6 Ways to Use Social Media to Your Advantage

6 Easy Steps to Use Social Media to Your Advantage

      Social Media has become one of the world's fastest growing forms of online advertising used by a variety of businesses. In this age of social media, it can be hard for businesses, large and small, to navigate through this confusing digital world of like, DM, and unfollow.  Although scary, social media is a very crucial part of business advertising due to it being one of the world's fastest growing forms of online advertising. Thus, it is important to know how to use these beneficial platforms to your advantage. Below are six easy tips to enhance your business!
        An example of effective social media use via a variety of platforms is IGN (or formally known as Imagine Games Network). IGN focuses on the updates and releases of popular video games, television shows, and graphic novels. It has active accounts with Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.


1.) Choosing The Right Platform for Your Business
Since IGN's main goal is to provide frequent updates about release dates and content quality, they decided to utilize many social media platforms to better spread the word in a variety of ways.
Social media is more than just Facebook and Twitter, there is also Instagram, Snapchat, and Tumblr, just to name a few. All of these platforms have something that makes them a little different than the others. In order to make social media work best for your business, you have to decide what platform will best compliment your image. According to author Andreas Kaplan, "What is true for different types of Social Media also holds for the relationship beetween Social Media and traditional media: Intergration id Key!" For example, is your company based heavily in aesthetic features? Then, Instagram or Tumblr may be the right platforms for you


2.) Post Regularly

In IGN's case, they are constantly posting, however each post is on a different platform. For instance, Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's are for Facebook and Twitter, While Tuesday's, Thursday's, and the weekend's are for Instagram and Snapchat. It is extremely important that you set up a rhythm, so to speak, when deciding on the frequency of your posts. Make sure that you aren't posting too often or that may cause your audience to unfollow your page. On the other hand, not posting enough will cause your audience to forget about your business and what it is that your advertising, which is never a good sign. Thus, making a schedule of when to post may be your best option.

3.) Be Interactive and Engaging
 IGN uses its social media to conduct contests, create quizzes and polls, and to answer their audience's questions. Being interactive a is a great strategy to show your audience that you care and acknowledge them. You can do this by holding competitions for best slogan or best selfie with your product. Though these techniques may feel more like fun and games, they are actually play a very crucial part in developing a bond and relationship between your business and the consumer. By doing this, you are increasing your odds for more loyal customers.


4.) Be Positive and Inviting
Even though a game or movie did not meet expectations, IGN always mentions to play or watch it for yourself. Thus creating the positive outlook that there are those who may enjoy it. Just like tip number three, being positive and inviting is another great way to ensure that people stay connected with your product.  For example, people are more likely to spend time on a page that posts positive, fun, and bright content rather than one that constantly focuses on the negative. So remember, always be positive!



5.) Be Professional
IGN has shown that choosing how to handle "internet trolls" and dissatisfied followers, can be the difference in whether the public will consider your company an orderly and professional or immature and rash. This is one of the most important tips in this article, so pay very close attention. The internet is filled with trolls; people who want to mess with you just for the sake of messing with you. Trolls are unavoidable and are a natural part of the internet's ecosystem. You must ignore them at all costs. Interacting with internet trolls can lead to a bad reputation for your business, causing you to lose customers and even business partners, which is why being professional at all times is a necessary part of managing your social media platform.

6.) Have a Team
Lastly, managing your business through social media can be a tiresome task, especially for one person. That is why it is important to develop a professional hardworking team of individuals whose expertise is in online advertising. This team can help make crucial decisions on behalf of your business in addition to establishing a stronger online presence for you and your business.

Sources:

Kaplan, Andreas M., “Users of the World, Unite! The Challenges and Opportunities of Social Media,” Business Horizons (2010) 53, 59-68