Social media has been a key ingredient in the digital marketing mix for over a decade now, with tons of tactics, techniques, and new platforms coming into play. It’s an industry unto itself, and marketers resistant to the trend were left in the dust long ago.
Even brands who were on the cutting edge of social media marketing a few years back have descended into irrelevancy by failing to adapt in this fast-moving space.
In other words, you need to plug into the latest social media strategies every month or so, if you want to remain competitive. Here is the most recent and relevant set of rules you need to succeed on social as 2020 comes to a close.
1. Have a Presence on Every New Platform
If your brand doesn’t have a complete, active profile on every social media platform, what makes you think you stand a chance against competitors who do?
Social media accounts take less than five minutes to set up, and you have no excuse to lag behind the crowd when any new platform gains traction. Worried about the platform falling out of favor in six months? Who cares! It’s a minimal investment with a huge potential upside.
It doesn’t take much to make an impact on social if your products and services are in demand.
Whether it’s advertising, influencer marketing, or simply linking to your website with a low-effort post, simply showing up and going through the motions is far better than being absent from the scene and missing out.
2. Communicate Directly with Other Brands and Users
People go on social media to communicate with their friends, browse the latest trends, and find out more about their favorite brands. It’s your duty as a social media marketer to hold up your end of the bargain and keep the conversation going with your audience.
This doesn’t mean you need to answer every question with an in-depth response, but if a query or comment is particularly interesting or engaging, show a little love to the crowd.
Dropping likes here and there will also show that you’re present in the conversation, even if you don’t provide a direct response. Learn the language of each social media platform and get on the audience’s level while maintaining your authority as a thought leader.
3. Team Up With Influencers to Build Brand Trust
It’s no wonder why influencer marketing is now a multi-billion dollar industry. We live in a social media-obsessed world where mini-celebrities dictate trends and drive their audiences to buy at far higher rates than traditional media and ads.
While you shouldn’t ignore old-school influencer marketing methods like guest posting on niche blogs and industry-leading websites, social media is where it’s at in terms of dynamic, quick-hitting campaigns.
You likely already know about some of the leading influencers in your niche, but expand your reach and connect with less prominent names to get your name out at first.
As you master the delicate dance of negotiating with social media influencers, you can boost your budget and go all-in on larger campaigns with bigger targets.
4. Avoid These Annoying Actions that Turn People Away
It doesn’t take much to annoy the modern internet crowd, which is filled with low-attention span users with limitless options for entertainment and distractions galore.
The truth is that many brands try way too hard to seem funny or cool online, and it ends up backfiring as they become a social media laughing stock.
Research from Blogging Wizard shows that being overly promotional is a big turnoff for nearly 60% of social media users, while over 38% of users hate when brands use jargon and slang that doesn’t match the message.
Nearly 35% also think that brands lack personality on social media, so add some flavor to your posts without going overboard on corny memes and emojis.
It’s a trial-and-error process to find your brand voice on social media, so try different things out and see what earns the best response from the world.
5. Run Contest and Leverage User-Created Content
Everyone online is seeking their five seconds of fame, for better or worse. All cringe aside, you can tap into this instinct for recognition by running contests and promos that incentivize users to create original content involving your brand.
You can pull off a promo campaign without much planning. Just come up with a premise and a prize, then let users make crazy videos, come up with songs, take photos with their favorite products and enjoy the mayhem.
When one of these wild posts goes viral, your brand name will be upfront and center. Just hope it’s nothing too outrageous or offensive.
6. Chime in on Current Events and Industry Trends
You can sprinkle evergreen content across social media now and then, but the technology was really designed for in-the-moment development and news items.
Users refresh their screens every minute or so, and your brand should be involved in all relevant trends and stories related to your industry.
Most of the time, you can voice your opinion on new research or data with no problem. Just remember to watch out for controversial subjects and make sure to maintain an even keel if things heat up.
7. Keep Salesy Language to a Minimum
It doesn’t matter how refined your sales pitch may be – social media is simply not the place to boast about your product and its benefits.
According to research from Oberlo, nearly 75% of social media users have purchased items that they’ve discovered on platforms like Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
In other words, it’s an unspoken agreement that users will make a purchase if they see something they like, but conventional sales tactics are not part of the equation. Stick with strong imagery and minimal text to get the point across about your product.
8. Use All the Bells and Whistles Available
From Instagram stories to Facebook Live and Twitter polls, there are many instruments of engagement at your disposal there for free on social media.
Sure, some of these features might seem a bit gimmicky at first, but that’s always been part of the game on social media, and it always will be. Everyone wants to try the latest thing and see if it sticks.
There’s no harm in hopping on the latest bandwagon, so long as you don’t overstay your welcome and run the risk of appearing out of touch. Track the trends diligently and know when to cut your losses.
Conclusion
Social media marketing isn’t just picking up steam, it’s the way of the future. HubSpot reports that well over 90% of Millennials and Gen Z demographics are on social media every day, so it’s your responsibility as digital marketers to seize these opportunities.
Craft your own homegrown strategy or seek outside consulting to make it happen. Just don’t sit on the sidelines as social media marketing takes over once and for all.
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