Social media is easy, hand it to the intern. Right? … Right?… Social media is an important marketing tool, and when done well, it can boost awareness for your brand and bring in clients. What it’s not is a throwaway task. We often see small businesses trying to take on social media as part of their ownership tasks (it’s very likely you don’t have the time), or handing it over to an intern (we love interns! But social media requires more expertise than just being young and having a TikTok account).
At The Marketing Dept., we have a social media expert whose primary role is to ensure our brands’ social media is done well—beautiful pictures, eye-catching graphics, staying on top of all the new algorithm updates (and man, do they happen fast), and talking to audiences the way they want to engage with a brand are all part of her job.
Our social media maven, Pauline, has offered some of her key insights on how to up your social media game right now:
Prioritize Quality Over Quantity
Some recommendations floating around not so long ago suggested posting as much as you can, all the time, with no care in the world for what was in that content; Pauline is now seeing that the algorithms are prioritizing quality over quantity. No matter what it is you’re putting out there, make sure that it’s high value, even if that means posting a little less.
Broaden Your Scope
We’ve tried to post some content that was highly relevant to one of our clients or that contained inside jokes that our internal team thought were super funny, but that didn’t resonate with a broader audience. Try creating content that speaks to a broader audience and watch its reach go further.
Know Your Audience
Before setting out to post on social media, consider whether you have a deep understanding of your audience. Which platforms are they using? What type of content are they consuming? High-quality content doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t resonate with your audience. Use market research or current social media or website data to start to build out personas you can speak to when posting.
Entertain, Inform, and Inspire
Great content does one of these three things. No one wants to hear about your products, services, or sales over and over again. Consider what sort of expertise or humor your brand has to offer and work to create something that potential customers will seek you out for.
Stick to the Strategy
Social media isn’t about throwing spaghetti on the wall to see what sticks, it’s about setting specific KPIs and creating a strategy for outreach that helps you achieve them. Everything you post on social media should align with your strategy and brand pillars and drive towards your predetermined goals. In short, no strategy, no long term results.
Be Vulnerable
People often look to social media for a behind the scenes look into your brand. Showing your face and telling the hard stories will help people better relate. Giving a little more about both your successes and challenges will allow more people to connect with what you’re doing.
Stay on Brand
Your social media accounts should help increase brand awareness and recognition. To do so, every post needs to fit into your specified guidelines. This includes writing captions in the same tone, utilizing branded social media post templates, and even using the same filter on photos and videos.
Social media is a large and quickly evolving piece of the marketing mix, which can be one of the most important methods for expanding reach and converting new customers. As such, it is essential to have a dedicated social media expert on your team. If you don’t have this role internally, look to an agency to help you fill that need. We know a great social media team that can help you launch and grow your digital presence.
