Maria Dalamaras is a mum, travel addict and lover of wine, delving into the world of digital marketing. She has a psychology background and a natural desire to help people.
This passion for people and everything social media led her to climb out of the corporate space in 2018 to chase her dream of becoming an entrepreneur.
She launched the Rio Consulting Group, a boutique creative agency in Sydney which supports small to medium sized enterprises that have recognised the importance of digital presence by creating online engagement through creative content and unique marketing strategies.
In saying this, Maria has shared the following expert tips to make sure your social media presence is relevant:
1. Brand awareness. Australians are spending more time online now than ever, now is the time for you to be sharing your brand’s story and connecting with your audience.
2. Engage with your audience. Current lockdowns have limited interactions we are having with our community. Physical interactions have now shifted to online interactions. Ask questions, create polls and connect with your online audience.
There are multiple tools, paid and unpaid available to help small businesses create engaging content. My favourite tool to use when creating content is Canva. My favourite tool to use when creating video content is Inshot
3. Online shopping. According to an IBIS World Industry Analysis, online shopping has increased in Australia by 35% since the start of the pandemic. A strong recommendation is to utilise all online shopping tools across your digital platforms.
4. Get Creative. Increased video content is currently dominating social media platforms. According to the latest GWI Social Media Report, ‘Entertaining and inspiring content is the key to profitable social commerce.’
Reels are the video format that is currently trending on Instagram. Below are some items to help you create reels: Tripod for your phone, Light ring, Microphone for voiceovers
5. Website. Your website is the backbone of your online presence. All efforts put into social media will drive your customer back to your website. A website helps build credibility of your business. Ensure your website has an excellent design and usability to keep customers engaged.
A successful website is a well organised website which excels in both form and function. These are the 4 principles our team at Rio follows when designing and developing a website:
- Purpose: The first step in the design process is to identify ‘What do you want to accomplish with this website.’
- Visually appealing: Your website needs to look good to captivate your audience. Colour and fonts are very important when designing your website.
- Feature relevant content: Your website is the home of your content. This is your opportunity to showcase your capabilities/ products/ services.
- Ease of site navigation. Aim for intuitive and simple. No one likes to browse a website that requires multiple clicks to get to their designated page.
And last but not least, to build an engaged community on social platforms it’s important to post different types of content. Here are some tips when creating content:
- Educational: tutorials, guides, tips
- Promotional: testimonials, benefits, results
- Personal: behind the scenes, fun facts about your business
- Community: Q&As, FAQ
- Entertaining: Quotes, fun reels.
READ MORE: Greek Australian mothers named finalists in prestigious entrepreneur awards for 2021.
