Five Easy Tips to Get Started on Social Media

By Jonathan Kabana, Freelance Marketer

The time, attention, and money reserved for marketing always shifts to where the people are. Undeniably, people are on social media platforms. According to Sprout Social, there are an estimated 5.42 billion total social media users worldwide, and the average person uses 6.83 different social networks each month. A whopping 90% of consumers rely on social media to keep up with trends and cultural moments. For all of those billions of users, what brings people together – even in a digital space – is wanting to participate in shared trends and culture. Social media is really all about finding your people, and from a business perspective, it’s about conveying value to those people in an authentic way.

While posting on social media feels natural for some, it can feel a little awkward for others. But don’t fret – it’s not that hard to get started.

Here are five tips to try at the beginning of your social journey.

1. Choose the right platforms for you

Facebook. Instagram. TikTok. YouTube. Tumblr. Pinterest. Threads. There are a LOT of different social platforms. Each of them brings their own unique userbase and culture. How could you ever know which one is right for you? Think about the people whom you want to follow your business on social media. What do you know about them? Which social media platforms do they use? It’s also important to consider what the strengths of any given platform are. Instagram is great for any visual media, while YouTube sticks to video. LinkedIn is better for conveying your business as a thought leader in your industry, and Snapchat is perfect for showing an average day in your life. By considering where your target market is online and weighing the pros and cons of each of those platforms, you’ll be able to find the right home for your business.

2. Post regularly

Keeping your page active with a few posts each week provides a variety of benefits. From a user’s point of view, no one likes to follow a dead page where the last post was from two Decembers ago. From a platform point of view: if your account is actively posting, it is infinitely more likely to appear in users’ feeds as they scroll. You might be thinking, “what could I possibly have to post that could be interesting multiple times every week?” It’s okay to mix it up: maybe a nice photo of the sunrise reflecting off the building’s façade. Perhaps a product is back in stock. What if there’s a client success story to tell, or a funny anecdote from a beloved staff member? Anything that helps create an authentic connection between your brand and your customers should be what you consider.

3. Make sure your profile photo is appropriately-sized, especially if it’s a logo

I’ve got to admit, I’ve seen this happen so many times over the years - WAY too many! If you want your logo (whether as a standalone file or as a picture of a sign) to be your profile photo, take an extra second to make sure it looks good before hitting “save”. Typically, the entire logo should be visible, unimpeded. If it doesn’t look great the first time around, no worries: if you’re uploading this image from a phone, just drag the corners of the image before you save it to resize for maximum effect.

4. Little interactions can go a long way

Creating your own posts is the minimum. It’s fine, but what can help even more? Interacting with your users. If there’s a comment on a post that makes you smile, give it a ‘like’ or reply with a kind message of your own! Maybe someone tags your business in a different post saying how pleased they were with their experience. That’s a perfect opportunity to show just how great your customer service is! If someone has a negative experience, keeping an eye on social media can potentially also help to make a problem right.

5. Don’t forget to use your business' contact Info

The business name, address, phone number, website, and any other relevant contact info should be easily visible. Take full advantage of the bio or about sections in your social platform of choice!

Bonus tip: Links don’t work in Instagram feed posts!

While links in IG Stories can be clickable, users are not given an option to click links in feed posts. It’s always good to have either a link to your website or a link landing page, like Linktree, in your bio to direct your followers if necessary.

Social communities are built gradually, little by little, as they grow and change. When starting your social media journey, it’s important to practice doing the basics. You’ll get better at it with practice, and who knows where this journey could take you!