Best-Practice Tips for Better Organic Social Media “Fishing”
Seventh in a Series
Success on any social media platform doesn’t just “happen” and anyone suggesting otherwise is telling you a fish story. But organic social media success is an awful lot like fishing! Here’s why:
Utilizing your social media audience is a great way to drive traffic to your website. Setting up your account correctly is, of course, important, but you can’t just stop there. You also need to put in the effort and develop a little skill to land the customers you’re fishing for.
Choose the right lures
You can’t catch a marlin using the lure for a bluegill and you can’t catch a paying customer with the wrong lure either. Come up with appropriately appealing content by referring to the customer persona information you developed when building your business plan.
Try a variety of posts to see which ones best attract the “fish” you’re trying to catch. Shouting “Buy my product!” all the time is usually a turn-off. Instead, offer helpful information that answers the “What’s in it for me?" question. Jokes and personal stories are also popular, and great for human interest, but don’t forget to present your Call To Action, too.
Finally, don’t confuse quantity for quality when counting your followers because 100 qualified leads will lead to better sales than 1,000 unqualified ones.
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Fish at the best time
Anglers know that fish are more likely to bite at certain times of the day than others and the same thing goes for your social media audience. Fortunately, most platforms will share that data so you can see when your followers are more likely to be active and ready for your message. A little experimentation will help pinpoint the best times even further.
Be ready to move the boat
If you see a lot of fish being reeled in on the other side of the lake, it only make sense to take your boat over there, too. In the same way, if you see a lot of action elsewhere with your target audience, then that’s where you should be.
Engage with complementary businesses by “liking,” sharing, and commenting on their posts to get in front of their followers. Join online groups with similar interests. Call out and tag colleagues. These like-minded audiences are great places to fish!
Reel ‘em in carefully
You can’t just toss in a line and yank out a fish. Even with the best tackle, it takes a little skill to set the hook properly and land your catch successfully. In social media marketing, that means connecting with your target audience in meaningful ways while moving them closer to a “buy” decision.
Analyze the social media profiles you already follow and figure out why you were attracted. Was it FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) on something important or because they provided useful information? How can you recreate that experience for your audience? Remember that the more you can engage with them, the more comfortable they will be responding to your CTA. (Call To Action)
Keep Casting
Some days the fish are just not biting, but that doesn’t mean you stop tossing in your line. Maybe you need different bait, or a different time, or maybe even a different lake, but there are fish out there for you to catch.
The more you cast, the better angler you will be. If you don’t have that patience, however, working with an expert can help you land those fish quicker and more consistently. The Sprocket Websites team has been providing social media services for clients since 2010, so we have the experience to manage your platforms, too. Start driving traffic to your website today.
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Read the next post in this series.
Photo by Ahmed Yusuf from Pexels
Kate Gingold
I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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