As the online marketplace grows increasingly competitive, businesses must put in strategic effort to stand out from their competitors. Social media can serve as a powerful and cost-effective tool in achieving this goal by getting a brand’s products and services in front of the right audience.
To help small businesses make the most of their social media efforts, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) answered the following questions:
“What’s one step you can take to boost your business’s discoverability on social media? How can you ensure you get noticed?”
Here’s what YEC community members had to say.
1. Share Relevant Content
“One way to boost your discoverability on social media is to share content that resonates with the needs and preferences of your target audience. Sharing relevant content helps you engage your audience on social media and makes them more likely to share your posts. This boosts your reach and makes new people learn about your brand, which in turn fuels your discoverability on different platforms.” ~ Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
2. Leverage Inbound Marketing Strategies
“Inbound marketing strategies will get you noticed by customers who need your product or service. You must create engaging, keyword-rich content that aligns with your target audience’s interests and search queries. Posting consistently and engaging with your followers will help boost your visibility and credibility. It is equally important to engage with your audience on social media.” ~ Michael Garrido, E-Valve Technologies
3. Collaborate With Other Accounts
“Collaborating with other relevant social media pages may help you boost your discoverability on the desired platforms. For example, if a page with more followers than you gives you a shoutout or adds a link to your page in its posts, your reach boosts exponentially, and people may easily find you. So, a collaboration may be a viable strategy if you’re looking to get more traction on social media.” ~ Jared Atchison, WPForms
4. Give a ‘Behind the Scenes’ View
“Show ‘behind the scenes’ videos so people can relate. Content like this helps people see that you are genuine and human. For example, a simple ‘meet the team’ could help build relationships between your audience and your company, as well as show your company’s values and culture. Don’t be afraid to include some humor to increase your relatability and, consequently, your discoverability even more.” ~ Shu Saito, SpiroPure
5. Engage Followers With Polls and Surveys
“To enhance my business’s presence on social media, I regularly use polls and surveys to engage with my audience. This not only keeps my followers actively involved but also gives me invaluable insights into their preferences and needs. By integrating this into my social media strategy, I not only boost engagement but also tailor my offerings and content more effectively to my audience’s interests.” ~ Bryce Welker, Accounting Institute of CPAs
6. Tag and Hashtag Appropriately
“Be sure that you are using hashtags and tags appropriately. Are you sharing an article? Tag the author and the publication. Are you spreading awareness about an issue? Use the appropriate hashtag, including the year. So many leaders and businesses are not following these principles that amplify messaging and discoverability, and they take mere seconds to follow.” ~ Matthew Capala, Alphametic
7. Incorporate Specific Keywords
“You can boost your discoverability on social media by using relevant keywords throughout your profile. For instance, a software company would likely mention what they do in their bio with specific keywords so search engines know to show their page when someone types in a relevant word or phrase. Adding a few keywords will help you appear in more search results, which means more engagement.” ~ John Turner, SeedProd LLC
8. Conduct Live Broadcasts
“Try new features and formats. Live broadcasts and Stories on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube can be especially effective for increasing engagement. People are often more interested in a live event than a static post. If you can do a regular broadcast, such as weekly, where you discuss a topic or answer questions, you can build an audience.” ~ Kalin Kassabov, ProTexting
9. Leverage Paid Advertising
“Paid advertising on social media can boost your business’s discoverability and help promote your brand. Pay-per-click advertising, display ads, influencer-generated content or sponsored posts are great ways to better reach your core demographics on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Google. The added benefit of retargeting customers further ensures viewership consistency.” ~ Brian David Crane, Spread Great Ideas
10. Jump on Trending Topics
“Sharing content around trending topics may boost your discoverability on social media. It’s one of the best ways to get noticed by your intended audience, as trending topics have a lot of search volume. So, sharing content around those topics can make it easier for you to appear in the search results displayed in response to the queries people use.” ~ Chris Klosowski, Easy Digital Downloads
11. Provide Value
“First and foremost, find ways to provide value to your audience. Craft content that really resonates with your target audience. Offer solutions for their biggest challenges, show them behind the scenes, provide tips and insights and answer their top questions. Don’t post simply to post. Share content that is engaging on a regular basis, and your customer base — and their loyalty — will grow.” ~ Blair Thomas, eMerchantBroker
12. Capture Interest From the Start
“Remember that there are two key areas where you need to hook your audience’s attention: the thumbnail and the first three seconds of content. Put most of your time and effort into ensuring that you capture your audience’s interest right away. As more people view your content, you’ll find that you’ll become more visible thanks to increased impressions and engagement.” ~ Blair Williams, MemberPress
13. Host Interactive Events
“Interactive events, like product giveaways, are an excellent way to boost your discoverability on social media. You can improve the odds that you’ll get noticed by adding entry methods that encourage sharing, commenting, tagging and other forms of engagement. We allow users to enter our event multiple times by taking specific actions, and each technique helps us boost our visibility.” ~ Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights
14. Use Compelling Visuals
“A crucial step is to leverage high-quality, unique visual content. This could be anything from engaging infographics and social media posts to informative explainer videos. These visuals not only attract attention but also make your brand more memorable. Remember to consistently deliver content that resonates with your audience, and don’t hesitate to experiment with emerging trends and formats.” ~ Vikas Agrawal, Infobrandz
Image: Envato Elements
This article, "14 Ways to Boost Your Discoverability on Social Media" was first published on Small Business Trends
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The Young Entrepreneur Council, Khareem Sudlow
