Social media is an incredible servant but an exceedingly poor master.
The smartest social media marketers are in control of their channels, not the other way around. But — they didn’t just wander their way into success. Social media marketing mastery is an intentional practice that involves discipline, planning, and consistency.
It also requires excellent time and project management.
So, because time is always of the essence to busy social media marketers, let’s dive right in. Here are twenty-one social media marketing micro-strategies you can start using today to finally get ahead.
1. Plan it out
Not all social media platforms are right for your business needs. And, with an abundance of choices, choosing one can be overwhelming.
To simplify the process of getting on social media, focus on your primary goal first, then work backward to determine which channel is best for your needs. Social mediums will have different appeals to various demographics. For instance, it probably wouldn’t be the best idea to push industrial equipment on Snapchat.
To help plan, ask yourself specifically what your target market is. Then figure out what content, social media channel and tonality you would like to use. Another good question is if you want to use mainly videos, infographics, etc. and how often do you want to publish it? Also, what actions do you desire of your viewing audience?
2. Pay attention to the devilish details
Having a foundation is important in every business plan and the same goes for a social media strategy.
Incorporate a catchy title or phrase, killer images, and specific copy to help capture the attention of who you’re targeting.
3. Utilize keywords
What’s trending in the digital word banks today? Not sure? Look it up! Discovering the right words to use is important in any marketing strategy or social situation. If you’re at a loss, a digital direction is right around the corner.
Google AdWords is a fantastic tool that can help. The AdWords Keyword Planner is free and extremely helpful. Knowing and using trending, current buzzwords in the copy of social networking sites is a good practice and can lead to more traffic flow in your direction.
4. Know your audience
Show up where your audience hangs out. There are all different types of people in this world and the same goes for the web. Using intuition can help figure out where people may lurk online; however, research will give you the best results in regards to unraveling personas on social platforms.
For instance, if you are targeting seniors about life insurance, Instagram isn’t the channel for you. To choose the right social platform for your audience, credible stats from sites like the Pew Research Center can aid in the choice.
5. Be visual
A picture can paint 1,000 words and it can certainly make more of an impression than copy alone. Adding eye candy not only breaks up the monotony, it also adds style and modernizes a post. Use photos, infographics, drawings, paintings or basically any form of visual art that can relate to your subject. For further optimization, link the picture back to your site or product.
6. See it in action
Are your articles losing steam? Try a new take by incorporating a new medium, such as a video into your post. Seeing moving pictures will draw the pupils of an audience to content as well. Be sure to make it interesting and crosslink the video to additional content or social media by adding a link with a call to action.
7. Become an ebook author
Sometimes too much information on social media can accumulate on your feed like items in a home. Instead of forgetting about all of the useful points and posts, gather all the knowledge together and share your insights with an ebook. Allow a free download of your masterpiece as an incentive to sign up on your email list.
8. Be consistent
Figure out the best time and type of content that works with your brand and stick to it. Timing and consistency can mean the difference between content that receives one impression or many.
People are notorious creatures of habit, so followers may become confused or lose interest if content is too off-topic or posts are being shared at odd times and hours. Research the best times for communicating and plan the main topics for posts well in advance.
9. Tone down the sales talk
Not many consumers like having promotional information ‘yelled’ at them like what happens in many used car commercials, the same goes for content. To make the most out of your content, make it entertaining, informative and educational. It will be much more appreciated by an active audience in the long run.
10. Welcome third-party helpers
Time is something many of us don’t have enough of. To add some extra minutes back into your schedule, welcome others to join the content bandwagon.Third-party applications such as such as Hootsuite and TweetDeck can do many functions such as schedule posts and allow access to multiple platforms all under one roof. Instead of logging into five different social platforms to post, one password does the trick and brings simplicity back into social media.
11. May the best post win
Did you end up getting a ton of views, shares or comments on a Twitter or Facebook post? If so, that’s a telltale sign that you have an interesting subject that can be turned into a lot more. Don’t just let it go, turn your most-admired posts into the next pot of content gold.
Jot down the subject and write a blog about it. This will give popular subject matter another chance in a different way, and best of all, you would be the curator of new and trendy content.
12. Add copy to images
Although this won’t help the most with SEO rankings, it will definitely assist with allowing others to focus on a certain image or photo and bring more relevance to it. It also has the ability to draw attention in and direct readers to other content on the page. For instance, this otherwise ordinary picture of a frozen window turns into much more with copy and would be a great introduction to a subject regarding Windows software.
13. Link up more with LinkedIn
Don’t discount the use of LinkedIn as a social medium. Besides utilizing the platform as a way to simply connect or stay in touch with others, one has an even greater ability to teach and learn.
Many industry professionals will appreciate the information shared within their realm. There are also many insights that can be revealed once a dialog is started. Using the LinkedIn feed as a publishing platform is a good way to. Also simply commenting and liking others’ content is beneficial as well.
Many industry professionals will appreciate the information shared within their realm. There are also many insights that can be revealed once a dialog is started. Using the LinkedIn feed as a publishing platform is a good way to. Also simply commenting and liking others’ content is beneficial as well.
Many industry professionals will appreciate the information shared within their realm. There are also many insights that can be revealed once a dialog is started. Using the LinkedIn feed as a publishing platform is a good way to. Also simply commenting and liking others’ content is beneficial as well.
14. Choose your number one
As mentioned prior, researching the demographics of your audience targeted at your product or service will determine the best social medium to use. Therefore, make the most out of your content by focusing on that primary factor.
Schedule a plan for your content to be seen more on the social platform that is most utilized. Although this is common sense, new businesses can become overwhelmed with the number of social sites available which can lead to time loss and lack of focus on overall marketing goals.
15. Increase your likeability factor
Encourage consumers to share their joy for a product or service by leaving their ‘like-marks’. Often, consumers will take pleasure in expressing a positive reaction when they are truly inspired by good content or can relate to a point of view.
Use a friendly tone and be relatable with your writing style. Being positive versus having a negative connotation within your writing style can increase your likes and shares. Tell or forward a link to a moving story that can somehow tie into your brand. Be social to your audience and like and comment on what others’ have to say as well.
16. Be alert
Have a subject that in mind that you’d like to share, but don’t have enough information to set it into motion yet? With the overabundance of data on the web, it’s often difficult to pinpoint, especially if your subject is uncommon.
Set yourself up with a Google Alert in regards what is needed and let the information come to you. This content can help spark ideas for your next big post.
17. Take advantage of the holidays
Is there a holiday right around the corner? If so, use the season for a social media campaign reason. Adding holiday color schemes, pictures, jingles or icons to your posts will give your content a break from the ordinary.
Celebrate the season in a fun way by being a bit creative with your social media around whatever special time of year of your choosing. Don’t forget to use a seasonal hashtag, if applicable.
18. Newsjack
“Newsjacking” may sound crazy, but it’s a great way to capitalize on trending topics.
Know what’s current and popular in the news and integrate it into your post. Think of a creative or witty way to incorporate trending events and stories into your marketing tactics, utilize the story’s keywords and possibly bump up your SEO.
19. Create a survey
Oddly enough, people seem to like to take short one to two question surveys on social media. This is especially true if the subject is a matter that one may feel a strong opinion about. In other instances, surveys can be a fun way to pass time and see if your beliefs resonate with others.
Is there a way that you incorporate your product or service into a quick questionnaire? If so, also add a call to action link that enables an audience member to “join now” in regards to an email list and send out results once the survey is closed out. This is also a great way to build your email list.
20. Pay attention to millennial media outlets
The younger generations know the digital world inside and out. They use social media quite heavily and are early to adapt to the latest fads and trends in technology. At this point, it’s almost a rarity to see a millennial or someone from a younger generation not glued to a digital device.
Be aware of what apps or platforms millennials use and how often they use them. Every so often, research your findings and see if they have gained popularity and or spread among other age brackets as well. If so, familiarize yourself with the new app and keep it in mind for potential forthcoming social media campaigns. It can’t hurt to let the younger generations run the initial worthiness test, considering they basically dictate the next digital social media trend of the future.
21. Automate
You can get the most bang from your social media buck when you’re able to put some of your evergreen content on autopilot. Explore tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, and Edgar to plan out your marketing calendar in advance. Believe it or not, this frees up even more time to focus on engagement and optimization.
Besides these twenty-one micro strategies, there are always other creative and new tools that come about to make marketing via social media better. To stay on top of your game, keep informed on social subject matter by studying it from time-to-time. The digital world never sleeps, and neither should your social marketing strategy.
Do you have any killer social media marketing tips to add? Share them in the comments below!
