If you work in a marketing department or parallel to one, then you’ve probably heard the cries from your team about the changing algorithms and hard-to-keep-up-with trends.
The problem we’ve observed is that, as platforms evolve, creators are slow to adapt. As a marketing agency, our team feels the same pain, and we agree it’s challenging to keep up with the times. In this month’s blog, we’re sharing our top five lessons we’ve learned the hard way, so you don’t have to.
Lesson #1: Don’t Keep All Your Eggs in One Basket
Many small business owners who’ve grown using organic social media tend to favor one platform. From there, content is reworked and distributed on other channels. Creators who rely solely on one platform have more to lose once things get rocky.
Take a wedding photographer for instance. If your primary platform for gaining and attracting new business is Instagram, then you’d probably be pretty upset right now – and for good reason. A great way to hedge your bets and prepare for a change in algorithm is to invest in other avenues, such as Pinterest, or wedding vendor groups on Facebook to keep your brand relevant and front-facing.
Lesson #2: Don’t Focus Just on Vanity Metrics
A lot of the time when trends or algorithms change, you’ll notice that metrics spike or plummet. A recent example of this can be seen on Instagram. Accounts that were early adopters of reels saw huge growth in a short period.
The problem here is that it’s easy to get caught up in the popularity game. You might grow your following, but who’s following you? And are these the type of people that match your target audience? If not, then what are they worth to you other than boosting your ego?
When we take on new clients, we always compare page likes or follows to post engagement. If we notice that there are a ton of followers, but little engagement, then there might be a problem. We often remind our clients that a small, engaged audience with loyal fans is more valuable than a large following that’s only mildly committed.
It’s kind of like the advice your mom might have given you in grade school about focusing on the quality of your friends – not the quantity.
Lesson #3: Don’t Focus on You
One of the biggest mistakes we see looks something like this: you log in, post and log off. And then you wonder why your engagement lags. The point of social media is to be social! That means having success on any platform requires that you spend time liking, commenting, and sharing other content. Community engagement is just as important (if not more) than what you share.
If you’re treating your relationship with social media like your relationship with your last ex who was a “me monster,” then you’re not going to see the results you want. This is especially true for business accounts, which brings us to our fourth lesson.
Lesson #4: Stay Relevant & Human
If you’re running a business account, then this recommendation is super important. Gone are the days when you can post what you want and get decent exposure. To get eyes on your posts now, you must stay relevant. We always say that puppies and babies sell… because they do!
The best content you can share is relevant to your team, culture and brand. People will connect with your story if you let them see behind the curtain. This is true across all industries. Trust us, we’d know. We work with attorneys and funeral homes. At the end of the day, people want to connect to what is human.
Lesson #5: Don’t Overthink & Stay Consistent
A lot of our clients tend to overanalyze copy or an image we send for review. And while we understand and hear their concerns, it’s great to remember that to stay top of mind, you must stay consistent with posting. And unless you’re a luxury brand, it’s okay to be a little unpolished from time to time.
Post a silly photo of your staff or share an industry-relevant meme you saw online. If you thought it was funny, chances are someone else will, too. When it comes to social, trends are constantly on the move, if you take too long to shoot your shot, you might miss out on sharing some great content. Not overthinking allows you to post freely, test and adjust based on the feedback from your audience.
We Believe in You
Social media isn’t for the faint of heart, but it also doesn’t have to be something that keeps you up at night. Remember to start small and scale up as you go – or eat the elephant one bite at a time as our CEO, Allison, would put it.
