5 tips to boost your reach on social media
Read here how to take your reach to the next level on social media and achieve your communication goals.
Generating a wide social media reach isn’t rocket science
Countless content creators and brands are vying for the attention of users on social networking sites. Accounts on the major relevant platforms are usually free, meaning that anyone can tap into this market. That makes it all the more important to use the right techniques and tactics to keep your followers interested and entertained in new ways, while attracting new users to your company’s social media presence and in turn drawing them to your company itself and its products. There’s no need for complicated formulas or a massive budget – instead, we’re going to let you in on five simple yet effective changes that you can make to your social media strategy in order to expand the reach of your company account and boost interactions with your posts.
The reach of your social media account is largely determined by how many users interact with it in the form of likes, shares, comments, and follows. In addition to the tips listed below, you should therefore also use methods such as directly addressing your followers, uploading surveys, or posting CTAs for contests, etc.
#1 Timing is everything – not just in love, but also on social media
In the right place at the wrong time – we wouldn’t wish that on anyone, whether in their personal life or when posting on social media. After all, what’s the point of a sublimely written post paired with a great image if the people you’re targeting have already switched off their laptops and smartphones and closed LinkedIn and other social media apps? Posts on social media need to be timed to perfection! Above all though, the key is to post as regularly as possible. And by that we mean producing content on a continuous, staggered basis rather than uploading an overwhelming number of posts to your profile all at once.
As already mentioned, another frequently underestimated factor is the time at which your posts go online. LinkedIn and Twitter are the most important platforms for a company when it comes to establishing an online presence. You’re more likely to generate responses and interactions there if you post on weekday mornings. Users working from home or the office are often active on social networking sites for work purposes during business hours – and you can benefit from that by timing your social media posts accordingly to increase their visibility and in turn lay the ideal foundation for more interactions.
An extra tip: relatively speaking, users interact the most with LinkedIn posts on Sundays, so there is a significant amount of social media potential for you to tap into there. But don’t worry, that doesn’t mean you have to travel to the office on a Sunday – you can simply time your posts accordingly in your social media management system.
#2 Video killed the pic sharing star
Visual stimuli are incredibly important across all social media platforms. In recent years, a clear trend has been observed: video posts are generating the biggest response and time investment from users. One reason for that is the higher production quality. With that in mind, you should only use the format if you can produce high-quality posts or commission someone to do it for you – or if low-budget productions fit the style of your brand. Interestingly, moving images have dethroned static image posts. The success of stories, reels, and clips on TikTok highlights that video has become the reigning format. However, static images are next in line to the throne and are still ideal when you want to upload high-quality, informative, and entertaining sharable posts. These types of content will encourage your followers to interact in the form of likes and shares.
PS: With its strong focus on business and networking, LinkedIn is still the best social media platform for uploading detailed text-based posts. These allow you to take a deep dive into a topic without having to worry about the length because even long texts work really well on the platform. Just make sure you structure your text and incorporate at least small visual stimuli, ideally using emojis, to really drive your messages home to your followers.
PPS: Don’t forget to add hashtags to your posts. They are the keywords for users to find your text, so invest some time in searching for the right ones. Even if they generate less reach than generic ones, your social media presence will definitely benefit from a more targeted audience as a result. Posts containing meaningful and carefully considered hashtags will be displayed to exactly the right people, making your content more visible and consequently boosting likes, comments, and follows.
#3 Create a multiverse of content
Networking isn’t just important for your personal career, it also contributes to the success of your company’s social media presence. In other words, if there are new products on your website, don’t just sit back and hope that people will magically come across them – link your different channels by keeping your networks in the loop. In the same way, you can also draw attention to new blog posts or direct your followers to other exciting developments at your company. That will bring together the various content from across your marketing channels and ensure that your message reaches as many people in your company’s target group as possible.
Not only will the traffic on your marketing channels benefit from networking, but you’ll also build a stronger relationship with your target group by offering helpful and valuable content as part of a social media content strategy.
For example, if your company produces software, your customer service colleagues are likely to receive an influx of phone calls and emails after a patch or release. You can alleviate the burden on support staff or even avoid this increase in customer inquiries by posting how-to videos online to walk users through new features. Delivering relevant content in the form of targeted guidance will be rewarded by your followers liking and sharing it. Content that offers value to users is one of the most important factors for increasing your reach on social media.
#4 Teamwork is paramount – use corporate influencers in the right way
Corporate influencers are employees who use their social media accounts to post fascinating first-hand insights into your company. Acting as multipliers, they can work wonders for your company’s online presence. Although they use their personal, individual profiles to engage with their networks, they also give their employer a face in a way that is sometimes more relatable than the official company account. This practice is especially popular on LinkedIn and has proven successful. Our friends from SKW Schwarz have put together a whitepaper on corporate influencers and the legal pitfalls that companies need to avoid when using these brand ambassadors.
As long as you comply with all the legal requirements, corporate influencers are an effective way of increasing your follower numbers, interactions, and other KPIs. All you need to do is approach employees who know their stuff when it comes to social media and may be interested in taking on this task on behalf of your company. Give them the time and equipment they need and carefully talk with them about how they intend to work their social magic to achieve your corporate goals, while also making your expectations clear. Corporate influencers give your company a face and reach more people on a more personal level, so they are a worthwhile investment for breaking down barriers to interaction and facilitating easier and quicker discussions and conversations about company topics and issues.
#5 Embrace your natural beauty by painting a true-to-life picture of your company
You may be able to impressively set the scene for your company, but your social media presence will only seem authentic if you pull back the curtain now and again. For example, you could rent a drone to capture your company premises on video – that will attract and impress a lot of viewers. To take this content to the next level, you could even share behind-the-scenes clips of you filming the filming process! Don’t be afraid to be gutsy or mock yourself – if you messed up a shot because the drone crashed, your followers will not only benefit from the informative value of the actual post material, they will also be entertained in a relatable way: after all, nobody is perfect.
Another relatable idea to add a bit of personality to your content and make it approachable: get your colleagues on board and let viewers in on things like their unusual food choices – but only if this kind of content would be a good fit with your corporate brand and you’ve covered your back legally by obtaining the consent of the people involved. Walking through your break room with a camera is sure to be an intriguing watch! What’s more, these entertaining insights will make your company’s social media community feel less inhibited about interacting. By additionally asking your followers about their own interesting food choices, you’ll find that a lunch(time) post can spark a lively conversation.
Relatability can be so easy to achieve and is rewarded time and time again. By integrating questions and surveys into your posts, you’ll ramp up the number of interactions on your social media channels and reach even more people.
There are countless other ideas you could draw on, but the main thing to remember in all your creative attempts is to showcase your company and, where possible, your employees from a personal side. That will always be well received on social networking sites, because users can identify more with your posts. There will then be nothing stopping you from achieving your social media marketing goals.
Marketing skill + authenticity = wide reach on social media
The formula for boosting your social media reach is not that complicated. It first involves applying the tricks of the trade, such as the ones we’ve presented to you here in our five social media tips, which can be easily integrated into your day-to-day marketing activities. Authenticity also plays an essential role. Users are likely to hold back from interacting (positively) with your posts if these seem insincere or exaggerated and fail to encapsulate the people behind your company. Instead, leverage the endless opportunities of posting regular, well-timed, and helpful content that has both informative and entertainment value and offers a realistic insight into your company and its charming qualities. How you specifically translate that into your social media concept will depend on your company, its marketing goals, and target group.
All that’s left to do now is get out your smartphone camera and show your networks what you and your company are all about!
