Social media has evolved from merely a tool for connecting with friends and family to a innovative channel for brand connections. With over 2.46 billion people utilizing social media globally, social media platforms can be considered the world’s largest marketplaces.. When done correctly, social media can be a major asset in building your brand, so here are a few quick tips to get you started.

Create & update accounts

There are numerous useful platforms to create a business profile on. Determining which ones are preferred by your target market may take some trial and error but will pay off in helping you achieve your branding goals. If you’re repurposing old accounts, make sure to delete any ones you’re no longer using and ensure all information is updated and accurate.  

Find your voice

Developing a voice people can associate with your brand and engage with is the first step in developing your social presence. Asking questions like; what defines your brand? What aesthetic are you aiming for? What goals do you seek to achieve? Finally, who are you aiming to impress? These questions can initiate the discovery of your brand’s voice and image. Testing out various forms of content to determine what your target market responds to best, provides the deciding factor in what type of content your brand should plan to replicate. From there, creating content that followers will deem valuable is the next step. Aim to demonstrate expertise within your industry with knowledge of the latest trends in a way that optimally engages audiences.

Post frequently

To remain relevant you need to post enough content to pop up on your followers timeline at least once a day. Keeping lines of communication open with your audience and engaging just enough without seeming desperate is achievable by finding the sweet spot for your channel and audience. To keep followers interested, it’s best to look towards what’s received the most interaction and keep those types of posts coming. If you run out of inspiration, aggregator sites, Google alerts, or a quick search of trending hashtags can keep you updated on what’s hot at the moment.

Once you’ve developed a schedule that works for you and your audience, simplifying the process with helpful apps like Buffer and Hootsuite can help keep you on track. Creating a content calendar that’s connected to all of your social media networks with pre-scheduled posts, removes the need to think on your feet everyday and log into multiple sites.

Utilize influencers

The biggest trend in social media marketing today lies in the power of influencers. Depending on your businesses focus, try seeking out leaders in the industry with a notable following. Analyzing their posting habits, content type and followers, can provide insight on what you may be able to improve on. If you can, utilize influencers to promote your brand. This can also have dramatic impacts on increasing your own followers and potentially revenue.

Building a brand takes time and effort. Luckily with the increasing popularity and ease of use, social media can help propel you to where you want to go.

Author Bio: Maddie Davis is co-founder of Enlightened Digital and a tech-obsessed female from the Big Apple. She lives by building and redesigning websites, running marathons, and reading anything and everything on the NYT Best Sellers list.