Social media marketing 102: building your online presence

Social media has become possibly the most popular way to market yourself and your business in the modern day. From the Instagram and TikTok influencer, to those who love to get chatty on Twitter or create professional promotional posts on Facebook, these platforms have become one of the best ways to boost your business.

Gathering social media ideas to help build an online presence can be tricky at first, but once you get to grips with your brand voice and how you want to be perceived as a professional the ideas will begin to flow.

Here at My Learning Online, we have come up with a helpful social media marketing guide to get you inspired about how to start building your online presence and reaching people with your message.

We went through the basics in our Social Media Marketing 101: A Beginner’s Guide, now get ready for part 0.2 of our social media marketing series – My Learning Online’s Social Media Marketing Guide 102 for 2023!

The best ways to build your online presence on different social media platforms

As there are now so many different social media platforms to choose from, you are no longer limited to just a few. You can reach all different audiences across all different platforms!

But what will really make things start to tick is really getting to grips with how each platform works, and the best ways to build a strong presence on each one. You can do this by using the tools available and perhaps even gaining inspiration from fellow promoters. 

We have identified some of the most popular social media platforms of the moment, and how you can start truly excelling in building your online presence on each one:

• Instagram – Insta is known for its scroll ability and eye-catching content, as well as the new addition of reels which allow creators to make short videos that potential customers can watch and see your business in action. Regular stories and posts are the pillars of a solid Instagram presence, and so perfecting your grid themes and story style will be your first port of call when using this platform.
• TikTok – This newly popular platform is possibly more suited to more creative businesses, due to its fast-paced nature and more creatively inclined content. But no matter what your business or industry, TikTok can be a super fun way to create fun and engaging content with a twist. The focus here should be on smooth transitions, good music and creative flair!  
• Twitter – The key to Twitter is to catch people’s attention with just a few words and perhaps a fun picture or gif. Hashtags are also key to ensuring you end up on trending pages – the more you trend, the more you’ll be seen. 
• Facebook – The OG platform. While it can be hard to engage people on Facebook, due to its inclination towards lengthy posts and a less engaging structure, setting up a solid Facebook page and committing to regular points and updates can be a great way of reaching a wider audience. 
• LinkedIn – The platform for working professionals, the way to get people interested is with regular posts to your page. These will show up on the feeds of your connections, and the more often you post, the more you will be noticed as people take their daily scroll.
• YouTube – One of the best platforms to reach a wide audience on, your content on here will need to be savvy. Professional-looking content is a must in order to be taken seriously, and setting up an official channel with appropriate logos and videos covering interesting and widely accessible content is vital, especially if you want to gain traction as a YouTuber.

Social media marketing introduction

You’ve got to start from the bottom and work your way to the top. It’s unlikely that you will gain hundreds of followers overnight, so it is important to be prepared to play the long game and be clever about how you choose to promote yourself online.

Here are a few of the basics to keep in mind as you start curating content and growing your voice and vibe:

• Who? What? Why? – Be sure of yourself and your business. Confidence and a clear vision for what you want your business to be, and how you want it to be perceived, is the most important first step. Particularly if you want to build a firm foundation on a social media platform. 
• Aesthetic and finding your brand – Aesthetic is a large part of the social media draw, and so make sure your look is slick, fun, engaging, quirky – whatever you want, as long as it represents you and your business.
• Target audience – Audience engagement is one of the best ways to build more of a presence online. Engaging people in polls, Q&As, answering comments etc will all help to put you at the centre of the conversation in your chosen field

The 7 P’s of Social Marketing

1. PREPARE – Prepping your content should be a priority; think about what sort of content you want to make, what you want the audience’s reaction to be, and how can you create fun and engaging posts that will keep people interested and following your business online?
2. PROMOTE – Promotion is the name of the game when it comes to building an online presence. You want your posts to show your business and what you do in the best light, as well as be eye-catching and informative to help keep spreading the word. Try showing what makes you different, what sets you apart from other businesses in your industry sector and use this as your unique selling point.
3. PLAN – Create a content structure or plan – such as templates, colour schemes, and scheduling of weekly or monthly content – and construct your own formula for your posts to achieve the maximum effect.
4. PLAY – Just because it’s all about work, does not mean it shouldn’t be fun! Try getting creative with your content and how you get your voice across in posts – people are more likely to engage if your content is approachable. 
5. POST – Get your content out and get it out regularly. Long lapses and gaps between posts can make potential customers lose interest.
6. PLUG – Don’t feel like you need to stick to just one platform – make the most of the variety of channels on offer! Promoting your content across other platforms or sharing social media stories can be a great way to reach more people and really plug the content that you worked so hard to create.
7. PROVIDE – Now you’ve promoted your business, you gotta provide the goods. Maintaining excellent products and services, as well as efficient and open communication between yourself and your customers, will help you build a solid client base. Word-of-mouth recommendations and online reviews will help your business soar to new heights!

Want to learn more?

While it might be worth looking into a certificate in social media marketing if you really want to upskill your online presence, a lot of social media content creation can be learnt by all different career sectors. 

And with the right support and guidance, you can create a thriving social media profile that will professionally promote and expand a business.

With this in mind, here at My Learning Online, we have an abundance of courses in various career sectors to choose from:

• Photography
• Wildlife and Animal
• Beauty
• Agriculture and Farming
• Lifestyle
• Small Business, Admin and Reception
• Landscaping and Horticulture

All of our comprehensive, professionally curated courses are completely online, which means that you can access your learning 24/7, at whatever time suits you and your schedule.

Each course comes with a downloadable brochure, offering more info about course content, module breakdown and assessments, accessing your learning online and tutor support. We also have course fee payment plans available to make financing your future that little bit easier. If there is anything you can’t find the answer to on our website, get in touch and one of our friendly course advisers will be on hand to help guide you.

Reach as far as the stars with an online course at My Learning Online.