Express Writers

#ContentWritingChat June 28 2016 Recap: Social Media Tactics to Build & Grow Your Online Presence

by | Jul 1, 2016 | ContentWritingChat

#ContentWritingChat June 28 2016 Recap: Social Media Tactics to Build & Grow Your Online Presence

Did you miss #ContentWritingChat this Tuesday? Dive into the recap below and learn some of the best social media tactics to implement for yourself!

#ContentWritingChat June 28 2016 Recap: Social Media Tactics to Build & Grow Your Online Presence


This week, Erik Fisher joined us as our guest host. Erik is the Social Media Manager over at Social Media Examiner, as well as a podcaster. We were excited to have him join us and share his expertise!

Q1: How do you find out which social media platforms are best for you to build a presence on?

With so many social media platforms available to us today (and even more being created), it can be tough deciding which ones to use. The truth is, you don’t have to be everywhere online. You just need to be where your audience is! Check out some of the social media tactics for best platform presence shared during the chat:

Erik said to consider which platforms you actually enjoy using and which platforms are optimal for your goals. The platforms that fit both of those categories are great ones to get started on.

Ray had similar advice to Erik. He also said to consider which platforms you are most comfortable using. For some of us, we naturally shine at one platform over another. For example, not everyone is comfortable doing a live streaming broadcast via Periscope or Facebook Live. Ray’s advice is to determine which ones work best for you.

Choosing the right platforms for your brand will take a little research. You need to figure out which platforms your audience is most active on. That’s where you want to be.
You can even use a tool like BuzzSumo to help you determine where people are most frequently sharing content. Take a look at some sites that are in your niche and see where their content is shared most often.

A few things you may want to consider: the goals of your business, the type of business you’re running, and the demographic for your ideal customer. All of these things will help you select the right social media platforms to build a presence on.

One of the best things you can do is to experiment with each platform. Give them a go for a bit and measure your results. Which ones work the best for you? Invest your time in those platforms.

Our Content Manager, Katria, recommends giving a platform a try to see if it works for you. Since they’re free, it never hurts to test them out and see how it goes.

It all goes back to your audience. Where are they spending their time? Where are they engaging? You have to be where they are in order to reach them effectively.

Once you’ve figured out which platforms to use, you need to be active. Join the conversation with your audience! Great advice, Zala.

Q2: Share tips for creating great content on every one of your social media profiles.

If you want to build a presence on social media, you need to share great content. How can you make sure you’re sharing the best content every time? Here are a few tips:

Erik knows that each social media platform is unique. You have to learn how to create the right kind of content for each platform. What works well on Twitter might not be great on Facebook or other platforms. You need to keep that in mind and adapt your content to the platform you’re sharing it on.

Amanda said you have to be consistent with your story across all platforms. Make sure the content you’re sharing is tailored to the platform you’re using and is relevant to your audience. An eye-catching visual always helps, too!

Canva is a fantastic tool for creating great social media graphics. It’s one of our go-to tools here at Express Writers as well.

Cheryl said to understand the platform you’re using. She said data and numbers work well on LinkedIn, while funny or adventurous posts work well on Instagram. You just need to test and see what resonates with your audience.

What’s a quick tip for getting your audience to engage? Ask a question! Our CEO, Julia, knows that if you ask a question and provide a link, it’s likely to make them want to click and read more. You can even ask a question (no link required) to get a conversation going.

Short and sweet advice! Be simple, be human, and be personable. It’s a winning combination!

Amalia recommends sharing products on Pinterest, talking about trends on Twitter, sharing news on Facebook, and posting great images on Instagram.

No matter what, you need to make sure the content you share is relevant to your audience. If it’s not, they won’t want to stick around.

Q3: What’s a good ratio of sharing your own content vs. content from influencers/other sources?

When posting to social media, you shouldn’t share only your content 24/7. It can be a turn off for your followers if they think you’re only interested in yourself. You should mix it up by sharing content from other sources as well. So, what’s a good ratio for sharing? Check out these tips from the chat:

Erik said some recommend an 80/20 ratio. Others recommend sharing 30% your own content, 60% from others, and 10 reshares. You need to keep in mind the platform you’re using as well. You can post more to Twitter and Pinterest within one day.

Julia said you should never over-promote. At Express Writers, we strive to share 60% our own content and 40% from other sources. In the end, you just need to see what works for you and your audience.

Kyle feels it really depends on your industry. If your industry is unique, you can get away with sharing more of your own content.

No matter which ratio you go with, make sure you’re giving your audience what they want to read and share. Great advice, Scott!

Cheryl agrees that content needs to be useful, whether it’s your own or curated from other sources. That’s the number one thing to keep in mind.

Kristen knows that sharing is caring!

Q4: What forms of content work best on social media?

Once you have your posting ratio down, you need to figure out what kind of content you should be sharing. Here are a few tips from Tuesday’s chat:

Erik knows live video is very popular right now. Your brand just might want to take advantage of it. You can share live videos on Periscope or on Facebook Live. He said images and video work on most platforms, but especially on Instagram and Pinterest.

These three know you can’t go wrong with amazing visual content.

We’ve seen great results here at Express Writers as well. We use branded visuals from our designers to increase clickthroughs via social media.

Jeremy said to share smaller bits of larger content as a way to pique the interest of your audience. It’s sure to leave them wanting more.

Ray said the content you share should start the conversation with your audience. Great answer!

Don’t forget to inject some personality into your social media content. It’s a great way to form a connection with you audience. Adding a little humor never hurts either!

For Jenn, it’s all about snackable content. Share stats, infographics, lists, and quotes.

Atulmaharai is also a fan of infographics. We are too!

Cheryl believes great social media content should do one of three things. It should engage your audience, provide an incentive, or promote.

Kristen loves seeing more businesses taking advantage of video and GIF. Are you using them?

Q5: What are the best practices for building a following?

You know where to find your audience and what to post, but how do you build a following? There are a few tips you should always keep in mind:

Erik said you should aim to serve your audience. Respond to them and be human. You should work to build a connection with your audience. And of course, you won’t see results if you aren’t consistent.

One of the best ways to build a following on social media is to engage with your audience. Social media is meant to be social, after all!

Kristen recommends getting to know people. Don’t be afraid to start conversations. Ask questions and answer some yourself.

Try thinking about it the way you’d handle networking in person. Be social!

Brandie said to do your research. Find out who you want to connect with and determine the type of community you want to build. It all starts from there.

GlobalHMA and Jeremy agree that you should think of it as if you were making friends in real life. You should be engaging, courteous, and grateful. Offer to help people. Be interested in what they’re saying. Be interesting yourself.

To build your presence, you should consider ways to expand your reach. Partner with influencers by getting involved in their conversations. It’s a great way to make connections with new people.

If you’re willing to shell out some cash, you could even create a paid ad. Target your specific audience so they’ll see your advertisement in their feed. Alternatively, you can join a Twitter chat because they’re free (and awesome).

Here at Express Writers, we also love joining Twitter chats as a way to make connections and grow our presence. It turns out the Elexicon team agrees with that, too! You can also use trending hashtags, follow influencers, and engage with your audience as ways to see growth.

It seems many of Tuesday’s chat participants agree: engage, engage, engage.

Q6: What are some social media etiquette rules everyone should follow?

Which etiquette rules apply to social media? Check out these tweets from the chat and make sure you aren’t breaking any of them:

Erik said you should do for others what you would want them to do for you. That’s always great advice.

You should always be respectful of the opinions of others. If someone doesn’t agree with you, it’s not a reason to start an argument. That’s never okay.

Ray feels that if you don’t have something constructive to say, you should keep it to yourself.

Brandie’s advice is to always be nice to people. Remember to also give credit where credit is due. You cannot use someone else’s content without crediting them.

Kelly said to thank the people who share your content. It may seem simple, but a thank you goes a long way to show your gratitude.

Even on social media, “please” and “thank you” are still important. Use your manners.

It may seem like obvious advice, but you should always read content before you share it. Kristen knows that many people are guilty of blindly resharing something without reading it first.

Don’t hijack someone else’s conversation. You can add to it, but don’t take over.

Erika said you should always remember to engage with your audience. That’s key if you want to build your following.

Alberto said you should never spam your audience. You should also be kind, show respect, share content from others, and say thank you. Don’t go crazy with hashtags either.

Shereese said you should always engage with your audience. Provide value to them with the content you share. Skip the automated DMs.

Kyle recommends trying to respond to all inquiries you receive. If you ignore someone, it truly is a missed opportunity and could reflect poorly on you.

Cheryl knows those “fake” followers aren’t cool. Don’t follow someone and then unfollow simply because they don’t follow you back. That’s not cool at all.

Q7: Share tips on growing your overall online presence through your social profiles.

Social media is a great tool for growing your online presence and sending traffic to your website. Here are some great tips you should know:

Erik said you should respond and engage consistently on the platforms you’re using. Engaging your audience is essential if you want to make connections and grow your online presence.

Be yourself. If you aren’t true to yourself, your audience will see right through it.

Atulmaharaj knows a great bio is a must on social media. Use your bio to share information about yourself and what you do. It’ll help you attract the right followers. Make sure you’re also sharing great content your target audience would be interested in.

Kristen said to join Facebook communities, Twitter chats, and LinkedIn groups that are relevant to your industry. It’s a great way to connect with new people and generate awareness for your brand.

Interact, engage, and build a relationship with your audience. This is always good advice!

Kyle recommends connecting with like-minded people who you find to be valuable. Make sure you’re engaging with them on a regular basis.

Shereese said to use Twitter lists so you can target your specific audience. Make sure you’re sharing valuable information so people see you know what you’re talking about.

Sabjan said to be consistent when it comes to posting content. Engage with your audience, respond to inquiries you receive, and be thankful.

Be human! Show your personality, be humorous, and show compassion and emotion. It helps people to connect with you.

Q8: Which platforms do you see becoming more popular in 2016?

Which platforms do you think are going to become more popular this year? You just might want to join them! Here’s what our chat participants had to say:

Erik said it’s all about Snapchat and Instagram.

It looks like Amalia agrees, as she also sees Snapchat and Instagram growing in popularity this year. She also thinks Periscope will get bigger as well.

For Ray, he said it’s all about live video. It really is one of the best ways to connect and built trust with your audience.

It looks like even more people agree that Snapchat is the place to be this year. Are you using it as part of your online presence?

The most popular platforms are the ones that will evolve with the audience. They need to be able to keep up with the times.
We look forward to seeing you at the next #ContentWritingChat! Mark your calendars weekly for Tuesday at 10 AM CDT for great chats centered around content writing and marketing. Follow @ExpWriters to stay updated on our new topics and guests!

Tags: social media | social media presence