After we discussed in our previous blog why creating a Google My Business page can increase your online findability, other social media cannot be left out. Social media allows companies to communicate with customers in a more direct and personal way than is possible with traditional media.

Communicate directly with the consumer

Social media allows you to reach more customers faster and more. If you use this smartly, you can quickly grow your customer base considerably. Especially in recent years, the 'voice' of the customer has become increasingly important, partly due to social media. When someone has an opinion about something and expresses it on social media, such a message may be shared by hundreds of thousands of people.

The influence of the consumer is increasing. As a brand, it is therefore important that you show that you think about your customers and take into account the wishes of the feedback. Social media is the easiest and best way to do this. So how can you use social media to achieve more success?

The structure of your profile

Social media offers the opportunity to express the essence of your company at a glance. When people visit your company's profile, the first thing they see is your profile photo and description. Before creating and setting up your company profile, consider what message you would like to convey.

Okay, the profile has been created. Then it is time to maintain this profile. Below are some tips to get the most out of your social media.

1. Be active

When companies are active on social media, they see many positive results. The more often you post something, the more opportunities you offer consumers to communicate with your company and with each other. Consumers see your posts appear in their timeline every time. The more often you post something, the more often they see your company.

2. Stay current

You can create a content calendar to maintain your social media channels. On the one hand, this is useful, because you can plan ahead and take the time to think about what you want to show to your followers. However, something can always happen unexpectedly, making it no longer appropriate to make certain messages or statements. It is therefore especially important to stay current: you never know what will happen tomorrow.

As a company, it is important to respond to such events or express a position on them, rather than ignoring them and continuing to post your planned content. This way your followers see that you as a company are involved in the things that are happening in society.

3. Provide variety

You can on social media different types of content places. You don't have to just post something on your timeline. For example, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and nowadays even YouTube offer the option to post stories. A photo or video of a few seconds is shown to your followers. They can then view these as often as they want, but for only 24 hours. The story will then be deleted.

By varying the type of content you post, you keep your followers interested and alert. For example, you can post a short video one day, but post a story, a poll or a livestream the next. Don't be afraid to experiment with different types of content. The advantage (and perhaps also the disadvantage) of social media is that you can almost immediately see how a post is received by your followers.

4. Create unique content

Almost everyone has a social media account. That means a lot of competition. How do you ensure that your company can distinguish itself from the competition? You do this by posting unique content. Try to find something that competitors are not doing, or try to create your own format to create unity in your profile. For example, consider a certain color combination that will help consumers recognize your company when they see these colors in their timeline.

Social media offers many opportunities to create more awareness for your company. In addition, you can maintain more direct and personal contact with your customers. Would you like to start with social media, or would you like to expand your network? Then take a look this Facebook group.