Is Your Social Media Strategy Outdated?
If you’re still creating one-size-fits-all, organic news feed focused content – it’s time to shift your social media strategy.
In recent years, platforms have prioritized content from users’ friends and families over that of brands, placing a bigger emphasis on the need for paid social media to reach customers. That being said, there’s still value in having an organic presence, as long as it’s done right.
When it comes down to it in this landscape, customized, dynamic, story-driven content and one-to-one connections with consumers are key for social success. Luckily, there are lots of options available when it comes to social media advertising. It’s important to make sure you’re using them strategically, as putting paid behind every post or pushing out too much organic content isn’t the most efficient use of resources.
The dozens of ad formats, targeting options, and more across various social media platforms allow for a totally customized paid social media strategy fitted to your audience, message, goals, and budget. Our social media marketing services are unique for every client and built by a team of experts who excel at navigating potential strategies and getting you more bang for your buck.
Leveraging Social Media Marketing Services: Audience First, Story-Driven Social
An effective social media marketing strategy starts with knowing your audience. Our teams at Vert do comprehensive audience research across owned, earned, and competitor channels to get to know your target audience. Once we get a feel for the landscape, we can segment them into personas, which drives our overall content strategy.
When you know who your audience is or should be, it’s much easier to customize your message at the individual post level. Knowing your audience also means considering what they want to hear, not just what you want to say, and using that to craft your messaging strategy. Your social media campaign’s messages should always be relevant to those who are on the receiving end. Keep this in mind when it comes to visual content creation, as well. The right combination of words and creative, whether you’re leveraging motion graphics, video, or photography, is crucial to creating high-quality content and standing out in the feed.
In a time where users are interacting with each other and with brands in a wide variety of ways on social media, it’s crucial to think beyond the news feed. Instagram and Facebook stories are a great way to share interactive and creative short-form content. Brands leverage this feature effectively by keeping it simple and blurring the lines between user content and branded content. Elements of Instagram and Facebook stories like gif stickers and swipe up links drive conversions and grow knowledge of the brand in a less traditional way.
Another way to push your Facebook marketing strategy past publishing only organic or paid social news feed content is creating an event. Facebook’s “events” feature allows you to bring attention and invite users to particular events your company or organization is hosting. Ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s successfully uses this feature to inform and invite the public to special events they host in-store like “Free Cone Day” and local openings.
On both Facebook and Linkedin, groups have become a popular marketing strategy because they not only allow you to bring your message directly to an audience that is willing to receive it (joining a group is optional), but they also unite people with interest in your brand or industry. This strategy is great for fostering conversation and community within your audience.
Direct messaging can also be a great way to make a clear connection with your followers. In messaging members of your audience directly, you come straight to them with what they want to hear, rather than hoping that they’ll come across your message by chance. While it may seem difficult to navigate, audiences are often happy to receive information on promotions or have questions answered by community managers via direct messaging.
Paid & Organic Strategies Should Not Exist in Silos
Paid and organic content exists in the same streams, so don’t think of them separately, and ensure that what you’re saying on both lines up with your brand voice. Voice, tone and visual identity should all be consistent since the content is coming from the same place. Plus, through streamlined testing, reporting and analysis, we can apply performance learnings from organic to our paid strategy, and vice versa!
Influencers, Advocates and Ambassadors Are Key to Success
As social platforms like Facebook continue to prioritize content from users over the messages coming from brands, consider empowering and activating real people to help tell your brand’s stories from their perspective. A successful influencer marketing strategy leverages the unique perspective of those individuals rather than putting words in their mouths. To effectively implement this strategy, scour your owned network for people who are already enthusiastic about your brand – they’ll be the most authentic advocates.
Consider who you want to reach, and partner with influencers who appeal to that audience. Don’t just partner with people whose messaging style you like, but those who can put your brand in front of people who will be excited about discovering it. Whether they’re being compensated or not, empowering real consumers to talk about your brand provides an excellent counterbalance to your owned content across channels.