As a marketing agency, people often ask us for social media tips and advice. Social media can be a bit of a minefield, and getting it right for your company takes some time but here are a few general tips and some advice to get you on the right track.

1. Think imagery

To just look at, social media is quite boring. Its up to you to make your page look good. Enlist the help of a design agency if you have a company page that needs branding. When posting, think about the visual elements of it all and try and add photos or videos to your posts to make them more eye-catching.

Its a fact that posts and updates that have images or videos attached get more engagement. Whether that is in the form of a like/favourite, a click on a link or a comment/reply.

2. Relevance

Social media platforms, especially Twitter are so fast moving that to stay on top and be seen by your customers, or prospects, you need to be posting relevant, current information. Check out the trending topics on Facebook or Twitter for example, or see whats been on the local news that morning. People want to see things that are relevant to them, and that may not necessarily be your dinner!

3. Change the content

All too often, people make the mistake of posting the exact same content across all their platforms. The sort of content that works on one, probably doesnt work on the other. For example, Twitters character limit and Facebooks heavily visual elements mean the content that gets pushed out needs to be different to reach each type of audience.

4. Help out

If you want to do something really helpful for your customers or prospects, try posting helpful hints and tricks. Post links to articles that have insights relating to their needs, write blogs and provide information and resources that your followers will find useful. This wont just keep them happy and engaged but will also help establish your brand or company as industry experts.

5. Be polite

A major part of social media etiquette is to be polite. If someone contacts you with a question, respond quickly. Even if you dont have the answer right away, be sure to let them know youll get back to them as soon as possible. Being polite helps boost customer service and loyalty, so always remember your Ps and Qs.