Growing up, it seemed technology escalated from minimal everyday use to a necessity overnight. Due to brilliant technological minds and growing knowledge of computer resources, technology has grown to be vital in any career. This should not be overwhelming but rather a tool towards your success.
The greatest technology driven key to success is an understanding and presence within social media. This includes but is not limited to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Instagram is a social media outlet whose primary objective is visual; such as photographs, graphics and quotes. One tip when using Instagram is to create multiple accounts with specific intentions. For example, you could have three accounts; one for motivational tips, one for business tips and one for family. This can help you to not only gain followers that have interest in your specific niche but will also help you to create conversation and gain relationships, therefore networking! When using Instagram, you can also use the explore tool, this will help you find account holders with similarities to your likes. Be mindful of what you like and its relevance.
Twitter is essentially a social media platform that works like a microblog. There are two essential features needed when using Twitter; share and search. Sharing is considered tweeting, this is putting words on your page and out into the Twitter world. The character allowance has been raised this past year, allowing you to be more specific in your posts. I do recommend keeping your verbiage to a minimum, people use Twitter to quickly read stories, those too elaborate may be overlooked. Use the search option to your advantage; it is a good source of marketing research and a good way to make connections and start conversations.
Facebook is still the number one most popular form of social media. Your Facebook page can be a great source for growth! Keep it current, this does not mean that you need to necessarily be on it daily, but you want to keep posts current and relevant. Facebook only requires one account, you gain growth by adding friends and like other social media platforms, getting reactions to your posts.
- When using social media there are a few tips to keep in mind. The number one marketing tip, if you are engaging in social media for business, is to be where your customers are. If your customer demographic typically use Twitter, it could help business to use Twitter.
- Use Hashtags to find local businesses or help drive viewers to your posts. Simply type # before a word or phrase that relates to your post or photo. #usingsocialmedia!
- Be authentic! Create quality posts over quantity. You do not have to use every facility of social media. Pick the platforms that you are interested in and are relevant to you and do those well.
- Interact! The whole point of social media is to interact with others. Networking is a vital key to not only business but personal growth. Comment, share and like. If you are using social media for business, remember your accounts are a liability. Meaning, you need to respond to viewers that have questions or comments within your account.
