Using Social Media To Boost Your Business

Social Media is an integral part of modern commerce. A well-maintained, relevant and varied social media presence can significantly boost your brand and help you to connect with the right people to grow your business. 

Social Media allows new customers to find you in more ways than just relying on traditional advertisements or your website. More customers will lead to more opportunities for sales. 

Create a bond of trust with your potential customers by putting out relevant, insightful content on your social media. By doing this, people will think of you as an authority in the space. 

Your social presence can make you stand out from the competition so that customers choose you over other industry options. 

Social Media is perfect for fast-paced, real-time information sharing. This makes it a great place to share updates with your community.

Once you have your socials, the next step is to find things to post about. Your specific content will depend upon your brand identity, you locality and what's going on within your business. But, there are a few general ideas you can start with. 

Show off! Post about your successful projects to demonstrate your expertise and value as a business. These kinds of posts give people a sense of what you do and build their trust in your value. 

Create posts promoting your services, especially if you are running any sorts of deals or sales. Tell your followers what service you are offering and exactly how they can benefit from it. Also, it would be a good idea to include a clear call to action to generate some sales. 

Below, you can see an example of Energy Trust promoting an upcoming course. This lets our followers know what spaces are available, giving them the chance to benefit from our services. 

You can create news posts to highlight relevant industry updates. This in itself provides value to your customers by directing them to relevant developments in the industry. Also, news posts build trust in your brand, present your business as knowledgeable, and encourage your followers to continue looking out for your content. It is worth noting that these kinds of posts are time-sensitive, you should be posting about industry news as soon as possible. Otherwise, you may appear to be late to the party. 

Positive reviews are an effective way to build trust in your business. Sharing your testimonials on social media helps you to post regularly whilst also curating a positive brand image. 

Social Media is all about connection and community. You could create a series of posts which pose a frequently asked question in your industry and ask your followers what they think. Give your insights in the caption, then open up an opportunity for discussion in the comments to spark a conversation. 

Which social media platforms you choose depends upon your audience and the nature of your brand. For a professional in the energy space, Facebook and LinkedIn are recommended. These platforms already host the accounts of many energy professionals and provide excellent networking opportunities.

When it comes to how frequently to post, there is no hard and fast rule. Different schedules suit different people - it will depend on your circumstances. The key is to be consistent. Set a schedule and stick to it. By doing this, you show your customers that you are dependable.  

You should post a variety of content (images, text, polls, video) to keep your viewers engaged. However, it is important to prioritise video where you can. Research shows that views retain 95% of the message of video content as opposed to only 10% of text-based content*. So, post video content where possible. 

Include links to your website wherever you can throughout your social media. The easier it is for your customers to reach your website, the more likely they are to visit it. Ultimately, this will lead to more conversions. 

One of the major benefits of social media is the networking opportunities it provides. LinkedIn and Facebook allow you to reach out to fellow professionals in your industry and connect with them. By building good relationships you solidify your place in the industry which may lead to work or positive recommendations down the line. 

A great way to do this is to join groups which discuss topics related to your business. Often, these groups put you in touch with other professionals in your industry as well as keep you up to date with industry news. 

*References: Video vs Text , Facebook Statistics , Instagram Statistics , LinkedIn Statistics