As we all know, social media is a constantly ever-growing and evolving realm that we can not predict but can prepare for. To effectively reach your target audience at the right time and place, there are a multitude of different skills and tools to employ in your social media strategy. With the utilisation of consistent processes in the various social media platforms, you will be leading the race towards winning social media in 2023!
How often should you post?
It is not to say there are a set number of social posts that each business needs to follow directions, but the primary focus is consistency. There are a multitude of different factors that contribute to the number of posts a company will produce, elements such as time restraints. This being said, regularity is vital. In all aspects of life, we will encounter barriers, but to overcome those, namely, time restraints, the key is organisation and planning. Have your posts planned, developed, and scheduled in advance to ensure they roll out following a structured and orderly manner. Following the posts and customer engagement, interacting and responding from your end is crucial towards building loyal, trusting and strong relationships. Finally, posting at the correct times is another contributing factor to the overall positive reaction towards the post; there are times that you will reach your audience and times you don’t; pay close attention to deciphering these significant timestamps and sequence your posting around these.
What platforms should you be focusing on?
Each social media platform will perform differently depending on the industry you are positioned in and the target audiences you are trying to bring awareness to. It would be best if you catered your social media strategy to your specific audience and their media consumption and behavioural patterns. If your typical ideal customer is someone of the older generation, they will unlikely have an active presence on the more current and advanced apps like TikTok. Facebook is the one place online that will provide you with the highest chances of boosting the awareness of these older generations and the reach and frequency of your product/service. The online media habits of Gen Z lie within the space of Instagram and TikTok as their primary source of awareness; with the short-attention span of Gen Z, the posts you target towards them will typically achieve the highest success rate as the videos are short and to the point. What you need to look for before investing your time, effort and money into social media marketing is the longevity you will have on each platform.
How do you keep up with all the changes?
Maintaining and building on your knowledge of the current trends and changes in social media is a continuous learning process; information gathering over widespread areas will assist your overall understanding. The information-gathering process should be a regular part of your routine by following knowledgeable and influential, and reputable figures in the industry, signing up for newsletters and blogs that supply social media updates (ours is a great example!), and overall keeping a keen open eye of different outlets and articles that will support your growth of knowledge in the space. Outside of the online world, there is always something to learn from those around you, always ask questions and maintain active listening when surrounded by groups of people that will help you learn.
What type of content should you be posting?
On social media, you have a short amount of time to showcase your product/service enough to not only capture their attention but also motivate them to take further steps towards finding out more information and then eventually closing the sale. To get started, here are some commonly successful social media post ideas. The key to nailing the posts is keeping them simple and relevant while maintaining the same mindset of the customer’s perception and perspective; what they want is what you need to produce. There are many different approaches to the content you will make across your media mix, but there is trial and error involved before you find your perfect pathway.
- Client testimonials and customer proof are a wildly successful methodology towards building up high levels of trust between yourself and the potential customer. This post idea will aid you in validating any claims or statements you have made.
- Demonstrations are an excellent tool to show the product/service in action if a customer can have a visual example that it does work, how it works and how it will help them as the customer.
- Short videos within the time frame of 15-30 seconds are best implemented on Instagram or TikTok, as individuals open such apps for a short period of time to kill time. Longer videos perform better on platforms such as Facebook, where the predicted customer base will have more time and willingness to watch a longer video.
