If you are a Vancouver business owner who wants to increase profits this year, being active on social media is critical. Today’s mobile-enabled customers will often check a brand’s presence on social networks prior to making a purchasing decision. If your Vancouver business doesn’t have an online presence on hot social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, you could lose out to savvier, socially-engaged competitors. If you want help increasing the effectiveness of social media outreach for your Vancouver company, incorporate the following tips into your growth marketing efforts.

– Twitter lists are a powerful way to grow your Vancouver business’ social media following. Use a tool like Followerwonk (moz.com/followerwonk) to find Twitter users in your area (advanced search). You can create lists for Vancouver Twitter users who tweet about your business’ niche, who tweet with hashtags relevant to your market sector, or even who tweet about local Vancouver events. Once you have added local Vancouverites to topic-themed Twitter lists, start liking their posts or re-tweeting their posts to your followers. You’ll soon see your follower count grow as your new found Twitter connections notice you are engaging with them.

– Facebook groups are an awesome tool for Vancouver business owners who want to use social media to grow their businesses. Dig for conversations happening within Facebook groups relevant to your target audience. The amount of information you can glean just from scouring Facebook groups will surprise you. You can discover everything from local events you can share with your social media followers to popular products your business can start selling.

– Pinterest is an under-valued social media marketing tool for Vancouver business owners. Use Pinterest to discover images your social media followers will enjoy and then share links to those images using a tool like Twitshot.com. The images in the links you share via Twitshot will automatically be rendered in your Twitter feed. Highlight scenic Vancouver landmarks, decorating trends, fashion styles, or any engaging image your audience is likely to enjoy.

– The images you share on social media will have a significant impact on your engagement rate and follower counts. Create eye-catching images for your followers using tools like Canva.com or Crello.com. Get in the habit of creating a stockpile of social media images and you’ll always have appropriate images on hand to share with your Vancouver followers.

Building a brand presence on social media takes patience, but the rewards can definitely make your effort worthwhile. Integrate the above tips into your brand development strategy and you’ll be glad you doubled-down on social media marketing for your Vancouver business.