How to Build a Better Social Media Presence

If you own a business today, you most likely have a social media presence in some way, shape, or form. But how many companies nowadays have an active, thriving social media presence? Check out these simple tips below and receive some much needed social media recognition for your self-storage business.

Define Your Audience

Take note: “everyone” is not an audience. Whether you’re looking to target prospective customers in your area or significant industry influencers, defining the audience you want to reach will help you determine:

• Which social media networks to be active on
• How often you should post
• The type of content you should post

This standard rule of thumb is where many businesses tend to mess up their social media presence. If you don’t post content that speaks to a defined audience, you’ll continue to spin your social media wheels. Take some time to establish your desired audience and understand their challenges. Understanding what your audience is looking for will help you be able to interact with them on a personal level. Knowing the questions, they might ask and what they want to read about will help you identify what you need to give to them – which ultimately means bringing them to your website to see what your business is all about.

Find Your Platforms

Now that you’ve determined who you want to reach via social media, it’s time to determine which social media platforms align with your business objectives. Meeting your audience where they are is the most effective way to see increased audience engagement. Within the niche self-storage industry, the top three most important platforms to consider are:

• Facebook is the largest social platform in existence. Facebook has 2 billion active monthly users, and the site is ideal for businesses that want to generate leads and build relationships.
• LinkedIn is a platform for business networking. LinkedIn can be used by both B2B and B2C businesses to create trust, build authority, and engage audiences.
• Twitter is a platform of immediacy full of time-sensitive information like breaking news, announcements, and trending topics. Self-storage businesses should consider Twitter if they are looking to target an audience under 50.

Be Human

This is HUGE. One of the worst mistakes to make on social media is coming off as a corporation with zero personality. In the modern age of transparency, people want to get to know your company on a more personal level. Let your audiences see a softer side of your business! This doesn’t mean just throwing up a link to your article and hoping someone will read it or click on it – this means interacting on your social media accounts consistently. Respond to posts from your audience and interact with them when they show interest. Whether it’s office photos or snapshots of your team on an adventure, getting personal with your followers and showing the character behind your business can help you form a genuine connection.

Seek Relationships – Not Just Followers

Don’t leave the “social” out of your social media presence. Your follower count is a vanity metric, and having 100 followers who regularly engage with you and your content is likely more valuable than 10,000 who ignore you. Even if you’re targeting a local audience, the beauty of social media is that you can instantly form relationships with followers from anywhere in the world. When it comes to relationship-building, remember to:

• Tag people and businesses that you reference in your social media posts
• Respond to any questions posted online
• Reply to people when they mention your business or share your business’s content
• Don’t just retweet and like other people’s content; reply with a comment and start a conversation
• Address any complaints or criticism
• Participate in discussions about trending topics
• Show appreciation for customers

Use Visuals

Continually coming up with sharable, relevant content on top of being a business owner can be intimidating. This is why it’s essential to keep in mind that visual content reigns supreme! Facebook notes that videos get six times the engagement versus any other type of content. Getting visual doesn’t mean you need any insane equipment or a full-blown production budget. Instead, consider posting content such as:

• Team photos or videos
• Photos of customers
• Photos of events
• Behind-the-scenes photos and videos
• Quote photos

The bottom line is that there’s no secret science for a better social media presence. Instead, some small tactics and strategies can help you build your social profiles for prime engagement. By following these five simple tips, not only can you expect to gain more likes and follows, but you’ll learn more loyal customers, too.