Quick Tips To Make Your Soap Business Social Media Explode
Are you ready to get more customers with social media optimization that will make scrollers stop in their tracks? Great! We can get you off to a good start.
The techniques that will work for you will depend on several factors, including the social media platform that you choose. We will quickly go over the basics in this article but you will want to do more research as well. Success in social media marketing for your soap business depends on a lot of factors. Finding what works best for you will involve trial and error. You may find answers to your questions in some of our other blog posts as well.
Stand out in the In Crowd
Find the groove on social media that works for your soap business. You need to be part of the crowd while also standing out from the crowd. Simple, right?
Okay, not really simple. But it’s totally possible to succeed. The first thing to understand is that each social media platform is different so one social media plan won’t work for everyone.
If you are serious about using social media to market your soap products, you will need to research the best ways to promote your content on the specific platform you have chosen. Also, don’t forget that we provide a wide range of services that will help you succeed, including a free account where you can get new customizable content each week. Sign up here.
We’ve included a few site-specific suggestions at the end of this article. But first, we will cover some basic principles to scoring big on any site. Check out our other content for ways to boost your social media presence.
Basic SEO for Soap Makers New to Social Media
SEO stands for search engine optimization. As Google has slowly taken over the world, success online depends on understanding basic principles of SEO.
When you start typing a query into a search engine, the search engine creates a list of suggestions based on what others with similar questions have typed in before. Most people will choose one of these options. This results in most searches duplicating specific terms many times over.
Using the terms most common online will result in your content showing up more in searches. For example, right now on Google, the term “homemade soap” is trending higher than the term “handmade soap.” If you refer to handmade soap in your profile, it will show up in fewer Google searches.
Search functions behave similarly on social media as well. Understanding the basics of SEO can help you find the terms that optimize your social media as well.
One thing to keep in mind during this process is that as a small soap business, you may want to aim for less popular search terms in your SEO. It may be easier to rank higher on a search term that is less popular than one that is more popular. For example, you may want to use the term “handmade soap” even though it is less popular because the competition for top spaces might be less.
Long-tail keywords are a good way to use less popular searches to boost your visibility. A long-tail keyword is a search term that combines several words, rather than just one or two words. Long-tail keywords tend to be searched less frequently than shorter ones. However, their longer size gives the search engine more material to hone in on your content.
Finding the right balance of keywords will be trial and error. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see good results right away. Try different keywords and track results. Use A/B testing to see what is working best for you. Eventually you will find your sweet spot that rockets your content into higher ranks.
Get Onboard with Paid Ads
Many small businesses use social media hoping to get 100% free marketing. While it’s possible to generate quite a bit of organic traffic, we recommend using ads to increase your visibility.
Social media networks can provide a free platform to casual users only because they receive revenue from advertising. Without advertising dollars, they would have to charge users for access to their sites.
For this reason, social media sites use algorithms to decrease business’ organic reach. Avoiding ads means you are working against the site you are using to boost your business.
You don’t need a significant amount of ad spending to use paid advertising on social media sites. Most require one dollar or less per day that your ads are showing. Putting a small amount of money toward paid ads aligns your goals with the social media sites. You both win.
Post, Analyze, Rinse and Repeat
If you have a business account, you should have access to analytics for your profile. Use them.
Don’t ignore the feedback your followers are giving you about your content. If no one engages with your account, your visibility will decrease.
Most social media sites only save your analytics data for a specific period of time so businesses find it necessary to save the data elsewhere. There are many online tools that gather analytic data for you. Most of these charge hefty fees for the service, with good reason. It is essential data for your business.
If you don’t use one of these services, you will want to find another way to track your data. Preferably, you should use a system that allows you to plug the data into a chart so you can visualize it. The raw numbers can be deceiving and it helps to be able to view trends over time.
Get More Results Fast with Keywords and Hashtags
Using keywords and hashtags wisely will make your social media skyrocket. On search based sites, using keywords that people are searching for will greatly increase the number of eyes on your content. On Instagram, hashtags will greatly influence where you rank in search results.
There are a lot of tools to help you find the best keywords and hashtags for your posts. When choosing a tool, look for one that specifically returns results for the social media site you are on. Productive keywords and hashtags can vary widely across different sites.
Find People Who are Weird Like You
If you are trying to sell to everyone on the internet, you are going to fail. That’s the harsh truth. What you want to do is find people who fit your niche.
First of all, if you don’t have a well-defined niche, get one. What is unique about your soap? Is your soap the only handmade bars that honor Elvis Presley’s memory? Great! You will have a fairly small group of people who are interested in your product and you can talk straight to them. (Just make sure there are at least some people interested in your product.)
Define your values and look for people with the same ones. Here are a few qualities that might make your soap stand out:
- Vegan
- Responsibly sourced (certified free of slave labor or animal cruelty)
- Sustainably sourced
- Made for men
- Free of harsh additives like micas and fragrances
- Specific kind of soap (all olive oil, African black soap, etc)
- Liquid soaps
Whatever qualities your soap has, capitalize on that. Make sure you are focusing your efforts on reaching the people who want exactly what you have to offer.
Make Your Profile Dazzle
Don’t just plop down all the details on your profile and then walk away. Be sure to put extra time into your profile to make it stand out.
Different social media sites will have different rules about using your profile space. On Instagram, you can add two hashtags to your profile description. Be sure to do this. Look up hashtags that will perform well.
Plug the terms in your information snippet into a keyword tool to see how they perform on your platform. If the terms you used aren’t generating data on your SEO tools, try different variations until you find ones that people are searching for.
Extra Optimization Tips for Each Platform
You want to get the best results on your chosen social media platform so be sure to research optimization for the site you chose. Below you will find a few tips for our top four recommended social media sites.
Success on Instagram comes from fantastic images or videos, well-planned hashtags, and posting stories regularly. Start by including keywords and two hashtags in your profile. As you create your Instagram content, keep these suggestions in mind:
Images and videos
Instagram is a visual platform so make sure your visual content is superb. Reels dominate content these days so be sure to include a few 15-30 second videos in your feed. By the way, the videos showing the soap making process are way over done. If you are going to do that, shake things up and find ways to make your video unique.
Hashtags
Hashtags are key to success on Instagram. Formerly, the only way to search on Instagram was by using hashtags. That changed in 2020, but hashtags continue to play a prominent role in search optimization.
You can find several hashtag generators online that will help you choose the best hashtags for your content. They will show you hundreds of hashtags related to your content.
Stories
Posting stories regularly will also give your content a boost. You can make your posts into stories that will link back to your content. This can be an easy way to add stories without spending a lot of additional time on content creation.
People go to Pinterest to get new ideas and admire visual content. Your Pinterest content will do well if you produce visually appealing content that answers people’s questions.
Keywords
Find keywords that relate to your content and use them in your descriptions. To find keywords, type a search term into Pinterest’s search bar and see what suggestions pop up. You can also use Pinterest’s keyword tool in their Ad Creation section.
You also want to optimize your profile and your boards on Pinterest. When optimizing your boards, include some Google keywords as well. Pinterest aggressively optimizes to search engines and your board may show up in Google searches as well.
New Ideas
We recommend doing a keyword search before posting content to find what people are looking for. Then create content which answers the questions they have. Be sure to optimize the post description and include a strong headline.
For example, you might create a pin that showcases how homemade soap is better for the environment. People searching for environmentally-friendly ways to take care of their skin will see your pin and become familiar with your products.
Gaining a strong following on a Facebook page is far more difficult than on other sites. We suggest only using Facebook as a page you can share to people who will look you up specifically.
If you are looking for a following, be sure to post quality content consistently. Five to seven times per week tends to be ideal. Posting too much can lead to users unfollowing your account if your content dominates their feed and pushes out other content they want to see.
Google Business Profile
Use Google SEO tools to optimize your Google Business Profile. Google Trends can help you find information about keywords. You can also use Google Keyword Planner to find new keywords related to your product.
Make Your Social Media Explode with Free and Premium Content
Don’t forget that at Soapy Social Content we can build an optimized social media profile and provide quality content for your soap business. We offer a range of services to fit your budget, starting with a free plan that offers customizable social media content. Sign up today!