Every business can benefit from a social media strategy, but all too often it is created as an afterthought. As more people see the potential of using the various social media platforms, competition for user attention grows. Simply setting up an account for occasional use is no longer good enough. Instead, a considered plan is required to increase your businesses social media influence.

Use Multiple Channels

While you might have a preferred social network, aim to create a wider presence across multiple platforms. You can promote the same piece of content across different sites, so there is no reason to limit yourself. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, and LinkedIn will all have their own audiences who can be targeted directly.

Craft Intriguing Headlines

Social media is typically at its most effective with fast-paced content. If you want people to read or watch longer content, you need to direct them to your own site. In order to gain this attention, learning how to write headlines is important. Your headlines should usually attempt to intrigue readers, but you can achieve this using humor, shock, anger, and curiosity. Read more at copyblogger: 10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas That Work.

Encourage Comments

Community is key to social media, so you need to encourage comment and contribution from your audience. Rather than communicating in the style of a press release, ask questions in order to start conversations. Active conversations will draw new people to you, resulting in greater social influence.

Use Social Buttons and Widgets

To gain any significant influence, promoting your social media accounts is essential. Very few people will actively seek out your profiles, so you need to make it as easy as possible for them to follow you. Use social buttons or a widget to link to all your profiles from one place. You can also use these widgets to promote any blog post or video you create.

Post at the Optimal Time

As you start to accrue data about your posting, making strategic decisions becomes far easier. There will be certain times of the day where you will get the best responses, so you can set aside time for posting. Rather than spending all your time on social media, you can work smartly at the optimal times. There are various social media tools, such as Hootsuite, that provide analytics and scheduled posting. Fastcompany has a great infographic that can get you started on the best times to post.

Network with Experts

It is hard to gain social influence working alone. While you can gradually gain followers, doing everything yourself can be a drawn-out process. Networking with experts allows you to gain exposure and social proof, leading to new followers and an increased perception in the community. You might not be on the same level as the expert yet, but you can raise your status just through the association.

Promote Your Popular Posts

Many people fail to take full advantage of their social media efforts. If you post something that receives many shares, don’t be afraid to leverage this further. Reposting popular content will attract people who missed it the first time, resulting in a new audience you may have missed. Creating follow-up posts can also get you more mileage from the original idea. Not everything you do will be successful, so when you hit a winner you should make the most out of it.

Social media can be a great business tool while, in the worst cases, harmful to your reputation. This makes it important to have a strategy in place, allowing you to communicate effectively with your audience. But without any influence, social media will just be time-consuming and fruitless, adding an extra expense to your business. Gaining social influence doesn’t need to be overthought, with a focus on communication and engagement providing consistent results.