7 Do’s and Don'ts With Social Media Content
When it comes to social media content, looking into what to focus on and what not to is kind of akin to opening Pandora’s box. There are so many options and suggestions out on the web, where should you focus your energy for your brand?
The truth is, not everything you decide to create content around will end up being right for your business goals. But, if you start with putting a social media strategy in place (along with your overall annual marketing plan) you will be one step ahead of your competition. Here are things you’ll want to consider when creating your 2018 social media strategy.
Don’t rely on organic reach only
The days when brands could rely on organic reach alone are long gone. Organic reach on social media, for all you social newbies, is the total number of people who saw your content through unpaid distribution. Aside from attaining decent organic reach on emerging new platforms like SnapChat, allocating budget for paid content on social media is now a must, and will allow you to target, plus reach, specific audiences to give you better engagement results, conversion and overall ROI.
Don’t ignore comments and messages
Just like it’s rude to ignore someone in person, it is equally impolite to ignore comments and direct messages your brand receives on your social media platforms. If the goal of your social media strategy is engagement or conversions, your content should encourage your audience(s) to interact with your brand. When your followers start to engage with the content you are producing, community management and customer service on social become key roles to maintaining growth and engagement on social.
Do choose your channels carefully
Depending on your brand product or service, and the audiences you desire to reach, not every platform will be the right fit for you. “Wait, what?”, you might say. “Isn’t it best to be on EVERY active social platform?”
The short answer is, no! Just as with your business positioning, we’re sure you’re aware that you can’t be everything to everyone, with social media you can’t be everywhere and be impactful. Unless of course, you are a large corporation with an unlimited budget, don’t waste your time, money and/or resources on producing content for platforms that will not benefit your business, brand and customer goals. Do some research, make sure you are using platforms that are most beneficial to your brand. For example, the users on Instagram are different and interact with brands differently than of the users on LinkedIn. Therefore, your content, messaging, and audience focus may not resonate with all users on all social channels. For more information on performing an audit of your content and channels, pick up our book, ‘Social Media Strategy for Businesses.’
Don’t spam with your content
No one appreciates or becomes a brand loyalist if they are over-communicated with, or are targeted with incongruent content. Similarly, spamming your audience(s) with content through social media will not work over time. Turning out more content than necessary can cause social media fatigue, as well as pushing out content that is not in tune with your brand and/or your audience’s interests. The best way to measure your content frequency, areas of focus and reception to your content is not rocket science, but it is time consuming. First, look at the content that receives more engagement over time and remove the under-performing buckets. Second, ask your audience what they want to see. You can do this through surveys, posts on social and/or in person (with a few key clients or customers).
Do balance your ads budget
In 2018, over-promoting your posts can also cause content burnout (with ad dollars). Turning out multiple promoted posts (or social ads) throughout the week will not benefit your strategy the way you think it would. More money does not equal more reach, engagement, and conversions any longer. True, promoted posts on Facebook (and Instagram) have the potential to receive twice as much engagement and increase traffic to your website, but when you post multiple promoted posts in a short period of time, you are oversaturating your users with content and wasting your budget. This overused tactic can cause your audiences to be less receptive to the content you are sharing because there is just too much of it, and does not give your paid content a chance to reach some individuals organically. We recommend keeping your paid content to 20% of the overall posts you’re pushing out. Instead, focus on choosing the right audiences to boost your content to so that you aren’t wasting your ad dollars. Keeping your promoted posts to a minimum and thinking strategically about what content will be most beneficial to promote will help make your social presence work for your brand instead of your brand working to impress social (hee hee 😉).
Do immerse your audience(s) in the experience
Selling cars, clothes, candy or client services doesn’t give you a free pass on giving your customers or clients a ‘brand experience.’ The experience of your brand can be as simple as posting a positive customer review, or as complex as planning a scavenger hunt via social that your audience must participate in. Whatever it is that makes your brand unique and successful, needs to be translated into an online social experience for your audiences.
In the new year, you will see more brands interacting and sharing content through paid social media influencers (or ambassadors), more brands providing interactive contests, and much, much more video content. Stay tuned throughout the year as we share insights and case studies on how experiential marketing tactics can work for your brand!
Do tell a story
Last, but certainly not least, and arguably one of the most important elements to consider when creating content, is the story you need and want to tell. Content without a story is like bread without butter or crackers without cheese, it’s just not right! Storytelling through content marketing allows you to connect with your followers, build a strong relationship with your customer-base and create a community of brand loyalists. Regardless of your brand’s mission, visions and/or goals, there is a story behind your business just waiting to be told. Everyone loves a good story, and when you share your content in a storytelling format, your people (customers, clients, employees, vendors and the community at large) are more likely to engage with you, respect your brand and be more receptive to you because you’re, well, REAL and TANGIBLE.
