Tips, Tricks and Helpful Tools for Social Media
I would hate to pick a favorite, but our last Intro to Social Media class may have been just that. Although all of our classes so far have been insightful and given me a lot to consider and strive toward for my social media brand, this past class gave me some tools that I can put into action right now.
I find that I struggle the most with “in between” content. When our social media strategy was originally developed, my plan was to post about our brands events and other happenings within the organization. Unfortunately, that does not lend itself to daily posts. I also noticed that when I posted more frequently, I saw engagement in my posts go up. The suggestions that Ashley Horst, our last guest speaker, gave us on post suggestions and how to find more post content ideas was very helpful.
Thanks to her insight, I’m now realizing that I do not need to make every social media post directly relate to something that we’ve done in our organization. In fact, it might be better not to. As Ashley pointed out, it could be agitating to viewers and consumers if we’re constantly just speaking about ourselves. I can promote our brand and work toward achieving my overall goals by using quotes, creating small pools, and making quick posts on a trending, but related hashtag. I tested this out recently with a post wishing out followers a happy Halloween. Typically, I’d take this opportunity to promote a benefit that we offer, or a team building event happening on campus that day, but instead, I posted a simple picture of Team Members in costumes with the message, “Happy Halloween from [our brand].” Although not promoting anything within our organization or our organization itself, this post still received the same amount of likes and engagement as other posts.
I have also began taking advantage of some of the social media marketing automation tools that were discussed in our last class. I am already using Hootsuite to schedule my posts, but I hadn’t realized how many other options there were, especially free options. I created a Trello account to help manage not only my social media projects, but also other recruitment projects. I also downloaded Canva and I’m looking forward to creating more branded photos using this platform.
My most recent social media venture has been the promotion of an upcoming hiring event. In addition to more traditional marketing and recruitment methods, such as contacting schools and other organizations and utilizing our leading job board to promote the event, I’ll be relying heavily on social media marketing, using many of the tools and tips Ashley spoke about in our last class. First, I’ve automated emails to be sent out periodically throughout the week. Embedded in each email is a video explaining what the event is, where it will be held and why candidates should attend. I’ve also creating a landing page, where those invited will be able to RSVP to the event. Using Hootsuite, I’ve scheduled out posts for the next 10 days. I have also created a project in Trello so that I can manage all of these tasks, as well as other details, like remembering to book the room and put out signs pointing to the event entrance.
Another tip, increase use of hashtags, especially on Instagram. I had always thought that Twitter would be the network where hashtags would carry the most weight, but as we learned, it’s actually Instagram. In my recent posts, I’ve started using a minimum of 10 hashtags for Instagram post, and I’m seeing more engagement and a wider reach for each post. I’ve had to make use of the website she shared with us, a hashtag generator, but I’ve been pleased with the increased traffic to this platform.
With each class, I feel that my understanding and utilization of social media marketing is growing, and our last class was immensely helpful in this. Learning new ways to optimize social media to the best of its ability has already proven useful! With the assistance of these tips, I feel that I am now better equipped to consistently create interesting content and better engage my followers.
