Top 16 Tactics for Social Media Success

Sometimes it’s hard for the average website owner or marketing director to appreciate just how much goes into each of each unique digital marketing tactic. Managing social media alone can be a full-time job in some organizations. And if you don’t have a full-time social media person, you could be at a significant disadvantage against your competitors who do.

To help take some of the weight off your shoulders, I put together my top list of strategies for social media success. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but this “short list” will help you cover some essential ground.

#1 – Leverage a Multi-Channel Presence

It’s no longer enough to just be on Facebook. You need to have a presence on every major social media platform, including YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and yes, maybe even TikTok. This expands your reach to the widest possible audience.

#2 – Post at a High Frequency

If someone lands on your social media profile and you haven’t posted in weeks or month, it can be a poor reflection of your business. In some instances, I’ve seen a brand go silent on social for months to the point where customers thought they went out of business. Posting once a day is ideal, but if not, aim for at least 4-5 times per week.

#3 – Mix it Up With Different Types of Posts

Don’t be boring. You can’t just share your latest blog posts on social. Get creative and mix it up with videos, GIFs, podcast episode teasers, statistics, or a behind the scenes look at your team. You get the idea here. Just be creative and find ways to mix it up.

#4 – Make Sure Your Brand Image is Consistent on All Channels

I see this mistake all too often. Brands are using an outdated logo on Facebook that doesn’t match their Instagram. Your logo, branding, and color scheme should be identical across every social network so it’s blatantly obvious to everyone who you are.

#5 – Respond to Comments and Messages in a Timely Fashion

Someone took the time out of their day to reach out to you on social media. The least you could do is respond. Today, people want answers quickly. Within an hour or two is ideal, but within 24 hours is a must.

#6 – Repurpose Your Content

One quick trick that I’ve learned over the years as that a single piece of content can turn into multiple social media posts. For example, I could record a podcast episode and upload it to YouTube. Then I can take a few snippets of that interview and turn it into multiple Instagram posts. Maybe I’ll even create a custom GIF or funny meme using a screenshot of my guest to share on Facebook.

#7 – Don’t Aim For Perfection

If you’re not sharing something on social media because it’s not “perfect” yet, then you’ll never have anything to post. Yes, you should pay attention to detail and don’t just haphazardly share whatever comes to mind. But nobody is perfect, so stop second-guessing yourself.

#8 – Be Strategic With Your Use of Hashtags

Hashtags can be really helpful to your branding strategy. But you need to be careful with how you’re using them. Don’t just randomly add a hashtag in front of different related words. They should be hyper-relevant to your brand and post.

#9 – Use Social Media Marketing Tools

At scale, social media marketing tools make your life so much easier. They can bring all of your messages to a single inbox, help you manage content calendars, and even monitor brand mentions across all channels. Check out my list of the 5 best social media tools for suggestions on my favorites.

#10 – Be Consistent

Establish a consistent cadence so people know what to expect from your brand. You don’t want to be annoying and bombard people with dozens of posts per day. But if you post a “daily trivia” question or “fun fact of the day” every morning, don’t skip any days.

#11 – Experiment With Paid Ads

Organic growth on social media is great. But it’s reliant on you reaching people who are already exposed to your brand. One shortcut is running paid ads on social, which can target your preferred audience even if they’re not already following you. I have a beginners guide to PPC advertising that you can use as a reference.

#12 – Find Ways to Entice User-Generated Content

Your followers can turn into your best brand ambassadors. Run contests and promotions that entice them to post about your brand. Not only does this expand your reach to their followers, but it also gives you a backlog of posts that you can repurpose and share on your profiles.

#13 – Analyze Your Metrics on a Regular Basis

Like every other marketing strategy, you should let the numbers talk for you. What day of the week is best for publishing? What type of content drives the most engagement? Which channel is converting followers to leads? The only way to do this is by looking at the analytics.

#14 – Stay Up-to-Date With the Latest Platform Changes

You don’t want to fall behind what everyone else is doing. If you can add more images to a post, add buy buttons, or add more characters to a caption, you should be taking full advantage of everything at your fingertips. So make sure you stay informed with what’s happening on every platform.

#15 – Always Add Value

Posting “just to post” is a sign of failure. Your content should always have a goal and be adding value to your followers. If you can’t clearly articulate what value you’re providing in a particular post, then it’s probably not worth posting.

#16 – Personalization is Key

There are two approaches here, and I’m a fan of using both. One aspect is to personalize content toward your target audience (which is the obvious tactic). But the other is personalizing your brand. Humanize your company so it’s not just a nameless and faceless corporation. Show who is operating behind the scenes so your customers feel like they’re connecting with you on a personal level.