better to focus on specific mentions and monitor them closely rather than juggling multiple threads at once. This way, you won’t waste your time going through irrelevant mentions.

For example, when SaaS company Paperbell started monitoring their mentions, they were overwhelmed by volume. Paperbell primarily targeted life coaches, but the term “life coach” includes current working coaches, those who want to train to be coaches, as well as clients looking for a life coach. Over time, Paperbell was able to learn the connotations of different hashtags to narrow their monitoring to only the working coaches that make up their target market.

5 Tips to make social media monitoring work smoothly

Below are a few tips to get your social media monitoring off to a good start:

1. Find a tool that works for you

There are tons of options out there, so start by limiting your criteria based on the type of monitoring you are looking for, then go from there. Then ensure that your chosen social media monitoring tool is compatible with your monitoring needs.

2. Don’t limit your search to your handle

It’s not uncommon for brands to have alternative names. Abbreviations, different names for social accounts, common typos etc. Consider all possible variations of your brand’s name when defining your query.

3. Get to know your users

Get to know the users who mention your brand or product regularly on social media. Building relationships with them will make them more likely to become your brand advocate over time.

Monitoring platforms for social media keep evolving at an accelerated pace, some platforms now come with dedicated modules to find potential leads. Put in the keywords people would use to search for your products or services, and you will receive a stream of leads in return. To increase the chances of converting prospects into real customers, stay in touch with them, and answer any questions they may have about your offerings. If you operate an offline store, you can also share QR codes encoding the exact location of the store for prospects to check out your offerings. 

4. Consider hiring someone dedicated to social media monitoring

Social media monitoring is one of the most valuable tools in any business’ arsenal—but if you don’t have time to get it right, hiring someone who does is a great idea. Just make sure to lay out all of your expectations, goals, and objectives with crystal clarity, during the social media proposal creation process.

5. Be on the lookout for unusual activity

Social media crises can occur at any time. Configure your monitoring software to notify you when mention volumes spike or social sentiment meters flash red.

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With over half the world on social media, it makes sense that your new SaaS startup should be on social media as well.

But where do you begin? Facebook can be crowded, Reddit can be downright confusing, and LinkedIn is usually best suited for B2B conversations. Finding a way to stand out from the crowd can be exhausting, assuming you have a strategy in place to begin with.

Social media is where the customers are in control, so to succeed in social media marketing for SaaS, you have to meet them where they are. ​​The tips below will help you do precisely that.

Learn the social media platforms

In the 20th century, the phrase “social networking” was a virtual unknown. Today, there are dozens of social media sites (if not hundreds) that crop up every single day, hoping to gain a share of the market and your attention.

Realistically though, anywhere from 10 to 15 social media sites are worth your time  — and even then, only if they suit your needs. Facebook is the resident juggernaut, followed by YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. WhatsApp is one of the main platforms in European and Asian markets.

Scale your efforts back even further, though. Instead of trying to learn all of the social media platforms, focus on one and learn everything about it. The obvious choice for this would be Facebook since it boasts nearly 3 billion active users, but if your brand requires video, think about using YouTube or Instagram.

Experience is the best teacher when it comes to learning a platform, but you should also look into taking free online courses that can help you understand each outlet’s capabilities. StuDocu, for instance, offers a number of online educational materials and learning resources that anyone can access to expand their knowledge about a specific platform or social media marketing for SaaS.

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Focus on social media awareness

Although social media can be utilised across all parts of the SaaS marketing funnel, it’s best used at the TOFU (Top of Funnel) stage. At this point, your only objective is to generate as much awareness as you possibly can. You should look to inform your audience about the various products and services you offer and the values that your brand strives to achieve.

How you do this is contingent on your capabilities and your resources. Status updates are given on sites like Facebook and Twitter, but you can also utilise long-form blog content to teach your customers how to use your software or educate them about the industry. Professional tips and tactics are also welcome.

Another effective content type is user testimonials. Even as a startup, you should have a few generous reviews from your current customers, so create some graphics that highlight the various strengths of your software and publish them to your channel. SaaS LMS systems offer scalable and flexible solutions for educational needs, making them a valuable asset for startups aiming to enhance their training and development programs.

This technically counts as user-generated content, which describes any piece of content that is not developed in-house. On occasion, your employees may assist with creating UGC, but it always works better when the potential customer hears or sees the product in action from other customers. Be sure to tag whoever created that content for you in the comments or in the caption to help expand your reach.

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Invest in high-quality visuals

when it comes to social media marketing for SaaS, It doesn’t really matter which platform you use; visuals are important.

They can also be the most challenging. Infographics need to be detailed, and the statistics need to be verified. Gifs need to be visible on the platform, not a link that takes you to a third-party website. Pictures should be high definition, not grainy photos that look like they were taken through a potato. 

All of this costs money, whether you’re paying for a graphic designer or spending staff resources to create these images. But, once you do, the ROI is there; social media posts that include high-quality images typically get 650% higher engagement than those that don’t. Plus, you can repurpose these across multiple platforms.

But creating images is the easy part. The real question is what the content of those images looks like.

Most businesses choose to focus on video rather than still images, which is perfect for your SaaS startup. Live video, in particular, works really well. You can have a live question and answer session, a behind-the-scenes tour of the product and its capabilities, and panel discussions from various industry experts. This type of video shows your brand’s vulnerability and authority.

SaaS explainer videos work really well, too. It doesn’t necessarily need to be professionally produced. Still, a well-done video that shows your product and services in action can help customers visualise it in their own lives, which can go a long way.

Content is king. Blog articles, newsletters, or even investing in a podcast platform to share interviews and expert advice — all of it can be enhanced with a few high-quality images or videos.

Create partnerships

The very nature of social media is that it is collaborative. Forming communities and participating actively in groups strengthens our sense of belonging, so it makes sense that creating partnerships with complementary businesses will only benefit your startup.

To get started, identify a few brands that complement your business. These may be in the same industry — or even a competitor — or they could be in a completely separate niche. A lawn care company, for instance, may partner with a home cleaning service to provide bundled services to both audiences. 

Alternatively, you can share your resources with other businesses to increase visibility. For example, you could hire a writer to create long-form content for your SaaS product, then give it to other companies (as long as you get the link in the credit) to give to their audiences. Just make sure that it benefits everyone, or else the reputation of everybody involved will suffer.

Sponsorship is also a great way to give your business a quick, initial boost. Reach out to a company whose audience is in your target market, and offer a free trial of your product. You may have to pay for the initial placement, but if done correctly, you can create a valuable partnership that benefits everyone.

It’s important to remember that business relationships should not consist of one-off benefits. Instead, look to form collaborative relationships that you can harvest for years to come.

Leverage social media industry influencers

In years past, marketers typically referred to influencers as endorsers, but the concept is the same. Your company is paying somebody else to share your product with their audience for a small fee. Obviously, the larger the audience, the more you’ll have to pay for their endorsement, so make sure you find the right influencer that will help you have the broadest reach.

Instead of automatically paying for top talent, consider looking for mid-level influencers with a wad of engagements with their current market. Often, these influencers are eager to have sponsorship deals because it gives them added credibility to their audience. Moreover, if these influencers reach more people in time, you’ll have a relationship with them already that you’ll be able to leverage down the road.

Influencers work well because of the so-called “halo effect.” This theory argues that if someone likes a certain aspect of something — their speaking style, fashion choices, or political beliefs — you subconsciously assume certain other things about their character. If they speak well, for instance, they must also be intelligent. If they are attractive, they’d have to also be funny.

By the same token, if people associate positive feelings toward an influencer, they’ll transfer those positive feelings to your brand. That’s just one of the reasons that influencer marketing is expected to multiply exponentially over the next several years, just as it has in the past. Utilise it correctly, and it can be one of the biggest boosts to your SaaS startup.

Utilise social media paid ads

If you really want to push the envelope with your early-stage social media SaaS marketing, paid ads are hard to beat. Facebook has made the bulk of its fortune by harvesting and sharing important demographic data with advertisers, and other platforms have followed suit. 

Since social media’s organic reach has dropped over the past couple of years, marketers have been forced to use paid advertisements to enter communities that they wouldn’t be able to reach otherwise. The key is developing an audience that you can communicate with consistently, then retarget them with offers for your products and services.

In the beginning, you may not have a budget for social media marketing for SaaS or even an audience to work with. Start with low-budget awareness ads that simply announce who you are, then use that data to create your custom audience. You’ll also develop crucial insights into what kind of messaging your audience does and doesn’t respond to, which will transfer to other platforms.

Explore The Data Behind Your Social Media Accounts

Find the best time to post, track your follower growth, and understand what content works best with post and account analytics.

Try Hopper HQ Now

Offer customer support

Social media is the perfect intersection between businesses and customers, so it makes sense that customer service could be one of the use cases for sites like Facebook and Reddit. After all, if people log on to social media to complain about a product or service, it’s in the business’s best interest to respond on that same platform.

The research backs this up. 54% of survey respondents said they had a more favourable view of a specific brand after seeing them respond to complaints on social media. Failure to respond to comments at all can lead to a 15% churn rate for your customers. Those are two numbers that any SaaS startup needs to pay attention to. 

Customer requests can also be a gold mine for market research, especially in the early days. When you’re just finding out which aspects of your product and messaging work and which don’t, getting near-instant feedback from your customers is invaluable. This shapes your brand to respond to what customers want, not what you think they want.

The reactive nature of social media has prompted many SaaS businesses to also use their platforms as a storefront. Businesses can build their profiles to include in-app checkout, tags for various product categories, and links back to their main page. Copy AI builds on this idea by creating Instagram posts that share tips and offers on their products, like a sentence rewriter.

“Done is better than perfect”

Two things matter the most when it comes to social media marketing for SaaS: consistency and intentionality. Every venture into a new platform needs to come with a strategy parallel to it – one that you plan on following through to the end.

For that reason, worry less about taking the “right” step and focus on taking a step in general. Get present, get active, and start trying to reach your audience where they are.

Enjoyed this post? You might also like:

• Your Ultimate Guide to Instagram Carousel Posts
• Top 10 Tips for Instagram Growth for Small Businesses
• How to Choose The Best Social Media Management Tool for Your Business

Sarang Padhye

Sarang is a passionate content marketer and Account Manager at uSERP. He runs a successful blog on filmmaking and advertising and loves writing copy for video commercials in his spare time.

The post 8 Tips for Social Media Marketing for SaaS Startups in 2024 appeared first on Hopper HQ.

Is your business reaching that massive audience effectively?

Even if you don’t fancy yourself an “influencer,” Instagram growth for your small business can still be powerful. Everything from short-form videos to captioned images can be used and reused, engaging your audience with relevant content they can’t find in many other places.

Take Old Spice’s Dream Runner campaign from 2016 as an example. Instead of simply asking its audience to “like” and “comment” on the posts, they asked people to create a post of their own. More specifically, they asked people to run a route in the shape of one of Old Spice’s prizes and use a GPS to track it on a map. Once they uploaded their picture to Instagram, they then used the hashtag #runoldspice to enter the contest.

Working hand-in-hand with major influencers relevant to its niche, Old Spice was able to raise its brand awareness and promote a new product line. And the Old Spice marketing team did it all by tapping into the natural desire of humans to be part of a community.

That community is what social media is known for, and Instagram provides a creative outlet for your audience to take part. It doesn’t matter if you’re an insta-veteran or an insta-novice, you can leverage Instagram to engage your ideal customer base and grow your follower count quickly with the right approach.

Instagram growth tips for small business

1. Know your platform

You won’t be able to maximize Instagram’s capabilities unless you’re familiar with everything it can do.

Like every other social media platform, Instagram growth is all about content creation and distribution. Even though it’s hemmed in by image and video-based content, you can get extremely creative in how you utilise that media.

(Image Source)

Instagram Reels

Instagram Reels, for instance, are short videos that you can overlay with augmented reality, music, and captions. The typical length of a single reel can last anywhere from 15-60 seconds, and you can even create them ahead of time to upload later.

Instagram Stories

Instagram stories are another feature. Whereas you can only share video-based format with Reels, Instagram stories allow you to share text content such as written posts and links. Unfortunately, Stories have a time limit attached to them: After 24 hours, they disappear.

Hopper HQ allows you to schedule instagram stories and instagram reels right from your desktop. Click here to get started and take your Instagram to the next level!

2. Optimise and get verified

Both Reels and Stories allow you to place links inside your posts to generate external traffic to a website or e-commerce shop. But if you plan on growing your brand, you’ll need to create a fully-fleshed out account, complete with verification and an optimised profile.

With a legitimate online presence, getting verified is quick and easy. Just click on the settings button under your profile tab, and press “request verification” from the account menu. Getting verified ensures that your brand stays protected; anyone who follows you knows they’re not dealing with an imposter.

Optimising your profile is a little more nuanced:

• Remember that your username is different from your account name. Choose an SEO-rich term for your name field that will tell users what you really do
• Fill your bio (don’t stuff, though) with related hashtags and other accounts you’re partnering with. Not only is this a great way to make your account more visible, but you can also grow your audience by establishing partnerships.
• You only get one link in your bio, so make it count. While you may choose to direct your audience to your homepage, you can also use it for an event or promotions page, depending on current efforts on Instagram.
• Don’t forget about messaging! Sliding into someone’s DM’s isn’t just a great way to reach out to celebrities, it can also be perfect for answering customer questions and soliciting feedback.

3. Have a consistent aesthetic

Making sure your brand looks the same from platform to platform is a must. Not only will your brand establish trust with your audience, but it will also make it more memorable. And when a brand is memorable, that means more money added to your bottom line.

(Image Source)

So how do you keep your branding consistent across all your channels? It goes beyond simply having the right logo icon, colour palettes and font types. It needs to feel memorable at a glance in the same way that the Golden Arches from McDonald’s makes you instantly understand what you’re seeing (and how it can soothe your hunger).

Consider how your messaging appears on your emails, website, and social media platforms. If your style guide uses a certain type of filter, remember to use it when posting on other channels. Certain tools can help with this; Picsart, for instance, can add quality photo effects to your posts.

Hopper HQ Tip
Hopper HQ offers full image editing within the same tool. You can bulk edit posts to maintain brand consistency and create a beautiful Instagram feed aesthetic. 

Simple Post, Story + Reel Scheduling

Visually plan your social content. Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn + Pinterest

Try Hopper HQ Now

4. Post user-generated content or write user stories

Deciding how often to post on Instagram can change depending on how many followers your account has. Most experts argue that a business with 1,000–250,000 followers should shoot for somewhere between 2-3 times a day.

That can get tiring. To help build up a portfolio of content — and increase engagement — you should strongly consider posting and sharing content generated from your audience. This isn’t necessarily user-generated content (although that can be a goldmine as well), but stories that show your product in action from a consumer.

A shoe shop, for instance, can share a video of someone running the Boston Marathon in its shoes. An offroading retailer can share clips of its customers taking on Moab. And a software company may create a reel highlighting the efficiency benefits of its product from a real-life business.

5. Follow the social media rule of thirds

If you manage your own social media accounts and create your own content, remember to employ the “rule of thirds.” 

• One-third of your content should be promotional in nature, featuring your own content or products.
• Another third should be about curating other posts, like industry news, or featuring any user-generated content.
• The last aspect should be about conversation and interaction, asking and answering questions from your customers, etc.

It’s a simple rule that keeps your social media feed from becoming too promotional and sterile.

6. Utilise micro-influencers

Instagram has played a big role in creating a new type of celebrity called “influencers.” In the past, these people would have been referred to as “endorsers,” but the title influencer reflects their ability to “influence” an audience’s purchasing decisions.

Having a top influencer speak about your brand can be a huge boon for your shop. You’ll place your brand in front of potentially thousands of new users, recouping the influencer’s fees and then some.

But upper-echelon influencers can also cost a fortune. Instead, opt for “micro-influencers” that have substantially fewer followers. The upside is that you can find micro-influencers with a small audience, yes, but one that is laser-targeted on your niche. They’re a lot cheaper than other influencers and can attract just as many prospects when you add scale through multiple micro-influencers.

When looking for people to shout out your brand on Instagram, don’t just look at the follower count — check their engagement rates. Is anyone commenting on their posts? What types of content is their audience engaging with? Does the influencer respond to audience comments and questions?

Having one mega-influencer can work for some brands, but establishing relationships with lower-tier influencers is great for long-term growth. Stack enough of them, and they can become a major channel for your brand.

7. Pay attention to social media metrics

In digital marketing, metrics are invaluable. They not only give you benchmarks as to where your business currently is but also written-in-stone goals as to where your company should be. They are the measuring rod for the success of your company, and brands ignore them at their own peril. As Peter Drucker once said, “What gets measured gets managed.”

The “insights” tab on your Instagram account will give you a ton of numbers that you can track and improve. You could also use an Instagram follower counter tool like GetLikes to monitor your stats. Experiment with different posting times and content strategies to see what’s resonating with your audience, and adjust as necessary. 

Metrics to measure:

• Average engagement rate
• Follower growth
• Click-throughs
• Reach

Hopper HQ’s social analytics offer insightful data with detailed post metrics and audience insights that increase your engagement, drive traffic, and boost your social media marketing success.

Explore The Data Behind Your Social Media Accounts

Find the best time to post, track your follower growth, and understand what content works best with post and account analytics.

Try Hopper HQ Now

8. Run contests and giveaways

If you’re looking to increase your followers as quickly as possible, it’s hard to beat a contest. With a minimal investment, you can cause your reach and audience count to skyrocket in a matter of hours. If it’s done correctly, you should also see your engagement go up as well, which can cause a ripple effect for your other posts.

The goal isn’t simply to bloat your vanity metrics, but to find similar audience members that are currently outside your reach. Your current audience members will share it within their network, causing others to discover your brand.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Freepik (@freepik)

The image editing software Freepik ran a design contest with a top prize of $1,000. As an entry, participants had to follow Freepik’s Instagram account, create a design from the link in Freepik’s bio, and then post the image using the hashtag #WithFreepikCreate. 

The results? Over 100 pieces of user-generated content to go along with an increased following and engagement.

Running a contest is almost foolproof. On average, brands that use giveaways grow their accounts 70% faster than accounts that don’t. If you are absolutely against the idea of a contest, consider creating a post that offers a discount to get a short-term boost.

9. Use hashtags

For the uninitiated, hashtags are a way to categorise content on a social media network. Facebook and Twitter both use them to a certain extent, but they’re particularly effective on Instagram, where you can make your content “trend” just by using the right combination of hashtags. If your content starts trending, it’ll find its way into other people’s Instagram feed, broadening your reach without having to spend any money on advertising.

You can include up to 30 hashtags on a regular post, and up to 10 hashtags on a Story. If you google the ideal number of hashtags to use on your Instagram post, you’ll find a lot of conflicting data stating that the ideal hashtag number is somewhere from 8 to 14. According to case studies and research, however, 11 hashtags seem to be the magic number, increasing engagement with each hashtag as you go up to 11, but declining afterwards.

The key is to make it seem natural; the last thing you want to be accused of is hashtag stuffing just to gain views. 

There are five main types of hashtags:

• Location hashtags
• Branded hashtags
• Industry hashtags
• Community hashtags
• Descriptive hashtags

Each one of these categories has broad hashtags (such as #texas for geography), and more specific ones (like #easttexas). Ideally, you would use a mix of larger, more generic hashtags, along with more specific ones that are targeted to your niche. 

Industry-specific hashtags are always a good idea. For example, if you have an eCommerce store that sells video-based safety equipment such as dash cams or panic buttons, you can use hashtags like #dashcams and #drivesafe. You can also follow the hashtags for your industry to stay up to date with the trends. 

Although you will want to stick with the most popular hashtags — i.e., the ones other people are actively searching for — don’t be afraid to experiment with new hashtags. You might be able to catch one that is just starting to gain traction and ride that wave to a larger audience. Also, consider adding extra hashtags as the first comment on your story to gain a few extra slots.

Discover the best hashtags for Instagram & reach more people to grow your audience with our Hashtag tool. Get 1000s of relevant hashtag suggestions in seconds and save them into hashtag lists to easily and quickly get more post impressions.

10. Engage, engage, engage

Social media is all about relationship-building, and Instagram is no exception. If there is a “secret sauce” to catapulting your account to superstardom, regular and genuine engagement is it. Interacting with other people’s posts and comments shows that you’re interested in your community. Tagging popular users and giving shoutouts to dedicated fans will strengthen their loyalty.

NIke is a brand that absolutely nails Instagram (along with virtually every other form of marketing). Their posts combine inspirational stories with product demos and a healthy dose of behind the scenes images. People feel free to not only comment on the material, but share with a friend, which drives virality.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nike (@nike)

But how are you supposed to engage with your audience while you’re trying to run a business? For starters, dedicate a few minutes at the same time every day to respond to comments and questions. Second, use genuine responses only; canned answers reek of disinterest and will only serve to drive your audience away. Use a social media scheduling tool like Hopper HQ to free up more time for engagement

Instagram growth is possible for your small business in 2022

Even if you’ve never used any kind of social media for your business, Instagram growth can be a great step towards bringing your brand the added awareness it needs to thrive. You can shape your identity and reach a wider audience than ever before while engaging with your community in real, meaningful dialogue. 

But to do that, you need to know the platform, focus on engagement, post user-generated content, leverage micro-influencers, and learn to use hashtags to engage your audience.

The real benefit to Instagram growth is the ability to showcase your products and services, especially by placing them in the hands of everyday users. Best of all, you don’t need to be a major brand to find success; small business owners dominate their markets simply by being authentic and relevant.

How will you engage with your community on Instagram? Share your ideas in the comments.

Enjoyed this post? You might also like:

• Your Ultimate Guide to Instagram Carousel Posts
• How to Create a Social Media Strategy for Your Small Business in 8 Steps
• How to Choose The Best Social Media Management Tool for Your Business

Andy Crestodina

Andy’s the co-founder of Orbit Media, an award-winning 40-person digital agency in Chicago.
Over the past 20 years, Andy has provided digital marketing advice to 1000+ businesses and written 500+ articles on content strategy, SEO, visitor psychology and Analytics. He’s also the author of Content Chemistry: The Illustrated Handbook for Content Marketing.

The post Top 10 Tips for Instagram Growth for Small Businesses appeared first on Hopper HQ.

According to research by Statista, Instagram ranks among the top 10  most visited websites globally, with over 2.9 billion monthly visits. Instagram boasts 1.3 million daily active global users coming in 4th after Facebook, Youtube and WhatsApp.

In Q4 2021, Instagram ranked as the most downloaded app, which comes as no surprise as Instagram presents businesses with great opportunities for customer engagement, sales and huge returns on investment (ROI). 

Adding Instagram to your social media strategy presents enormous prospects for your brand. However, to get the most of the opportunities for engagement on Instagram, you cannot ignore Instagram carousels. 

Instagram has various features and types of posts. You can publish videos, reels, stories, or single images. However, Carousel posts have the highest engagement rate per single impression on Instagram. Social media managers are yet to maximise this opportunity as 75% of brand posts are single-image posts.

Keep reading to learn how to create, schedule, and use Instagram carousel posts to drive audience engagement for your brand on Instagram. 

What is an Instagram carousel post?

An Instagram carousel is a type of Instagram post with multiple photos or videos that you can share as a single post and view by swiping left. You can add up to 10 images or videos to a single carousel post on Instagram. 

With Instagram carousels, you can build intrigue and unveil a surprise. It’s a great way to be more creative with your content. Instagram carousel posts keep viewers engaged and swiping left till the last image; by creatively and carefully selecting images and videos, your brand can provide step-by-step information to your audience.

Instagram carousel post size requirements

• Portrait – 1080 x 1350 pixels
• Square – 1080 x 1080 pixels
• Landscape – 1080 x 566 pixels
• Aspect ratio – landscape (1.91:1), square (1:1), vertical (4:5)

Instagram carousel posts allow you to share up to 10 individual photos or videos. Instagram recommends post images be at least 1080 × 1080 pixels with a 1:1 ratio, but any size of your choice is allowed.  

Photos should either be in JPEG or PNG format and not exceed 30MB in size. Videos should be less than 60 seconds long in MP4 format with a maximum size of 4GB. 

Images and videos of Instagram carousel posts can be portrait, square, or landscape. All images in the Carousel should be the same size.

The Instagram algorithm shows your post more than once to your online followers when you use carousels. So, if a follower comes across your carousel post and skips it without swiping through, the next time they see it in their feed, it will display the second slide.

How to create an Instagram carousel post

Before jumping into the steps of creating a carousel post, here are some things to keep in mind before you get started:

• Think about the multiple-image carousel post. Why did you choose a carousel instead of a video or a single image?
• How do you want to arrange the images in your carousel? Come up with a concept before selecting the pictures on Instagram. Do you want to create a seamless and panoramic picture that blends from one image to the next? Do you want to tell a story, drive a point home or share insightful statistics?
• If you want to create a unique design for your carousels, consider using Canva to make your designs
• Write out the text that will be on your images
• Add the images for your carousel to your gallery.

There are multiple ways to create and post an Instagram carousel. We’ll walk you through the different options:

1. Using the Instagram App

• Download and sign up to Instagram, or sign in if you already have an account
• Open the Instagram app and click on the + icon on your home screen
• Click on the double-layered squares below the post preview

• Select the photos from your gallery. The photos will appear in the same order that you select them.
• Select each image to use filters like ‘Moon’, ‘Lark’, and ‘Crema’ to alter the look and feel of your images.
• Tap on ‘Edit’ to change the brightness, contrast, saturation, highlight and other features of the images. Then select the ‘blue tick’ icon to save the changes. Repeat this step for each of the images.

• Click the blue arrow -> icon on the top right corner of your screen to move to the next step
• Here you can write a caption which will show under the carousel. You can also tag people, and add a location, hashtags, and choose to share your carousels on your Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr accounts. 
• Note that any links posted in the caption will not be hyperlinked. However, you can redirect your viewers to your bio and link to your website.
• Select the ‘blue tick’ icon to share it.

Voila! Your carousel post is posted!

2. Using Hopper HQ

You can use social media tools like Hopper HQ to create, schedule, and auto-post your carousels from a single dashboard.

Here’s how to create and schedule Instagram carousel posts with Hopper HQ:

• Log in to your Hopper HQ account or create an account here. You can start a free trial without being charged to test out the tool
• To create a new carousel post, start by clicking ‘Create’, then choose the ‘[+] New Post’ and upload your first image or video
• You can bulk upload multiple photos you want to include in your carousel post all at once

Note: You can also upload a single image, hit the ‘Create Gallery Post’ icon on the top right corner of your image and upload additional images or videos.

• Want to reorder the images in your carousel? Reordering is simple! Just drag and drop to rearrange the order of the images in the way you want. The first image will be the cover photo
• You can edit and crop your images and videos within the Hopper HQ desktop app to get your carousel Instagram-ready
• Once your images are ready, add your caption, location, first comment, and hashtags
• Your carousel post is now ready to be published; you can either choose the “Post Now” option or schedule your post for a later time,
• Click ‘Save Post’, and Hopper HQ will auto-post your carousel for you. 

Hopper HQ Tip

Want to split a single image into multiple images to use as a carousel post?

Go to https://pinetools.com/split-image
Upload your image>> select ‘horizontal split’>> split by the quantity of blocks>> select ‘Split image.’

You now have multiple equal width images to upload onto Instagram as a carousel post! Get to posting!

Create Instagram Carousels Using Canva

Canva is great for creating carousels because it offers many creative and easily customisable template designs. You can also use Canva on your phone and your laptop.

Here’s a quick how-to on using Canva on your laptop:

• First, visit Canva.com to create your Canva account.  
• Select the template icon on your Canva dashboard.  You will see several types of design templates, including flyers, regular Instagram posts, social media ads, website banners, book covers and much more.
• Type ‘carousel Instagram post’ in the search box 

• You will see carousel templates. These templates have between 2 to 10 images that you can click on and customise.
• Canva allows you to customise the text,  colour, pictures, themes and video on its dashboard. You can also use elements to create unique designs. 
• Some of Canva’s features are free. Other features on Canva are only available for Pro users.
• When you finish designing on Canva, you can export your designs as JPEG or PNG images. 

Note: JPEGs contain less data than PNGs due to their different compression processes, making JPEGs smaller in size, but PNGs support transparent backgrounds (unlike JPEGs), making them preferred for graphic design.

Hopper HQ Tip

Think about how your carousel post will appear on the homepage of your Instagram profile. Does it compliment your Instagram aesthetic?
You can maintain consistency while exploring your creativity with Hopper HQ’s Grid Planner. Preview how posts will look on your profile before they’re posted and easily drag and drop to rearrange and maintain a beautiful Instagram aesthetic.

8 Creative ways to use Instagram carousel posts

1. Behind-the-scenes content

Once in a while, it’s great to share your workspace and the scenes behind your products or business together with the finished product. This helps you engage with your viewers in real life. They get to see your creativity through in the process.

2. Engagement motivators

Your audience needs to be motivated to keep their thumb swiping left through your carousel post. Reminders like “swipe for a surprise”, “the 10th slide says it all”, and “comment on your best slide” are just a few ideas to encourage them to swipe until the end. 

For example, a hairstylist might group photos of different ways to style your natural hair on an Instagram carousel post and engage viewers to slide and comment on their best photo.

Keep scrolling for inspiring examples of brands using carousel posts

3. How-to content

With Instagram carousels, you can easily and visually communicate how-to content with your followers.  For example, a food brand can share a step-by-step process of how to create a recipe while linking that post to a blog with a more detailed description of the step-by-step recipe. 

People want to know how to do something they are interested in, but oftentimes the procedure of learning the how can be lengthy and discouraging. With Instagram carousel posts, you can organise the process into photos and short videos that summarise the process and encourage viewers to learn more.

4. Storytelling

You can tell a story with videos, photos and short text using a carousel post. Be clear in your illustrations. 

Using Carousels to tell stories also gives you an opportunity to share pictures of the pain points of your ideal customers and connect with them deeply. You can also show how your product or service solves their problems. 

Storytelling is a powerful tool for customer engagement and creating me-too moments. 

One way to easily curate stories for your Instagram handle is by creating user-generated content.  Ask your audience questions connected to your service product or brand and get them to tell their stories. Remember that every follower is a person, and every person has a story. 

5. Repurposing your content

You may have had great content published on your blog previously that brought so much engagement, and you want to repurpose it or get more engagement. Instagram Carousels can help you achieve that through text images, quotes, multi-image series and illustrations. 

Simple Post, Story + Reel Scheduling

Visually plan your social content. Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn + Pinterest

Try Hopper HQ Now

6. Display products

Creatively display different products in one post using an Instagram carousel.  Your audience can see up to 10 different images of your products, and you can link this post to your Instagram shop or your eCommerce sites. 

A Facebook study revealed that 83% of Instagram users find new products on the app. 81% research products and services on it, and a whopping 80% decide whether to buy a product or service. 

Instagram is a great place to put images of your products and drive sales.  

Another way to display more than 10 products is to create short videos displaying different products on your Instagram Carousel post. We suggest mixing up videos and images. Limit the number to what your audience can view in 60 seconds or less. 

7. Before & afters

Before and afters are great for showing the transformation your service or product brings to the lives of your customers.  You can create a carousel of before and after pictures or videos. What were your customers struggling with before purchasing your products and services?  How did your products and services change their lives?

For example, suppose a customer is struggling to lose a little weight, and you offer services or products to help with weight loss. In that case, you can share the before and after pictures while telling their story using text, images, and video in an Instagram carousel.  

8. Reviews

The last time you made an online purchase, what did you do? You might have gone through the reviews and comments of customers before purchasing.

People always want to know how satisfied your customers are before deciding to purchase your product. Ask your customers to provide feedback on your products or services. With their permission, you can share videos and images of reviews. Creatively group these reviews and display them using an Instagram carousel post. 

8 Inspiring Instagram carousel examples

1. Washington Post

Washington post excels at using carousels for digital storytelling. 

This carousel post features winners of the apple macro photography competition and invites viewers to click on the link in the bio. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Washington Post (@washingtonpost)

Hopper HQ Tip
Invite your audience to click on a link to your website or landing pages on your Instagram bio.   Include a CTA on your carousel posts to help engaged customers learn more about your service, products or events.

2. Forbes

Forbes shares interesting photographs from its Forbes under 30 summit with its audience. Their purple theme design makes the different pictures consistent with the brand colours of the event. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Forbes (@forbes)

Hopper HQ Tip
Use Hashtags Like Forbes did here; share hashtags connected to your events or post using carousels.  Interested viewers click on the hashtag to see more posts from your brand.

3. 1x.com

1x.com photo creation community shares user-generated content on their Instagram.  User-generated content encourages your audience to participate and show off their pictures to their own followers on social media.  It’s one of the ways to easily create content and put them in front of new eyes.   

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 1x.com • Arts Movement (@1x)

Hopper HQ Tip
You can mention members of your audience when sharing user-generated content.  It’s a great way to celebrate your followers on Instagram and get more impressions and engagement on your carousels. 

4. Mesmerize design

In this carousel, Mesmerize design shares 10 stunning glass designs and invites their followers to share their thoughts on their products and tag other design lovers. It offers you an opportunity to show your products and display different shades of your creativity all in one post. The product icon at the lower right corner of the pictures links to a catalogue on their Instagram shop.

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A post shared by MesmerizeD (@mesmerized_design)

Hopper HQ Tip
Carousels are an effective way to display products from your shop catalogue and get customers to scroll through and by.

5. Tiffany and Co

Tiffany and co show off the behind-the-scenes pictures of how they produced the Larry O’Brien championship trophy awarded to the winners of the NBA finals.  

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tiffany & Co. (@tiffanyandco)

Hopper HQ Tip

Carousels are a great way to share behind-the-scenes pictures of your Brand.

6. Wellfact

Wellfact uses pictures to share the social impact of its brand in an Instagram Carousel post.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Welfact (@welfact)

Hopper HQ Tip

Use carousels to attract people who care about the work you do by showing the impact of your work. 

7. Clean Food Crush

Carousels offer food brands and opportunity to share recipes with their audience using different pictures and showing the step-by-step process for a meal. Clean Food Crush’s carousel post on taco stuffed avocados’ yummy recipe is a great example. 

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A post shared by Rachel’s Cleanfoodcrush® (@cleanfoodcrush)

8. NikeBasketball

NikeBasketball shows off their new product to an audience of basketball lovers. Likewise, the comment section is teeming with followers who can’t wait for the Lebron XIX ‘Royal Fortress’ to be out.  

Carousels allow you to show different angles of your products and give the customers a  detailed view of what they are buying.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nike Basketball (@nikebasketball)

Types of carousel posts on social media platforms

Carousel posts are not just limited to Instagram. You can also create carousels on different social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Facebook carousel posts

Facebook Carousels come in the form of campaign ads; they have features like an Instagram carousel but differ in cost. Carousels on Instagram have both free (organic) and paid formats, while Facebook has only paid formats. Just like Instagram, Facebook Carousels also allow you to combine up to 10 photos or videos. Facebook ad carousels also have more reach than usual Facebook ads.

Twitter carousel posts

Twitter carousels are just like Facebook. You can also create organic (free or unpromoted) or also paid Twitter carousels. 

Carousels on Twitter support up to 6 swipeable, edge-to-edge images or videos in a single Tweet. They can be square or landscape. Twitter carousals also serve clickable space with links displayed below the images or videos; this helps you drive even more traffic to your website.

You don’t want the 660-piece @Lego_Group set featuring the #FordGT Heritage Edition and the #FordBronco R.

You need it.

— Ford Motor Company (@Ford) July 29, 2021

Linkedin carousel Posts

Linkedin offers both carousel ads and carousel posts. 

Linkedin carousel ads allow your brand to tell a story and inspire your target audience to take action. 

A LinkedIn carousel post, however, is a document sharing feature launched in 2018 that enables users to share slides and documents on their news feed. This allows your followers and connections to scroll through your document without leaving LinkedIn.

 Here’s a great LinkedIn carousel post example by Dennis Brown talking about 9 Lessons on How to Grow a Profitable Business.

To sum up

Social media carousel posts present your ideas and images in an engaging and powerful way.  You can use Instagram carousels to increase brand awareness, drive sales and meet other social media goals.

Schedule your carousels in advance, along with other Instagram posts with Hopper HQ. What are your favourite carousel posts on Instagram? Tell us in the comments. We’d love to know!

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Enjoyed this post? You might also like

• How to Create a Social Media Strategy for Your Small Business in 8 Steps
• How to Choose The Best Social Media Management Tool for Your Business

The post Your Ultimate Guide to Instagram Carousel Posts appeared first on Hopper HQ.

We know how important finding the right social media marketing tool is for your business. That’s why we wrote this guide on how to find it. 

Why use social media management tools for businesses

Since many of your customers, prospects, competitors and potential partners are on social media, you cannot ignore it. You need to build a relationship with them. You can do this by consistently publishing helpful and engaging content while keeping track of conversations about your business and responding to customers online. 

If you are launching a new service or brand, you’ll need to raise awareness. Social media management tools help you schedule posts in advance and find mentions of your brand online. You don’t need to be online to post on your social media accounts.

Social media management tools provide tons of valuable data about your customers’ and prospects’ activities online. For example, you can study seasonal trends and buyer behaviours to create suitable offers. In addition, they provide an affordable customer support platform.

With consistent engagement, targeted advertising and retargeting, your brand stays in the minds of people making buying decisions. So whether you are a freelancer, business owner, part of a social media team or a digital marketing agency, you need the best social media management tool.

While social media has many incredible benefits for your business, there are some challenges. Social media marketing involves creating content, publishing, engaging with customers, analysing data, reporting, measuring ROI, etc. There are also several social media platforms. At times businesses are on more than 5 platforms at a time. Managing all these processes manually on different social networks can be complex and time-consuming.

That’s where social media management tools come in.

How do you find the best social media management tool for your business?

Social media management software and tools allow you to manage different social media accounts in one place. There are many tools with different functionalities and features, including:

• Content creation: Creating and curating ideas and content, e.g. Canva.
• Scheduling and auto-posting: Automated sharing and publishing of the content on different channels, e.g. Hopper HQ.
• Social listening: keep track of what your audience is saying about your brands, products and services and engage in conversations with them. Stay on top of trends to create relevant content, e.g. BuzzSumo.
• Content analysing and comparing: Observing metrics and KPIs to know if you are getting closer to your goals, e.g. Hopper HQ.

Some tools combine some of these capabilities. You need a tool that helps you achieve your business goals on social media. To avoid getting bogged down with myriads of social media tools when researching, follow the steps below:

1. Define your social media goals

Start by outlining your social media goals. What is the point of finding a tool if you don’t know what you want to use it for? Spelling out the specific social media goals helps you understand what to look out for when choosing a suitable social media management tool. To set your social media goals, define your business goals, think of how you can use social media to achieve these goals, and outline what metrics you want to track.

Your social media goal could be to run an awareness campaign, establish your authority as a thought leader, and communicate with customers.

If your long term business goal is to increase brand awareness, you can create a social media goal to grow your following on Instagram by 15% over a 3-month timeline. Use the SMART goals model to set goals that are easy to execute. To learn more about setting social media goals, read this article by Hopper HQ. 

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2. Determine your must-have features

You can use your list of social media goals to identify the features your social media marketing tools must have. 

• Must-have features: these are the key features you must have to execute your social media strategy effectively.
• Nice-to-have features are other helpful features you may want to use in the future.

Remember to ask members of your team to write the features they need. This way, you’ll avoid overlooking some crucial features. Make a list of your activities. What do you do monthly, weekly or bi-weekly? How often do you want to publish? What routine tasks will help you meet your goals? 

Say you need to publish three times a week on Tiktok, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. You need a  social media tool that can schedule images, videos, carousels, stories and reels. A tool like Hopper HQ offers this in addition to bulk uploads and full image cropping and editing all in one place. 

If you’re not entirely sure what your ‘must-have’ features are yet, ask yourself the following questions:

• Purpose: What were you unable to do before? Why did you begin looking for a social media tool?
  
• Post scheduling: Do you need to schedule posts ahead of time? Do you want your team to spend less time on social media? 
  
• Team collaboration: Would you want to add team members and manage their workflow?
  
• Best time to post: Do you want a tool that can suggest your optimal posting time for better reach?
  
• Image cropping and editing: do you want to be able to crop and edit your images within the tool?
  
• Hashtag suggestions: some tools like Hopper offer hashtag suggestions to get more impressions on your posts. Is this a must-have feature for you?
  
• First comment scheduling: Do you want to be able to schedule your first comment along with your hashtags and post it automatically with your post? 
  
• Supported file formats: Do you want a tool that would support images only, or do you also need the ability to post videos, carousel posts, stories, and reels? If the latter, Hopper HQ may be a great option for you.
  
• Bulk uploading posts: Does the tool allow bulk uploading of your media files all at once to create multiple posts? This would be a helpful and time-saving feature, especially for businesses that post frequently.
  
• Analytics: Do you need detailed reporting and analysis? What metrics do you want to track?
  
• Integrations: What tools should it integrate with for a seamless workflow?
  
• Social media listening: Do you need to keep track of what people say about your brand?
  
• Supported social media platforms: What social media platforms do your customers use? Do you want many social media platforms on one dashboard or a scheduling tool tailored for just one or two social networks?
  
• Social media advertising: Do you need to be able to handle ads on social media platforms from your tool?
  

Hopper HQ combines many of these features in one tool with an array of impressive features. For example, you can schedule images, videos, carousels, stories, and reels for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter (Tiktok and Pinterest coming very soon). You can also:

1. add an unlimited number of team members at no additional cost
2. schedule your first comment
3. get hashtag suggestions
4. full image cropping & editing
5. maintain a killer aesthetic with a drag n’ drop grid planner
6. bulk upload all your media files
7. track your performance with analytics.

3. Do some research to find the best options

Now that you have a list of essential features you are looking for, It’s time to search for the best social media tools. Researching for the best social media management tools helps you create a shortlist from which you can find one that suits your needs. What is perfect for you depends and your goals and activities. That is why clarifying your goals and must-have features is super important. 

• Visit Google and Youtube
  You can search for keywords like ‘best social media marketing tools’, ‘top social media management tools’, ‘social media management software’, and ‘top social media tools’. Check out reviews and comparisons. Observe what users say about these tools. Pay attention to their strong points and gaps. 

• Ask questions on online forums and communities
  Check out Quora and Reddit to get a sense of what people are saying about all the different tools. Ask questions on those online communities where social media managers and content marketers discuss relevant topics. Groups like Nathan Collier’s Content Marketing Lounge and Superpath’s Slack channel have content marketers from all over the world. You can get reliable suggestions there.

4. Create your shortlist of social media tools

As you explore the features of the tools on your list, select the ones with features you cannot do without. Then, choose between 2-4 of them. Keep your workflow in mind while shortlisting the best social media marketing tools.

Any social media marketing tool that lacks some of the features on the must-have list should not make it to your shortlist. Don’t overlook it. A missing feature can become a clog in your team’s workflow in the future.

5. Evaluate and test drive the tools on your shortlist

Evaluate the shortlisted tools. Test them to ensure they are effective. You can sign up for a free trial and take note of your likes and concerns about the tool.

Also, ask your team members who would use the tool to test it. Team members should try out all the tasks they intend to do on the social media tool. Since different team members need various features from the social media tool, consider the feedback from every member of your team.

If you are a freelancer or manage a small business, you can do the testing yourself. Ensure to test all the essential activities you wrote out earlier.

Things to consider when evaluating a social media tool

1. User experience

The team’s experience using the social media tool is significant. What devices can the tool work on? Is it optimised for mobile? Does it need a lot of training? Does the user need to follow many unnecessary steps to get a task done?

To find out if a tool has a good user experience, check reviews of other users, ask other social media managers in the groups you’ve joined earlier or start a trial.

2. Features offered

Can the social management tool’s features meet your marketing needs? For example, Hopper offers hashtag suggestions, first comment scheduling, a calendar planner and other functions. Find the full feature list here.

3. Customer support

When you start using a new social media tool, you will need some help. Do they offer training for customers? How quickly do they respond to customer concerns? Is their customer support available on channels where you can easily reach them?

Quick shoutout to our customer success hero, Isabel

“I would like to just come on here and mention Isabal for being fantastic. She was able to help me with onboarding and a quick demo. I had some issues on my end, but her patience and ability to open her schedule on the same day show me that Hopper HQ really does care and wants to help their customers more than anything. If we end up staying with this program, it’s because of the amazing customer service provided by Isabel!”

Trustpilot reviews

4. Team collaboration tools:

Because social media management includes several activities like publishing, designing, engagement, responding to customers, analysis and more, different team members may handle the social media accounts. Your tool must support a smooth workflow among your team members to be consistent and effective.

5. Analytics and reporting

Remember the goals you set? The analytics feature helps you keep track of the metrics and KPIs to measure your results. For example, can you track the likes, shares, comments and clicks? Can you get data reports to make informed decisions about your overall social media strategy?

Explore The Data Behind Your Social Media Accounts

Find the best time to post, track your follower growth, and understand what content works best with post and account analytics.

Try Hopper HQ Now

6. Supported social media platforms

Ensure you pick a tool that provides most of the features you need. For example, instead of using four social media management tools, it is better to work with one that supports the platforms where your ideal customers are.

Besides, having your team collaborate on one platform is more productive. Hopper HQ supports Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. (Tiktok and Pinterest are coming very, very soon!)

7. Pricing

What is your budget for this social media management tool? The price of social media tools depends on many factors like the platforms supported, the number of social profiles, the number of users, etc. 

If you’ve found the perfect tool for your business, check what features are free and if the paid features fall under your must-have list.

Paying annually costs less than the monthly payment plans. Hopper HQ offers you a 14 day free trial with no hidden charges. This includes 1 social set (1 Instagram account, 1 Facebook account, 1 Linkedin account, 1 Twitter account). If you are an agency or manage multiple accounts, there is a bulk discount. 

Consider if you would prefer to pay for select features or everything, including features that your team may not use. The bottom line is to compare the cost and the expected ROI. Is it worth it?

8. Scale

As your business grows and your marketing needs evolve, you may need to add more team members and social profiles to your tool. 

Does the social media marketing tool charge per user, or is it a flat rate? How much will it cost as you make these changes? This factor is important because it helps you foresee possible future expenditures and prepare for them.

Ready to switch?

After finding that perfect social media management tool for your business, you need to help your team come on board and get familiar with using it. Plan out how your team will make the transition. You can train your team members to use the new tool. Practise using the tool and update the workflow to fit any needed changes.

Finding a social media tool that works for your business takes time, effort and money. But the returns on investment and boost in productivity are priceless.

The post How to Choose The Best Social Media Management Tool for Your Business appeared first on Hopper HQ.

The effectiveness of social media marketing is undeniable; the problem is determining how to focus on it when budgets and people are limited. The key levers for establishing a strong social media presence for your small business are to know who you’re talking to, establish goals, focus on the right platforms, analyse your competition, and carefully deploy your resources by determining where they will have the greatest impact.

As a small business owner, you don’t have a marketing team prepared to tackle every platform. That’s why we’ve gathered all the details you need to help you nail your social media strategy in 2022 and beyond.

The importance of social media for small businesses

If you work on a small marketing team, are the sole marketing person at your company, or manage all aspects of your business, you understand what it’s like to wear many hats. With a plethora of deliverables to push out to keep your small business running, social media marketing is an essential part of any type of promoting your brand on social platforms.

A recent analysis by Kepios shows that there were more than 4.62 billion social media users around the world in January 2022; that’s 58.4% of the total global population!

Social media user numbers have also seen strong growth over the past 12 months, with 424 million new users joining social media since last year. 

This makes social media a powerful platform for connecting directly with an audience to build brand awareness and brand loyalty for small businesses focused on community and individual customers. Even better, social media is an effective lead-generation platform. You can create content and resources that will add value to your prospects and customers while also cultivating their brand affinity.

Identifying social media goals for your small business

By defining goals, you can point to the specific steps and actions you’re taking to meet the needs of your business. To get the most out of your social media marketing activity, it’s important to align business objectives with social media goals. Here’s what to keep in mind when setting social media goals for small businesses: 

1. Set SMART goals

The SMART goal-setting framework is insanely popular, and it’s one of the most recommended social media marketing strategies for small businesses. In case you aren’t familiar, SMART is an acronym that stands for the following:

• Specific: Your goals should be clear, simple and defined.
• Measurable: This is where analytics come in. You want a goal that has one or more metrics.
• Achievable: Is it achievable, or is it not possible within your resources?
• Realistic: With your current resources of time and money, is it possible to achieve your goals?
• Time-sensitive: Every goal needs a time frame, whether it’s one year or several months.

2. Identify social media goals metrics

Now, it’s time to identify the metrics you’d like to assign to your goals. Business objectives defined through specific and measurable results serve as a compass for your team, directing you in the right direction to help you achieve larger goals.

Social media analytics and reporting for small business

Setting goals is one thing, but monitoring your performance to evaluate success is quite another. That’s why it’s critical to use social media analytics to determine what’s moving the needle for your small business

Several social media platforms deliver analytics on your social media presence, but you’ll have to invest in a social media management platform if you want more in-depth analysis, cross-network analysis, and cross-profile analysis, among others.

Some of the most important social media metrics that you can track are the following:

1. Engagements: The number of times an individual has interacted with your message, including actions such as Likes, Favourite, Shares, Retweets, Replies and Follows.
2. Impressions: These refer to the number of times an individual saw your message.
3. Engagement rates: The number of engagements divided by the number of impressions.
4. Visits: The number of times someone visited your profile page.
5. Followers: Refers to how many users follow you on social media, usually shown as increasing or decreasing over time.
6. Mentions: The number of times your handle or brand was mentioned on social.

Explore The Data Behind Your Social Media Accounts

Find the best time to post, track your follower growth, and understand what content works best with post and account analytics.

Try Hopper HQ Now

Related: Check our latest blog to find out the best time to post on TikTok

How to create a social media strategy for small businesses in 8 steps

1. Understand your audience

Using social media for small businesses is all about knowing your audience and posting about what matters to them. Posting useful material that helps your customers or clients in some way is the best way to increase reach and engagement and grow your social media presence. Once you know who you’re talking to (demographic, interests, behaviours), do some research on the types of accounts they follow, as well as the types of posts that they typically enjoy and share. This will give you a better picture of what they value.

Instead of posting generic content, be clear on why you’re publishing what you are. In other words, if you post helpful content, people will be more likely to engage with it. Think about why you are loyal to particular brands and what the reasons are other than their product. Apply the same logic to your small business and determine exactly what your ideal audience expects from you – and what you could offer them that others can’t.

2. Assess your competition

An essential part of a social media strategy for small businesses is checking out your competition’s social presence. There are two reasons why competitor reviews are important:

• The performance of your competitors on platform-specific channels can be an indicator as to whether it’s a platform worth using for your own small business.
• Reviewing their content (good and bad) can also help influence your ideas.

The idea here isn’t to just replicate a competitor’s content strategy. Instead, you should do a competitor review. The goal is to determine what forms of content work and which ones don’t. This can help you understand a competitor’s strengths and limitations, as well as what people anticipate from a brand in your same area.

You probably already have a good idea about who your competitors are. If not, an easy way to find competitors is to take your most popular keywords and type them into a search browser, like Google. For instance, if your small business is a barbershop, you might search for “barbershop [insert area name]” and see what is returned. 

You may use the search results to visit competitor websites and check to see which social channels they’re using, how often they publish, and what kind of information they’re posting. Soon, you’ll be able to identify a pattern of which social media networks are most popular, and which types of content perform best.

3. Define your brand look and feel

Your brand voice is similar to your company’s personality; it’s how you communicate with your customers. And it may differ slightly from one platform to the next. For example, consider how would you talk about your business, products, or services to a friend as you refine your brand’s tone of voice.

4. Establish KPIs and benchmarks

If you don’t know how to measure your social media marketing goals, you’ll never reach them. You must understand which metrics to examine, how to interpret them, and what to do with the information gleaned from them.

If your small business already has social media accounts, it’s critical to benchmark your current performance to understand the outcomes of your previous efforts. This also allows you to compare future strategies to prior results and evaluate if your performance is improving.

Identifying Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and benchmarks will allow you to track your small business’ progress and measure the results of your social media efforts. The most important KPIs will depend on your goals and the social media platforms that you’re using. For example, if you’re looking to drive awareness for your brand you might track your reach and impressions, or if it’s about increasing interest in a particular product, you could measure website referrals.

If traffic is your objective, using keyword research tools is another way to optimize your content and attract highly targeted visitors to your website.

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5. Do your research

A competitive analysis is an examination of your competition to determine their strengths and weaknesses, as well as how they compare to your own.

It’s a method of comparing your own results to those of industry heavyweights so you can spot areas for improvement and strategies that aren’t performing as well as they should.

A social media competitive analysis of social media, in particular, will assist you in:

• First, determine who your social media competitors are.
• Learn which social media platforms they use and how they use them.
• Determine how effective their social media strategy is.
• Compare your social media results to those of your competitors.
• Recognize the social threats to your company.
• Finally, look for flaws in your own social media marketing plan.

Competitor analysis on social media isn’t just about learning about your competitors. It will also provide you with information about your small business and your target market.

6. Focus on the right social media platforms

Identify the right social media platforms for your business: Starting with platforms that make the most sense for your business will save you time and keep your content calendar from becoming overwhelming. Understanding how each social media platform works and what type of content to use on each is key to a successful social media strategy for small business. Here’s an overview of how to use each social media platform to your advantage:

• Instagram: As a visual platform, Instagram is the perfect platform for showcasing your products or services in action with engaging posts and video formats.
• Facebook: Facebook, is an all-purpose platform where you can share photos, company updates and information, videos, and other educational content to increase brand awareness and trust.
• Twitter: Twitter is a social media platform that allows users to send and receive short messages as well as shareable media, making it ideal for company announcements, articles or blog posts, and customer service.
• TikTok: Small businesses are using this social platform to show how their products work, share behind-the-scenes, give tips, and join trending challenges. 
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a great platform for building your network, raising brand awareness, and attracting new talent to join your business.
• Pinterest: A visual-based platform, Pinterest is used for “scrapbooking” or, in other words, saving content by “pinning” photos or videos to a virtual bulletin board. Perfect for showcasing your brand´s look and feel.
• YouTube: The perfect social platform for more in-depth, educational content, such as styling tips, interviews, tutorials, and longer-form videos.
  

Your small business doesn’t need to be actively posting on every network. While it may seem ideal to have a strong presence on all of the major social media platforms, if you try to manage too many channels, you’ll end up spreading yourself too thin. 

7. Determine your social media posting frequency

To optimize your social media resources, choose a few platforms where your audience is most engaged, and commit to updating those platforms regularly. You can use social media management tools Like Hopper HQ to help you schedule posts, reply to comments, and engage with your audience frequently. 

When building a social media plan for small businesses, many business owners worry about how often they should publish. Of course, it depends on the social media platforms through which you communicate with your audience. 

According to a study performed by the Statista Research Department in 2021, here are the experts’ recommendations on how frequently you should post on social media:

• Instagram: Creating daily stories and sharing regularly will boost connection and engagement.
• Facebook: If you publish on this platform, aim to do so once a day.
• Twitter: When you know you have an online audience, plan a lot of tweets each day.
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a powerful business networking tool, which is the reason why it is so crucial to make meaningful content contributions at least once a week. 

Establish a target for how often you’ll post and monitor how it goes. Check in frequently to see what kind of feedback and engagement your activity is getting from your audience.

8. Create a social media content calendar

A social media calendar is a list of your upcoming posts on social media. If you’re using Hopper HQ or another social media management tool, you can use the calendar planner. Alternatively, you can organize your upcoming posts in the form of a spreadsheet, Google calendar, or interactive dashboard.

For each post, a social media calendar usually includes a combination of the following elements:

• It will go live on the specified date and time.
• The social media account and network where it will be shared
• The links and tags required for copy and creative assets (photos or videos).

A social media content calendar takes a lot of the guesswork out of social media posting and having one will provide many benefits for your small business, such as:

1. Helps you focus on goals and spot gaps: Your social media posting should have a goal in mind. If you are posting just to post, then you will never know if your social media is working.
   
2. Social media content calendars save time for small businesses: Content calendars may appear to be a good idea, but as a business owner, you may believe you don’t have time for them. But creating a content calendar takes less time than posting individual social posts on a daily basis. You’d get into a rhythm if you sat down and did this for a few hours.
   
3. Create content with higher quality:  If you are creating a content calendar, you are prioritizing your marketing and social media strategy. This will result in higher quality posts.
   
4. Reduces mistakes: A content calendar will help you avoid major mistakes that can occur when you do social media at the last minute. You’ll be able to spot problems because you’ll have more time to review your content. It’s also a lot easier to tweak and adjust to changes in your small business.

Top social media tips for small businesses

Now that you have your social media strategy in place, you will want to invest some of your time and effort to stay on top of the latest social media marketing trends. Here are the social media tips you need to take your social media strategy to the next level: 

1. Consider user-generated content (UGC)

As a small business owner, you understand the importance of positive customer reviews and social media posts about your brand. Shoppers want to do business with brands they can trust, and reviews are an important part of that process as they send the right signals.

User generated content, also known as UGC, is content made by customers of a brand and often used by companies in their marketing activity. Consider it as a form of free advertisement from satisfied consumers.

There are various types of user-generated content you might use in your social media strategy, for instance:

• Reviews: When your customers leave positive reviews on your site, social media, or elsewhere, they’re essentially marketing your business for free. You could reshare these reviews via your own social media accounts to spread the word.

• Contests: Contests and giveaways are excellent ways to raise brand awareness. Use terms and conditions that will draw attention to your account, such as requiring your participants to follow your page, tag a certain number of people, and share your post in their story.

• Gamification/Interaction: Gamification transforms the customer experience into a game, engaging your audience and encouraging them to stick with your small business. For instance, you can engage your audience in answering polls, quizzes and questions, and in return, they can receive rewards such as access to special benefits, discounts, and more.

• Videos: Video content is interesting, relatable, and easy to share. Ask for video reviews of your products or services from customers and your audience to post on social media so that others can see their genuine feedback.

You can also brainstorm a few ways you can leverage your audience to craft original content. This could include asking them questions or gathering opinions through polls.

2. Find content inspiration

The industry can be slow, the market can be slow, or the product or service you provide doesn’t change much. It may appear that there is nothing more to say, but this is never the case. Sometimes, you just need some fresh inspiration to get back on track.

• Take a look around

It’s all too easy to become engrossed in blogs, social media, and other digital platforms that we forget to look up every now and then. However, checking in with the real world every now and then can give your content a new perspective. Also, don’t give up on incorporating your own daily challenges into your content.

• Refresh your industry perspective

You’re not alone if you think you’ve said everything there is to say about your industry. However, you are incorrect as well. When you change your perspective a little, you can find new perspectives on topics that have already been covered extensively.

• Attempt a new method

There is no one-size-fits-all method for coming up with new content concepts. If your routine isn’t inspiring you, try a different approach, such as blocking out all distractions for a while or gathering your team and putting your heads together. You might discover that a method you’ve never tried before is the most effective.

3. Use social media scheduling and automation to free up more time for engagement

Social media automation uses third-party tools and software to execute social media-related tasks on your behalf. For example, you can use social media management tools to schedule posts, analyse metrics, and feedback on any mentions of your brand on social media. 

Every small business that uses social media automation can benefit, whether they’re automating to save time or increase product sales.

Here are great ways to make your social media strategy more automated:

1. Schedule content for social media: Instead of setting reminders to post at certain times, automation tools can schedule those posts on your behalf. You can create a queue of evergreen content to publish throughout the week without needing someone on-hand to publish it.

2. Study hashtags: It’s no secret that hashtags are one of the most effective ways for businesses to reach out to new customers. Hashtag search features are available on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram, and potential followers are likely to use (or follow) those hashtags to find new content.
   
3. Collaborate with influencers: Influencer marketing has exploded in popularity in recent years. Instagram has fueled the growth, and accounts with more than 5,000 followers are typically invited to work with brands.
   
4. Make use of social media listening tools: It takes time to manually check for brand mentions; however, there are several social listening tools available that can do it for you. When someone uses your brand name but doesn’t tag you, you’ll get a notification, allowing you to jump into the conversation in a matter of minutes.
   
5. Automate social media reporting: One of the most time-consuming tasks is social media reporting, especially when you have several different metrics to pull together and analyze from various social media analytics tools, each with its own data organization systems in place.

Fortunately, social media automation tools like Hopper HQ can handle this for you. These automation tools combine metrics from each platform you use and package them in an easy-to-understand and, more importantly, actionable format.

Learn how to choose the best social media management tool for your business here.

Simple Post, Story + Reel Scheduling

Visually plan your social content. Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn + Pinterest

Try Hopper HQ Now

Final thoughts

Regardless of your industry, product, or service, there’s a social media audience for your small business. Following the steps outlined in this post will assist you in developing a social media marketing strategy that attracts them.

Remember to create attainable goals, post the right content to the right people at the right time, and track your progress along the way. Although social media is a long-term investment, getting it properly can have short and long-term rewards for your small business.

About the Author

By day, Lily López is a Content Writer and Marketer at Envato, a world-leading online community for creative assets, tools and talent. By night, a Spatial Design student. She’s based in Tijuana, Mexico, and has worked with several global clients for the past 7 years developing projects involving Content Operations, Data Analytics, Copywriting, Outreach, and Voice-over productions. When not working, Lily can be found hanging out at the nearest flea market.

The post How to Create a Social Media Strategy for Your Small Business in 8 Steps: A Complete Guide appeared first on Hopper HQ.