Evolving Your Company’s Social Media
It’s pretty difficult to imagine a world without social media in it. We bet if you think back reeeal hard, though, you might be able to remember what things were like when Facebook for business was a new concept…
The year was 2007. Facebook had just introduced “Pages” – a means for businesses to set up their very own social media accounts and interact with customers. Within the first day, approximately 100,000 pages launched! Major corporations like Coca-Cola and Verizon quickly joined the ranks, excited about the possibility of interacting with consumers across the globe, simultaneously, and with an incredible amount of reach.
Fast-forward to the present, and most of the excitement is gone. Whereas having a business account on Facebook was a new and novel concept in 2007, today it is an accepted norm. Not only that, but a business’s reach has actually been significantly reduced as a result of the sheer volume of information (standard posts, images, videos, GIFs, etc.) that gets poured into social media each day, and the limited space on an individual’s newsfeed. Consequently, Facebook and Twitter both employ algorithms that auto-select what a user sees, and that means fewer individuals are getting your message.
Does that mean that you should ditch social media in 2017? Hell no! In fact, we believe that social media is about to evolve, being re-born as a medium for streamlined, focused, and easy-to-use business marketing.
The reason behind this thinking is that social media is still an extremely powerful marketing tool. While industry reach has been temporarily shortchanged, consumers across the globe have been turning to social media on an increasingly more frequent basis for assistance in making buying decisions. Users seek out consumer reviews, product information, product demos, and even ads on social media before making a decision. Now all you have to do is leverage that power.
Those who choose to utilize social media in the same ol’ way will be very disappointed with the results in 2017 and beyond. Those who choose to evolve with social media, on the other hand, will thrive. Here are a few tips for standing out and shining as social media shifts in its focus of business marketing:
Put Your Money Where Your Content Is
No one likes to spend money, but research from Garner proves that the businesses who will find the most sustained success with social media marketing in the coming years are the ones that invest in paid advertising. Before getting outraged by the idea of paying to promote your posts, keep in mind that doing so enables you to SERIOUSLY extend your reach, as your posts will be visible to both followers and non-followers with the highest degree of accuracy in terms of who is most likely to be interested in what you have to offer. Translation? More sales.
Inspire Creativity
User-generated content is GOLD, and it’s so important for surviving the evolution of social media. Users tend to trust other users more than they do companies or brands, so you need to have your customers actively involved in the content creation and marketing process. Encourage user-generated content through incentives and contests, and make sure posts are seen by using hashtags and other gimmicks.
Enlist the Pros
Guess what? Half-assing your social media marketing campaign is NOT going to cut it anymore. With the evolution of social media, you actually need to invest even more time into your tactics. Social media marketing isn’t just a side gig or an afterthought – it’s a full time job – and you need to treat it as such. Teaming up with professionals who can create unique content, stay on top of the latest trends, and take care of community management is critical to success.
Want Madison Taylor Marketing on your side? Reach out to our team of experts to get started today.
