What does your social media presence look like right now?

Is it sporadic or non-existent? Do you post regularly but still don’t see much progress in your brand growth?

If you’re wondering if social media really matters, it does. Today 80% of customers expect businesses to interact with them on social media​¹. This expectation goes beyond just sharing a picture of your inventory once or twice a month. Your posts need to have intent.

The way you go about planning and executing your social media strategy makes all the difference in how much growth you see on your platforms. We’re sharing some of our best practices to build your social media presence and boost audience engagement:

Align Your Platforms with Your Audience

Before you get started, you need to identify which social media platforms your business will focus on. Different platforms can attract different audiences, so let your audience type dictate where you’ll build your presence. For example, both Instagram and Twitter attract a younger audience base than Facebook – something to keep in mind if a lot of your customers are millennials versus Gen X-ers. Similarly, people who are looking to shop online are likely to browse on Facebook, whereas people who want to form connections or stay informed on industry news may choose Twitter or LinkedIn.

If you’re not sure who your audience is (or don’t know much about their interests), use these two methods to learn more about them:

1. Study your current customers: Your social media audience will be a reflection of the people already visiting your store. How old are they? How much do they spend? What do they buy? What do you know about their interests?
2. Use your website tools: Review the analytics from your website and any existing social media platforms to see who’s interacting with your content. Refer to your analytics periodically to know if customer interests and behaviors evolve.

Develop a Content Plan

So, what should you post on social media? Again, think about what you’re trying to achieve (more sales, better audience engagement, thought leadership, any combination of these) and make sure your content aligns with your objectives. Here are some options:

• Curated: Reshare posts and articles from other sources (be sure to credit them by resharing, citing or tagging the original poster)
• User-generated: Reshare customer posts and online reviews (with permission)
• Educational: Create content that answers common auto-related questions – after all, many shoppers use social media like a second search engine
• Visual: Share industry-relevant photos, videos and memes (bonus! Posting visuals helps your content stand out more in your audience’s feed)

Aim for diversity in your post topics so you don’t fall into a rut. The “rule of thirds” is a great way to keep your content fresh and interesting: 1/3 sales and promotions, 1/3 educational resources or industry news and 1/3 funny or entertaining.

Also, don’t push yourself to post every day, as that can fatigue your audience. Posting an average of three times a week is sufficient. And if you find yourself struggling to carve out time to post, look into a posting calendar. Some platforms, such as Facebook, have built-in tools that allow you to schedule posts in advance, so you can line up your content and be good to go for the whole month! You can also look into a third-party platform to plan and schedule your posts across all your social media platforms.

Include High-Quality Visuals

Social media is driven by visuals, and posts that include a photo, graphic or video are more likely to generate leads. Why? Because people are 65% more likely to retain information that includes an image², and that means your content will stick in their brains longer during the shopping process.

Make sure any visuals you post are in line with your brand guidelines and add value to your content. If you’re taking your own photos for social media, consider these tips to create good-quality images:

• Have a single focal point (ie, subject)​
• Don't worry about having your subject perfectly centered​
• Use natural lighting and balance with contrast​
• Keep it simple and easy to understand​
• Don't overedit – natural-looking images get more likes​

If you decide to add overlay text to your images, make sure the message is bold, legible and concise. Or, if you want to include a longer message, you can animate the image so that pockets of text appear and disappear one at a time. Choose a font and color (or color combination) that are easy to read. If you’re mixing fonts, pair a serif with a sans serif, and avoid green-red or blue-yellow color combinations.

Encourage Audience Participation

Social media operates a lot like a dinner party – as the host of your content, you should encourage conversation amongst your attendees. After all, the greatest measure of social media success is an engaged audience. This includes liking, commenting on and resharing your content.

Here are some tips to increase your audience engagement:

• Set an actionable goal: What do you want to achieve from your audience? More sales leads? Feedback on your services? Customers who are better educated on their auto needs? Setting objectives will help you frame your social content strategy.
• Track post engagement: Keep a record of how many likes and comments each post generates so you know what resonates most with your audience.
• Create and share valuable content: Make sure your posts are worth reading – share industry news, educational articles and how-to guides.
• Turn customers into brand advocates: Consumers are highly receptive to user-generated content. Get customers and prospects alike excited about your posts by featuring recent buyers and encouraging customers to post photos of their recent auto work results.
• Be responsive online: Make sure you’re responding to any direct messages and comments on your posts​ to encourage your audience to reach out. This is also a good customer service habit, as most consumers who contact a business online expect to hear back within a day, if not earlier.

Drive results through best practices. If you’re still hesitant to dive into social media, consider the fact that 78% of small businesses attract new customers and engage existing ones through social platforms³. With the right habits and strategies in place, your business could be part of that statistic, and you could be outperforming your competitors in audience growth and lead generation.

Are you interested in optimizing your social media strategy for greater success? Feel free to contact Net Driven and connect with our social media experts today!

¹Sprout Social

²Hootsuite

³WordPress