Free Ways to Increase the Visibility of Company Social Media Channels
Gaining relevant followers and connections boosts brand awareness. It widens the top of the sales funnel and essentially fosters greater relationships with customers. Expanding a social media following gives content a greater weight with search engines to help increase the position of owned sites. Social channels can become an avenue for customer service, which could limit the strain on current support staff. There are many reasons for elevating a social media presence. How do you increase visibility with little to no budget?
Post more frequently. More posts equal more impressions. Posts on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+ have longer lifespans so once or twice daily will work in most cases. According to Moz’s Peter Bray, the lifespan of a Tweet is about 18 minutes. Kevan Lee of Buffer says they post 14 times per day but if there is not a ton of content available five to six posts a day will work.
Optimize the content. Understand how posts show up on certain networks. Images work well and get shared more often. Strategic hashtag usage increases the likelihood a Tweet will be seen by a relevant audience outside current followers.
Cross-promote across social channels. Why not? It’s free to post about the LinkedIn page on Facebook. Chances are the content is similar so it wouldn’t be crazy to think the audience is too if they have an account there.
Upload an email list. If you already have the contacts, try uploading a current list to see if any of them have an account.
Feature accounts in emails. If someone is subscribed to your emails it’s because they like your content. Offer up alternative methods to receive content through social media.
Add buttons in email signatures. Signatures include a company phone number and email address. Why not include more ways to contact you?
Add buttons to the header and footer of the website. Social media accounts are a great way to learn about a company. Add these buttons near About Us or Contact Us on the homepage.
Embed on website pages. Just like the homepage, add buttons or links to accounts throughout the website. Odds are the homepage is the most visited page, but many visitors are attracted to the site by press releases, blogs, or product pages.
Use share buttons. When a person visits a webpage it’s because they are interested. If they like what they see, give them the opportunity to tell the world. Unlike follow buttons, share buttons make it easy for people to seamlessly post predetermined content. ClicktoTweet is an awesome tool for this.
Add buttons on external blogs posts. When contributing to another site, don’t be afraid to use a ClicktoTweet link or anything referring to your social presence. This is a good place to embed a tweet.
Include on any upcoming printed material. Integrate the company’s digital presence onto fliers, brochures, or reports anywhere the company exhibits. Just wait until you need new material to add the social icons or handles so it fits within the budget.
Include on upcoming signage. Banners or tables tops offer more opportunities to feature a Twitter handle and other accounts.
Embed on the intranet. Employees are the best advocates. Encourage them to support the company by making social accounts visible and accessible.
Mention in employee training. Whether it’s for new hires or current employees, training is another good way to encourage following company pages.
Feature posts with an internal email. Weekly or monthly emails to employees featuring top social media posts help them understand what the company is talking about. These are good for general internal communications, as well as helping the social media manager spread the sharing workload.
Not only do these steps boost the visibility of social media channels, they are a foundation for your digital presence. It’s important to remember that follower counts aren’t everything. The value is in getting the right people to follow you. Showing off channels in these ways will guarantee the most relevant people see it.