Many people sell courses that tell you how to use Instagram or Pinterest to increase your page views and get more clients. The focus is often aimed at understanding the algorithm and knowing when to post. These things are important, but they aren’t necessarily the key to a successful social media post.

This blog post is specifically for people and businesses who want to reach users and convince them to take some sort of action, like buying a course. If you’re using social media to make a connection with potential clients and customers, we suggest the following three tips:

Have a clear focus that matches your brand

This can take time to figure out and develop. For instance, if you are promoting your blog posts about easy crafts you can do with your kids, you don’t want to feature images of women’s fashion or seasonal wardrobe trends. Of course, if your service has to do with fashion, you don’t want public Pinterest boards that are all about kid crafts. The message and images need to match in order to satisfy your audience.

If you’re not sure what your focus is, take the time to figure out what you’re offering before you post again. It’s all about having a strategy so you know what you’re asking from your followers.

Make sure the post is about them, not you

This is the key to a strong social media presence. Your social media post should solve a problem for your audience. Maybe you’re offering them a free resource or writing a blog post about an important or timely topic. Whatever the offer is, your post should explain exactly why it’s helpful and why your followers don’t want to miss out on it.

Utilize keywords and hashtags to help followers find your post

This part seems like it might be easy, but it’s not. The right hashtags can very from platform to platform, and you don’t want to waste time guessing the right keywords. Research the platform you want to use to find out the best strategy.

For example, Pinterest, which is more search engine than social media, has keyword research built into it. Just start a search and see which suggested words pop up on the bottom. For hashtags, do a search and check the top posts. What hashtags are they using?

Still struggling to find the right words? No time to craft the perfect social media post? Reach out to Waypoint Writing, and find out how we can help support your social media strategy.