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Hot Social Media Tips for 2020
Use these six social media tips to increase engagements, boost your brand, and connect with customers.
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Author: Cassie Gasaway
Social media can be difficult to master, but you’ll succeed with practice. If you seldom publish because you struggle finding the “perfect” picture, or writing the “perfect” captions and hashtags, just post something good. Tip: The ATA can help. Check out our free social-media calendar. Click here to download it.
When posting, just remember that consumers like raw, real and authentic content with personality. That’s why Tim Tiller, head of security at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, became internet-famous and went viral in March. Museum staff asked Tiller to share content on the museum’s social platforms because the COVID-19 pandemic forced other employees to work from home.
Tiller’s followers found his humorous struggles with social media charming and entertaining. The museum’s Twitter page went from 10,000 followers to 275,000 in two weeks. Tiller proved that being honest and genuine on social media can do a lot for a brand or business.
Let’s review some tips to increase engagements, boost your brand, and interact with followers.
Teach, Don’t Self-Promote
Compelling social media posts aren’t about your business. They’re about how your business helps customers. Show consumers how you can help them enjoy a fun, unique and exciting sport. Explain your products, services and other offerings. Help them see your shop as a place to learn, shoot, get professional service, and buy quality products.
Click here to learn how to generate profit-driving content for your website. Those concepts also apply to social media. People like learning from local experts. Teach them what you know, whether it’s a tip about shooting form or a hunting regulation that just took effect. The more tips and helpful information you provide, the more people will use your content and business.
Encourage post interaction with a challenge or a direct callout to answer in the comments. Photo Credit: Competition Archery Media
Make Specific Requests
When creating educational posts, encourage followers to like, share, react or comment. Specific requests boost engagement. Ask followers to explain their hunting strategies, or share what they learned from your post or video. Ask them to like your post if they know the topic, or share it if they know others who could use the information.
People like talking to like-minded folks about shared interests. When one person interacts with your content it often creates a chain reaction that encourages others to join the conversation. Their interaction with your content also tells the platform that person likes seeing and engaging with your content, which puts more of your content into their news feed. Plus, all that traffic boosts and promotes your brand because platform algorithms make well-received posts more visible to everyone, even those who don’t associate with your brand.
You should also engage with your customers. Acknowledge their comments. Say hi, answer questions, thank them for sharing your post, or ask follow-up questions. Interactions build trust, which creates loyal followers who support your brand.
Use one platform to promote another. Photo Credit: X10 Archery
Cross-Promote Your Channels
Remind followers occasionally about your other social media accounts. Ask them to follow your social media brands. It’s a common strategy, and most consumers understand it. You could say: “Like this content? Follow us on Twitter at [insert your twitter handle.]”
You can also promote your channels in the bio or “About” section on various platforms.
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Facebook groups curate content in one place, so it doesn't get buried in feeds. Photo Credit: Archery Connection
Create a Facebook Group
According to Hootsuite, brands in 2020 should expect Facebook posts to be seen by about 5.5% of their page’s followers because of Facebook’s algorithms. In other words, your customers likely don’t see your content. Remember: The more engaged your followers, the more widespread your content.
To overcome that dilemma, businesses pay to promote their posts, or they create a business Facebook group so everyone in the group sees 100% of the group’s posts. Groups also provide a safe, more-controlled place to hang out and discuss tips, ideas and experiences. Click here for step-by-step directions to create a Facebook group, and then invite members to your group and start sharing content.
Launch a Facebook Ad Campaign
Most social media efforts are free, but consider adding a paid-marketing component to your strategy. Paid promotions let you personalize content and your target audience, and create segments based on location, demographics or product interest.
Use a Facebook ad campaign to recruit newcomers, engage community members, and turn nonarchers into archers. If you’re unsure where to start, the ATA’s four-part video series teaches members how to attract customers with Facebook advertising campaigns.
“How to Run a Facebook Ad Campaign” is a step-by-step guide available at the MyATA Learning Center. Its ads are based on the ATA’s “The Thrill is Nocking” campaign. ATA members can use any video ad they want. The instructions are the same.
You’ll learn how to upload videos to Facebook, prepare your shop for new customers, and welcome newcomers to archery sports. The course also includes supplemental materials, including customizable flyers, a shop-cleaning checklist, a new-customer tracking spreadsheet, and other items that help campaigns succeed. Click here to learn more. Or take the course by logging into your MyATA member dashboard and entering the MyATA Learning Center.
Contact the Platform for Help
It’s easy to connect with a platform’s representative if you’re struggling with something specific. Facebook, for example, often rejects archery and bowhunting ads because of its weapons policy. The platform allows bowhunting products like treestands, clothing and trail cameras in ads, but denies ads for bows and arrows, and ads with bow photos.
You can strategically write ads and choose “safe” images to ensure Facebook approves them. If an ad doesn’t get approved, contact the platform via chat, and a representative can review your previous ads and instruct you how to format them so they’re approved. Visit the Facebook Business Support Center and click “get started,” then “ads,” then “chat with a representative.” Fill out a form, and a chat opens in Facebook messenger.
Click these links for help on other platforms:
- Instagram Help Center
- Twitter Help Center
- YouTube Help Center
Questions? Contact Scott Einsmann, ATA’s digital manager, at (866) 266-2776, ext. 114; or scotteinsmann@archerytrade.org.
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