How often do you check your social media? Once, twice, maybe five times a day? And we don’t blame you, all those puppy videos aren’t going to like themselves.
If you’re anything like the average person, you’ll be spending nearly two and half hours of your day on social media. And with the UK having over 57 million active social media users, reaching people who could be potential customers should be easy.
The reality is that reaching customers on social media isn’t always simple. Just writing a post and adding a photo won’t cut it. These platforms have been more sophisticated and have changed the way they communicate information to their users. In fact, it’s believed there have been at least 70 changes to the Facebook Algorithm since 2006.
But all is not lost. If you really want to boost your business social media prowess, there are some great resources to help you learn and deliver results. We’ve rounded up info and resources from four of the top platforms used in the UK:
Facebook have some great tools to help businesses like yours. Their extensive library of short courses is for everyone, from those looking to start their first business page to building skills in Facebook advertising.
Split into short study chunks, you can learn everything you need to know. Topics include:
- Connecting with customers
- Sharing and scheduling
- Using Facebook business tools
- And more
These courses are free to access at any time.
Although Instagram and Facebook are run by the same company (Meta), there are distinct differences that you need to know. What works for one platform may not work for another. Knowing the differences can save you a lot of time and heartache.
Luckily, you can expect the same learning experience for boosting your Instagram profile as you can for Facebook thanks to Meta.
One module we would specifically recommend for instructors is ‘Learn the difference between personal and business accounts.’ This is a common mistake a lot of small business owners make is not setting their account to business.
Find out why it’s important here.
BONUS: Find out how our account manager Carrie uses Instagram to boost her own Pilates and Barre business here.
TikTok
If you’ve jumped on TikTok and stopped after a few dances, it’s time to learn how you can reach people without spending hours on editing.
TikTok is the platform of choice for Generation Z – that’s people born between 1997-2012. If you’re trying to reach the under 25s then this could be a platform to check out. Although it’s worth noting that a majority of group exercise participants are aged 25-34.
So if this is you channel, go for it! But be warned – TikTok thrives on constant content. If you have time and desire to be a true TikTok star, here are five top tips from Fanbytes for you.
Known for it’s short-form content (just 280 characters per Tweet), Twitter lends itself to news, opinions, and signposting.
A quick search of #GroupExercise will show instructors sharing videos, photos, and details of their classes. Short videos seem to work well on Twitter so any class content you have could be used here.
If you’re going to use Twitter to promote your classes, remember to:
- Use hashtags of your location to reach your local community, for example #Hackney or #WhatsOnLeeds
- Always include a link where people can find more information
- Pictures or videos will help you stand out – pick content that shows what classes might be like
HubSpot have some fantastic resources on how to get started with Twitter as well as using it for business.
One word of advice…
Do not fool yourself that you need to be on every platform – it’s simply not the case.
Get one platform completely right first before setting up another one. It takes time and effort to really build audiences and interact with customers. Make sure you have the resource to get it right over time.
