Keeping up with social media can be overwhelming. Knowing what works well for others can help to make things a little easier. The members of the OWA Digital Marketing Committee have come together to provide a bundle of their own tips that work for each of them.
Cross-Promote Local! One of the untapped resources for opticals is utilizing other small businesses. In Socially Spexy we teach opticals how to successfully team up with other local companies to run a promotion that increases followers in their community.”
–Kayla Ashlee, Founder, Spexy
Post Consistently! Getting into the rhythm of gaining followers starts with posting regularly. Social media algorithms display posts that are newer and have more engagement; If you don’t post and get likes/comments regularly then you won’t be seen! You also can deter potential new followers and lose existing followers by not posting regularly. If you have trouble coming up with ideas you can download a social media planner.
–Carissa Dunphy, Optician Now
- Show us a behind the scenes look of your day! Snap a photo of your desk, show us what coffee you drink every day, or tell us about something that happened today!
- We all have real lives…what do you do on the weekend? Show it in your stories and start conversations with others about things that aren’t necessarily work related.
- Stay true to who you are & be passionate about your cause. Social media is the perfect place to use your voice to bring awareness to things you believe in!
–Mikki Collins, Tom Davies Sales Consultant
There’s a tip from human behavior specialist Colette Carlson, who I interviewed for an EB staff training article, that really resonated with me. Essentially, it’s that one platform doesn’t fit all. Of course, it creates more work, but knowing where your audience congregates, when they do so, and why they prefer a specific platform can make all the difference in creating valuable content.
–Kerri Ann Raimo, EB managing editor + social media content manager
- Content is king: Make sure you have strong and relevant content for digital marketing / social media posts to continue to attract and engage your intended audience. Additionally, ensure that your message and branding are consistent across various social media platforms. Yes, you would want to adapt and customize your content to suit various social media platforms, but you still want your audience to instantly recognize your brand no matter where they see it.
- How much is too much? Be mindful of the frequency at which you release your content and keep it regular. There is a sweet spot between under and overexposure — you want to maintain a balance where people are eagerly waiting for your information and to connect with your brand, but not oversaturated or fed up by constant content bombardment.
–Shweta Gupta, Sr. Director, Marketing, Essilor
With Social media marketing becoming the new norm, it’s important that you not only understand your target audience but that you also choose your social media platform(s) accordingly. You don’t need to be on every platform out there as your time is better spent focusing on what will help you reach your social media goals. Remember it’s not the quantity that matters it’s the quality!
–Kaitlyn Dias, Executive Assistant, Westgroupe
- Plan your posts
- Use great images
- Choose one or two channels like Facebook & Instagram and get to know them
- Post consistently
- Use technology like Canva to create amazing looking content
- Put some budget to boost the posts to get more people to see it
- Use hashtags and tagging to get more exposure
- Have fun with your posts
If you are interesting on participating in the Digital Marketing Committee, or any others, join today by updating your membership profile and check the appropriate box(es) under Committee Interest.
Written/Curated by: Carissa Dunphy