{"id":44651,"date":"2023-10-20T15:37:26","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:37:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/five-ways-to-lift-your-social-media-game-from-two-entrepreneurs-with-well-over-a-million-followers-combined-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:37:26","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:37:26","slug":"five-ways-to-lift-your-social-media-game-from-two-entrepreneurs-with-well-over-a-million-followers-combined-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/five-ways-to-lift-your-social-media-game-from-two-entrepreneurs-with-well-over-a-million-followers-combined-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"Five ways to lift your social media game from two entrepreneurs with well over a million followers combined – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Social media has been a secret weapon for many Australian entrepreneurs, allowing them to amass a significant following, creating loyal customers and brand ambassadors in the process.<\/p>\n

Jane Lu, who founded Showpo in 2010, started really cracking into social media about two years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were quite behind with everyone else, I was using [Instagram] as a photo filter tool rather than to gain a community,\u201d Lu tells SmartCompany<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just wasn\u2019t getting it and I felt really defeated by it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Showpo has nearly 1 million Instagram followers, a Facebook community of more than 580,000 people and a YouTube account with more than 36,000 subscribers generating more than 3 million views.<\/p>\n

She says Showpo\u2019s Facebook account has an engagement rate of about 50% to 75% of its followers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the answers are there on how to crack it but people don\u2019t spend enough time on it,\u201d Lu says.<\/p>\n

With social media here to stay, the 29-year-old entrepreneur says small business owners need to accept the online world and just keep figuring out what works.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time they [Facebook] change their algorithm it\u2019s actually a good thing because it brings you back to square one with everyone,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Slinkii, founded by model and law graduate Pia Muehlenbeck, has more than 66,300 Instagram followers, 4,800 Facebook likes and 3000 YouTube subscribers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we started about 18 months ago, I had absolutely no social media following,\u201d Muehlenbeck tells SmartCompany<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Together with Slinkii co-founder and photographer Kane Vato, the duo began with a goal to share one great photo on Instagram everyday.<\/p>\n

The professional model-photographer combination meant they could snap some high fashion images to promote the brand\u2019s clothing.<\/p>\n

But it has taken a very deliberate strategy of testing and analysis to help them grow their following to where it is today.<\/p>\n

Social media success is not an overnight gig, it takes a lot of heavy lifting and dedicated hours to figure out what works.<\/p>\n

These are their top tips.<\/p>\n

Tip 1: Focus on one platform first<\/h3>\n

For businesses just starting out on social media, Lu recommends figuring out one platform first.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s Facebook or Instagram, she says it\u2019s important to dedicate specific time to develop, create and share content.<\/p>\n

Part of this time should also include research and analysis to figure out what\u2019s working, what the market likes, which posts do well in directing traffic to the business\u2019 home page and which may be influencing sales.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a constant trial and error,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Tip 2: Test and figure out what content works<\/h3>\n

Muehlenbeck says they used Iconosquare, which was free at the time but is about $9 a month now, to get statistics on where their followers are, customer segments, the best times to post for higher engagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe use this quite heavily,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

At Showpo, Lu and her team regularly review the stats to iterate content that works.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do it based on the number of likes, engagement and links that generate revenue \u2013 we look at the clicks on that,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually know Instagram is working because we\u2019re selling so much internationally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tip 3: Be consistent<\/h3>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard people say your vibe attracts your tribe,\u201d says Muehlenbeck.<\/p>\n

To attract an audience for their sporting wear, instead of just pushing a basic sales pitch they share content with the aim of pushing a lifestyle, social interaction and entertainment.<\/p>\n

They started with a commitment to one great photo a day and now they share four at 6.30am, 12pm, 6.30pm and 8.30pm.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looks like I\u2019m kind of just laying on the beach all the time but I\u2019m really not \u2013 we do plan it in advance and collaborate with other brands strategically,\u201d Muehlenbeck says.<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s a company that\u2019s selling pillows for example, they can share interior design inspiration photos and the like, she says.<\/p>\n

At Showpo, Lu says they now share Facebook content eight times a day and Instagram posts around 13 times a day.<\/p>\n

About 75% of Showpo\u2019s Instagram posts are original content with the online retailer holding two photoshoots a week to promote its products.<\/p>\n

Tip 4: Partner with social media \u2018influencers\u2019<\/h3>\n

To really amp up followers and acquire new customers, Muehlenbeck says they use social influencers, who are people sitting in their market who have already established a large and highly engaged following.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a cost to it if you\u2019re doing it for big numbers but it is more affordable than traditional advertising and you do see, in my experience, a much higher return [because] you\u2019re posting to people who have chosen to follow you,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not an annoying ad break that comes up on your TV.\u201d<\/p>\n

To access these big pockets of followers, Muehlenbeck suggests just reaching out directly to influencers or their media managers with an expression like \u2018we\u2019d love to work with you\u2019.<\/p>\n

At Slinkii, this approach has helped them to grow their new followers.<\/p>\n

\u201c[So] you\u2019re not just preaching again and again and again to the same audience,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Tip 5: Be open and ready for new platforms<\/h3>\n

With the emergence of new social media platforms, it\u2019s important to test and trial where the market moves.<\/p>\n

Despite their success on Instagram, Muehlenbeck is staying on her toes managing two blogs, a home site and various social media platforms to generate brand awareness and sales.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to keep this fluid,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

With 10 billion Snapchat videos watched everyday, Lu has made an effort to build a following there too.<\/p>\n

Lu uses it to share quirky videos and build consumer loyalty, but she has found they haven\u2019t been able to generate organic growth through it.<\/p>\n

While it took her a while to get used to the idea of creating great content that gets lost forever, she says it will be watched by far more people than on other platforms.<\/p>\n

They can get about 7000 views a clip on Snapchat.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes a much more lasting impression,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

This article was first published on SmartCompany.<\/em><\/p>\n

Follow StartupSmart on<\/em> Facebook,<\/em> Twitter,<\/em>LinkedIn <\/em>and <\/em>SoundCloud.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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