5 Cheap and Easy Ways to Improve Your Social Media Performance

Spending significant sums of cash on a high-profile social media marketing strategy is always an option. That is, unless you’re running the kind of small or one-person operation where cash is a sparse commodity.

As with most things, the key to getting the most out of your social spend lies in working smarter, rather than harder. If you’ve no intention (or lack the means) to hire a SMM specialist at a cost, it’s up to you to make the most of what you have available.

The good news is that the five most effective ways of improving social media performance are not only easy, but 100% free of charge. Shy of the inevitable investment of time in each instance, none of them will set you back a penny.

So here are our five cheap and easy ways to improve your social media performance - no advanced knowledge or expertise required:

#1 Audit your social media account(s)

Be honest, when was the last time you conducted a detailed top to bottom assessment of your social media accounts; what’s resonating with people and what isn’t?

Let’s take it further, have you even questioned if you’re focusing on the right social platforms? You don’t have to be on all of them or be a rockstar on all of them. Where are you directing your main efforts and why; which platform(s) do your target audience use, and why?

View your social content through the eyes of your ideal audience, those you want to influence and engage; and review what you’re putting out there as critically as you can.

• It’s called social media for a reason; are you being sociable and replying to all your comments?

• People are at the heart of social media; are you showing your human side or acting like a box-ticking robot? It’s obvious if you are, trust us.

• Have you compared what you’re doing to what others in your niche are putting out there? Whether it’s your bio, your images, the words you use or how often you post, success leaves clues. You don’t have to figure it all out yourself; take a leaf out of others’ books and find what works for you.

Ultimately, auditing your social media content should be a step you take again and again. Keep tweaking, keep learning, keep evolving. And always keep your target audience at the front of your mind.

#2 Stay active at all times

The truth is, there’s no ‘golden rule’ as to how often you should publish content on any social platform. It depends entirely on who you are, what you do and who you are targeting.

However, staying as active as you possibly can is essential on every platform.

The more time you spend silent and invisible, the easier it becomes for your customers to detached and become disinterested. They’ll quickly find something more entertaining and informative if you’re not providing them with what they need.

#3 Engage and ask questions

One of the best ways of demonstrating a genuine interest in a target audience on social media is to ask questions and request feedback.

Don’t just promote your products and services - ask how your audience feels about them and what they’d like to see added or improved.

In theory, social media contains all the information you could ever need to steer your business in a profitable direction. It’s just that rather than sitting back and taking a passive approach, the key to improved performance lies in proactivity.

#4 Always be responsive

As in literally always - never allow a single comment, complaint, compliment or reply go without a response.

If you want to achieve the highest responsiveness status on Facebook, you need to respond to at least 90% of private messages within 15 minutes. A tough ask, but it can nonetheless work wonders for your reputation and credibility.

In any case, quickly and appropriately responding publicly to comments is essential. In doing so, you show that you’re not only open to the comments and feedback of your customers, but also genuinely care about what they have to say.

#5 Monitor and analyse continuously

Last up, never take any aspect of your performance on social media for granted. If you’re on a winning streak, that’s great - but what is it you’re doing now that’s working for your customers? What types of posts, content and marketing activities are working best for your business?

Random experimentation and grasping for straws in the dark really isn’t necessary. Instead, use the analytical tools at your disposal to monitor your social media performance and analyse its strengths and weaknesses.