If you’re looking to get your audience to stop the scrolling and engage with your brand, so is your competition. Here are 7 ways to blend the superpowers of public relations, social media and search engine optimization to beat the odds of getting lost in the news feed.
1.Trust
With consumer trust at an all-time low and social media use at an all-time high, brands need to get serious on delighting customers. If there’s one thing that has remained consistent even before brands were on social media, is consumer trust.
Consider using the inbound methodology which consists of attracting, engaging, and delighting your audience in order to build trust, credibility, and momentum.
Attract Tools: Ads, video, blogging, social media, and content strategy.
Engage Tools: Lead flows, email marketing, lead management, conversational bots, and marketing automation.
Delight Tools: Smart content, email marketing, conversations inbox, attribution reporting, and marketing automation.
2. Marry Search and Social
Note to self: Social media influences SEO.
Social media has an abundance of link potential, meaning you are able to share links to multiple parts of your website in one place (I hope you’re using Linktree). Having links on your social media allows for social sharing opportunities which give the opportunity of driving more traffic to your site.
Having a social media presence even if you’re the CEO of a company, in 2019 especially, will help build a loyal audience for your company or brand. Take a look at the Founder and CEO of Spanx, I mean, who doesn’t love a collection of inspirational mugs? Her posts take you behind-the-scenes of what it’s really like to run a billion-dollar empire all while having children and a husband. The authenticity she shares creates relatability among her audience which also attracts prospects.
3. Facebook Is Here to Stay
Facebook is still the leading platform for marketers with 96% saying that their business is actively using it. Here are some tips to make sure you stay on top of your Facebook game:
Be Consistent. As with any social media platform, consistency is the key to building a loyal audience. I’m not saying make sure you’re posting two-to-three times a day, but come up with a schedule that your audience will know when to expect content from you, whether that be a weekly Facebook Live Show or Friday giveaways.
Keep It Fresh. Pinned posts and cover images are two aspects of your Facebook profile that can be quickly updated so when users are scrolling through your business page, they know that you are active on the platform.
Get Creative. Stock photos are out in 2019. If you want your business to stand out on Facebook, it’s time to budget for a photographer to take original images. There’s nothing worse than a company using a stock photo that’s been around since 1999.
Messenger Bots. The new wave of social customer service is here and you’re late to the party if you haven’t integrated it yet. Messenger bots allow you to create automated responses to questions regarding media inquiries, requests for press kits, interviews on demand, request for product images, and typical questions you might get from users. Make sure you have a platform (we love MobileMonkey), that lets you create automated responses so users don’t feel neglected. Use the promo code: 19-bananas.
4. STAND OUT ON INSTAGRAM
While some people tend to focus too much on the quality of a picture on their feed, Instagram stories let you show the not so polished version of yourself. It’s a great feature to use to showcase behind-the-scenes clips, use interactive stickers (my personal favorite is the poll feature), and save the clips as a highlight which remains on your profile.
5. Twitter For PR Success
If you’re focused on getting press coverage for your business, Twitter is the best place to start. Almost all journalists from major publications have an established presence on Twitter, making it easier for you to create targeted Twitter lists. The lists you create should include journalists who specifically cover your industry as they would be most inclined to cover any major event within your organization that you have tweeted about.
Also, just like a friendship, Twitter is a two-way street. Don’t just reach out to journalists or tweet them when you need something, take the time to engage and share their content that is relevant to your industry. This also helps you loop into third-party content into your social media initiatives.
6. Stay Linked-In
LinkedIn is a platform to share your knowledge in your specific industry with long-form posts or videos. Take advantage of keywords throughout your profile to help you appear first in google searches.
It’s also extremely important to make sure that all sections of your profile are filled out, this includes the products and services section, address, phone, and contact information. This will allow anyone who comes across your page to gather your contact information quickly.
Just like every other social platform, LinkedIn posts that include pictures are resonating the best. Be sure to include a unique picture with every post.
7. Video Wins
It’s hard to miss, 85% percent of the U.S. internet audience watches video online. With that statistic in mind, your content planning needs to shift. Here’s how:
Transform articles written about you and your organization into videos with Lumen5.com. You can also drive traffic to existing or new blog posts by breaking them up into Instagram or Facebook stories with a link to the full article.
About the Author:
Lisa Buyer is a subject matter expert in public relations/social media and a recovering digital life junkie. She is the author of Social PR Secrets and the founder of The Buyer Group.
Social handle: @lisabuyer