Social media can be an elusive place. What works to target customers one day may not work in a week. Keeping up with changes on each individual platform can seem exhausting. Still, social media remains to be the best place for brands to engage with customers, particularly during COVID-19. For small businesses, having a social media strategy is an absolute necessity.
Because of the many people trying to keep up with the latest trends on each individual platform, there is a good deal of misinformation about what works for a social media strategy and what doesn’t. That’s why today’s blog post is centered around dismissing some of this misinformation. That way, you know what kind of social media strategy will work best for your unique, individual brand.
Myth #1: You Need To Have One Account for Every Platform
While it’s certainly important that your brand reach as many individuals as possible, creating and maintaining multiple accounts all at the same time may not be feasible for what you’re trying to achieve. When starting out with your social media strategy, it’s alright to decide that you will begin with just one or two platforms. Then, you can continuously build as you become more comfortable.
The important thing to remember is that wherever you decide to start your social media strategy (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.), make sure you know you’ll get a lot of traction with your target audience. You want to hit your primary customers right out of the chute, so do some research to know where they’re spending their time. Then, as you decide to expand your strategy, you can begin targeting secondary audiences and creating new tactics for getting engagements.
Myth #2: Social Media Strategy Should Be Centered Around Gaining Followers
Followers are important on social media. However, they aren’t necessarily the most important consideration. You could have hundreds of thousands of followers, but only be getting a few interactions per post. At this point, you wouldn’t really be getting your message across.
With a small, active amount of followers, though, you can get more engagements and create a more interactive community. If you have a moderate following that is regularly liking and commenting on your posts, this is more likely to create brand loyalty. Plus, you will probably see more shares, ultimately boosting your brand awareness in the long run.
Myth #3: Your Social Media Strategy Will Be Immediately Successful
Social media moves quickly, so that means your posts should gain traction overnight, right? Although it isn’t completely unheard of to see quick success on these platforms, it’s more common to have to use trial and error to see what works for your own personal brand. It’s okay to take time to learn what works for you.
That being said, if you’re going to create a social media strategy, you should build in a significant amount of time for planning and creating posts. Even though you may not see overnight success, you should still be posting as often as possible to begin building a foundation and gaining momentum as you continue to grow.
Myth #4: Social Media Platforms Are Toxic Environments
Nobody likes getting rude comments on social media. They can be extremely disheartening and frustrating. Not to mention, it can sometimes be a mad scramble to identify if there is any truth behind the comment, or whether you’re being trolled.
While it is true that there are some people who just want to cause chaos on social media, there are even more individuals who want to create a genuine connection with your brand. If and when you receive a negative comment or DM, take a moment to think about whether the person is trying to be constructive or not. Is it a customer who genuinely wants to see your brand succeed, or is it someone just trying to get you to react?
Respond with sincerity and kindness to the person who is trying to give honest feedback. They are probably doing so in order to improve your brand, if not always very tactfully. Someone who is intentionally being obnoxious however, should not get too much of your time. Respond thoughtfully if appropriate, but don’t hesitate to block them when necessary.
Myth #5: Your Social Media Strategy Should Focus on Getting New Customers
Social media is the place to connect with previously-existing customers, particularly when you’re first starting out. It’s important not to go into the space expecting to get tons of DMs and messages from people just learning about your services.
Instead, work on building the community you already have. Target your efforts toward their interests and expectations. Use it as an opportunity to retain customer loyalty and build an engaged community, rather than trying to engage new customers. Because even on LinkedIn, a platform designed for networking, only 45% of marketers have reported gaining customers through the site.
In Conclusion
Building a social media strategy takes time, planning and dedication. As you begin implementing and growing comfortable in the space, continue getting to know your target audience. Stay up to date with what trends have been successful on which platforms. Most importantly, always be genuine and transparent in your social media messaging. Stay true to your brand and don’t be afraid to pivot your strategy in order to accomplish this.
Are you interested in having a partner guide you through the murky waters of social media? Vervology is here to help! Get in touch to learn more about how we assist small businesses and implement proven solutions to further your brand.