One of the most important parts of launching and growing a business is advertising. Reaching out to audiences, showing your products and getting your business out there is crucial to getting your business off the ground. So how do you do it? There are many factors to consider when aiming to make a successful advertising campaign including images, language and social media.
Social media:
More and more people are using social media as their main source for news, information and advertising making it one of the leading choices for business owners when choosing marketing methods. Most advertisements take place across 3 main social media platforms; Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In such a popular and busy environment where thousands of new posts are generated every minute, it is important to use strategies to grow your following and reach as many potential customers as possible. Here are some top tips for increasing and maintaining your social media following:
Be consistent
With so many posts being added to social media sites each day, it is easy for a one off post here and there to get lost in the masses. Being consistent with your posts and posting frequently will increase the chances of your posts being seen by more people and more often. In addition to this keep your profile name/image/bio etc consistent across all social media platforms that you choose to use. This will make it easier for followers to find you across platforms and will make your posts easily recognisable. This level of consistency is crucial to growing a social media presence.
Stay on brand
Although on your personal social media sites it is suitable to post life updates and holiday photos, on your business socials it is important to stay on brand. Only post informative and relevant information about your business. This will make your intention clear for potential clients and will prevent them from losing interest in irrelevant topics.
Social media buttons
In order to get people to access your social media you need to give them access. Including social media buttons on all pages of your website is a great way to give customers access to these profiles and provides a clear link from your website to the follow button. This will also make it easier for followers to share your content with others across social media platforms.
#content
Where appropriate make sure you include hashtags in your posts. People often search within a hashtag on social media sites to find content related to a topic they are researching or are interested in. By adding relevant hashtags to your posts you are opening them up to the eyes of many more potential followers than a post without hashtags.
Respond to your followers
If you are going to request followers and draw them towards your content it is important to interact with them. For instance if a follower makes a comment on one of your posts or sends you a direct message, be sure to respond to them and answer any questions as soon as possible. Your aim is to appear approachable and inviting. People are more inclined to follow and interact with accounts that respond and are active with their followers.
Presentation:
Social media isn’t the only method of marketing and other methods can be equally as effective. However across all marketing strategies, presentation is important. The images, fonts, colours and layouts you choose can have a substantial impact on how people view your content. For example an advertisement using pixelated, poor quality images may reflect the quality of the service you offer, if you can’t provide a decent photograph what will the experience at your site be like? Using clear, professional images is key for generating interest in your business. The use of pictures really makes the most out of your advertising space and is far more interesting and eye catching than a block of text.
Photographs, especially product photographs, allow your audience to see exactly what it is that you are offering them without having to filter through a heavy chunk of text. They allow people to visualise the product or service being advertised to them, drawing their attention and potential custom.
With images being an important part of your advertising campaign it is important to get them right. Ensure your photo is well lit and try experimenting with a variety of angles and backgrounds. You don’t need a professional camera to get good shots, most smart phone cameras are more than capable of taking a professional and effective photograph when paired with complimentary lighting and angles.
Language:
So you have your high quality images, now it is time to think about the language you are going to use. The most important things to consider are keywords. Keywords are important because they make your content appear to people who type those keywords into the search bar.
So how do you know what people are typing into the search bar? The easiest way to find your keywords is to use a keyword searching tool. These tools can be easily found online and work simply by inputting broadly related words and the tool generates more specific keywords for your area. The tool will not only give you a list of specific keywords for your topic but will also show you information on the volume of searches for each keyword, helping you choose the most effective keywords for your purpose.
Although keywords are an important part of boosting the traffic to your site it is also important to consider the language used when customers reach your site. Always proof read your content. Any spelling or grammatical errors will reduce the impact and trustworthiness of your content and may make it difficult to understand.
Marketing and advertisements are key parts of launching and maintaining any business. With the help of the tips mentioned in this post your business will instantly benefit.
