Reach a wider social media audience
Finding and cultivating a wider social media audience
You’re an old-hand in the social media space now. At this point you may have started to think about what you can do to help push your content that little bit further. So how do you unearth opportunities to reach a wider audience?
1 Partnering with organisations
Social media networks are built on content sharing, so why not look to organisations you work with day-to-day to help create content? Ideas for co-created content could include:
- interviews
- opinion pieces by authoritative figures in the community
- event coverage.
The benefit of creating content to be shared across multiple organisations means you’re reaching audiences outside your ‘traditional audiences’.
2 Sharing best-practice content
Social media is dynamic. As platforms and their users evolve, organisations have to make an effort to keep up with trends, especially if your target audience leans towards a younger demographic.
Trends we’re seeing in 2017:
- video attracting more engagement (there are a lot of tips and tricks to engaging video, so be sure to do your research);
- live video demonstrating authenticity; and
- partnering with influencers to broaden awareness.
3 Engaging peer leaders and influencers
Peer leaders and influencers within particular social groups can be called upon to communicate your key messages in an authentic and credible voice.
Using platforms like LinkedIn can be a great starting point to help spread the word in your sector. The benefit? Increased engagement and awareness in online spaces outside of your own.
Ideas for collaborating on content:
- influencer blog posts for promotion across your channels and theirs (think LinkedIn, website, email newsletters);
- hosted Twitter Q&A’s or Facebook Live online discussions; and
- creating expert educational tips, stats and facts to be shared across social channels over a period of time.
4 Using paid advertising to spread the word
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube wouldn’t be the size they are today without being monetised; and it’s becoming more apparent that if you want mass reach for your posts, at some point, you will have to invest in social media advertising.
If you choose to spend money on paid advertising, a good place to start is by defining clear objectives on the action you would like people to take off the back of your ads. This will determine if you take a more quantity (reach and awareness) vs. quality (engagement and clicks) based advertising.
The great thing about advertising on social media is that each platform has very specific audience target, meaning you can reach the people you’re want with key messages created specifically for your audience. To get started with social media advertising, visit: