Matt Janaway November 16, 2021 So you’ve probably seen the insane results that brands are getting through leveraging the power of social media marketing. But actually doing the work and taking consistent action to get there is a different kettle of fish.
Over the last few years, social media use has exploded. But so have user expectations of brands and the content they share.
Still, one thing holds true… social media marketing has an incredibly high ROI.
If you want a piece of the action you need to lay the foundations now and begin building and your social media strategy, brick-by-brick.
Here’s a 5-step process to optimize your social media game.
#1 Get Your House In Order
Your brand social media page is often your audience’s first touchpoint with your brand. So make sure that your shop window is the most attractive it can be.
Great content goes a long way. But not if it’s plastered on a poor profile.
Before you hit publish, optimise your social profile with all the information and key touchpoints you would expect to see as a consumer:
Profile picture (brand logo)
A banner photo that conveys brand personality
A clear, concise, and convincing bio/description
Operating/opening hours
Website or social links
Address (for physical businesses)
Not every feature will be relevant to your business or the channel(s) that you use. But providing comprehensive details will immediately win your audience’s trust.
Here are a couple of simple but effective examples…
#2 Create Channel-Specific Content
Posting identical content across all your social channels might save you time, but it’s not the most effective way of doing things.
Treat each social channel differently.
TikTok is built for short-form video content with high virality potential.
Twitter is designed for reactive, short-form text-based content
Instagram is a visual-first channel (image posts, reels, stories, IGTV, etc.)
The list goes on…
Whilst it’s important to maintain consistency in your branding, playing to the advantages of each social site can help you better tailor your content for the communities you’ve cultivated on each of them.
Consistency is obviously important, but it’s ultimately the quality of your content that will compel your audience to take action.
Not how many times they see it.
In creating content for your specific audience, don’t forget to create content for the specific channels they’re active on.
#3 Use A Content Calendar
A content calendar will highlight what content is being published when, on which channels it’ll be shared, and who has the responsibility of writing, drafting, and scheduling it.
Without one, you won’t have a coherent stream of content and the inconsistencies in frequency, posting and themes will turn your audience off.
Having 1-3 months of content written, ready, and scheduled is a good goalpost to aim for. For larger teams with more resources, you can work on even longer timescales.
But don’t forget to regularly audit your content calendar.
On social media, things move incredibly fast.
New features, new trends, new developments…
The content you planned 2 months ago might no longer be relevant or the most effective means of engaging your audience.
Similarly, speed and reactivity are paramount in the world of socials.
So whilst having scheduled content is important, sometimes you need to get content out fast, as and when it comes in (i.e. trends). Make sure to allocate the resource for doing so.
#4 Be Social On Socials
The clue is in the name: social media.
The best brands don’t just share content that promotes their products, they use social media to directly communicate with their target audience.
Marketing on socials should feel intimate, personable, and targeted.
If you give your audience enough attention, they’ll convert into loyal fans.
Insert yourself into trending conversations
Reply personally to DMs, comments and tags
Engage with other brands/influencers in your industry
Retweet/share positive feedback or customer reviews
Use polls, lives and other features to encourage interaction
The more you commit to social listening and engaging with your audience, the better you’ll understand their needs, wants, and pains. That way, you’ll also be able to deliver content that resonates with your audience more.
#5 Think Beyond Social Media
A lot of marketers treat social media as an isolated marketing channel. But in reality, it should complement and be integrated with your efforts elsewhere.
Let your long-term objectives drive your content strategy.
For example, you might be a digital marketing training provider looking to generate more leads. But to do that, you want to build trust first.
Don’t tell people to take action (that rarely works).
Instead, use carefully selected content to inspire and compel them to take action…
Offer ‘live’ daily skill-boosting demonstrations
Release free snippets of your training guide
Show testimonial videos from past participants
Then think: how can I integrate socials with other brand touchpoints?
Add a website link to the end of your posts
Offer an exclusive social media discount code for the training
Invite engaged users to a training discovery call
Don’t get lost in ‘tactics’ – remember that conversion is the end goal.
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There you have it.
5 simple steps to take your social media game to the next level.
#1 Get Your House In Order
#2 Create Channel-Specific Content
#3 Use A Content Calendar
#4 Be Social On Socials
#5 Think Beyond Social Media
Obviously, that doesn’t cover everything. But it’s a sure good place to start.
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