Social media might be pitched as “FREE,” but we all know it’s really not. It’s now a necessary investment of time and money, too, if you decide to go that route. We want to provide advice that ensures you’re on the right track with your social media activity, including tips on the best content formats to publish to increase your chances of success.
Social Media Usage is Increasing More Than Ever
When the pandemic hit and quarantines set in, social media networks noticed some immediate shifts:
- Facebook usage increased by 70% at the height of the outbreak, per a New York Times report.
- YouTube usage more than doubled.
- The average US adult is expected to spend 7 more minutes a day on social media in 2020 compared to 2019. That’s more than an entire workweek of time that people spend on social media – on top of what they spent last year.
In other words, online activity in general (and video consumption specifically) has increased across nearly all platforms. Remember that as we go.
For Facebook
It’s the biggest platform, which means you need to go above and beyond the “best practices” so that you can set yourself apart from the competition.
- Make sure your cover photo accurately reflects your brand’s value proposition.
- Make sure your logo is easily recognizable.
- Fill out your profile completely with all possible information. That includes descriptions, addresses, phone numbers, industry categories, policies, and everything relevant.
- Post a minimum of 3x a week, no more than once a day.
- Think of Facebook as more than a business page or an advertising platform.
- Create groups for your VIP customers
- Go Live like we discussed earlier.
- If you sell products, set up your Facebook Shop (which you can also do on Instagram).
- Retarget your website visitors when they visit you on Facebook. Entice them to go back and finish the order they started.
- Organize your ad campaigns and break them up into multiple streams. Be as specific as possible with the targeting features.
For Instagram
Even though it’s a Facebook property, there are some pronounced differences.
- Heavily research your hashtags.
- Go with more niche hashtags.
- Create a list of dozens of hashtags pertinent to your business, product, service, or brand.
- Use the most relevant 8 or so for each post.
- Post at least 3x a week, but optimal posting is once or twice a day.
- Make use of Stories with multiple additions within a 24-hour time span.
- Test what kind of stories work best: Live, How-to’s, Boomerangs, etc.
- For added exposure, share your “big post” to Stories, as some Instagram users only view that section.
- Use vibrant imagery.
- Engage and comment on other complimentary accounts with similar target audiences.
- Offer relevant and thoughtful information.
- Don’t post just to post.
- Provide value.
For LinkedIn
If you’re a B2B company, LinkedIn is most likely the first platform you should be investigating if you haven’t gotten started yet. LinkedIn offers some of the best targeting features of any social media platform, and success isn’t solely about your business page.
- We strongly recommend that your company stakeholders – owners, executive team, CEO – jump in and use their personal profiles to network with other businesses and professionals.
- Develop industry and thought leadership by creating and posting content.
- Make sure your employees share that content.
- We recommend posting 2x / week.
- Participate in industry-related groups.
- Optimize your company and personal profiles using the proper keywords to improve and increase the chances you are seen.
- Make sure your business page clearly shows and states your value proposition.
For Twitter
Twitter isn’t dead. It’s still used as a news feed by many. It just hasn’t seen the growth that some of the other platforms have seen.
- Twitter is best used for brands that produce a large amount of content.
- Twitter is a platform where you can post as much as you want.
- 6x per day is optimal, which makes it somewhat of a time investment.
- Tweets should be short, conversational, and preferably use an image or video to increase engagement rate.
For the Rest
Social media Isn’t Just Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok. Other platforms may make sense for you — if that’s where your audience is. I mentioned local sites earlier, that’s just one set of examples.
Pinterest has been around forever, so it seems like it’s often forgotten.
- If you’re a brand where visuals are important, Pinterest can actually be a significant traffic driver to your website.
- In fact, interior designers, artists, and real estate developers are seeing a surge of traffic and business from Pinterest right now.
There is literally a Reddit for everything, which means conversations about your industry are happening there.
- If you’re so inclined, get involved in those conversations there.
- Word to the wise – don’t try and sell on Reddit. Be transparent about who you are.
- Do not try and trick the Reddit community, as it will blow up in your face.
- If you’re large enough to where discussions are happening about your actual business there, you should participate – but be authentic.
YouTube
Some of the liveliest conversations happening right now are on YouTube.
- YouTube viewership has more than doubled during the pandemic.
- What’s being watched is also changing, as more videos are being consumed about making masks, home renovations, home haircuts, and other videos relevant to lives at home.
- Like other streaming services, YouTub is being used for escapism, so your brand could invest in humorous material.
- Plus, YouTube just announced YouTube Shorts that will compete directly with TikTok.
You Can’t Sit Still in Social Media
The vacancy by some advertisers on social media has created opportunities for others to find success at lower costs. If you reduced your budgets during the pandemic, the brands that remained took advantage of the opportunities and created smart campaigns are thriving in the void you created. The tips we’ve shared in this post will put your brand on-track and pointed toward sustainable success.
Talk to the experts at Integrate Agency for insights into how you can take your social media efforts to the next level as your business prepares for 2021.