The invention of Facebook back in 2004 created a whole new method of communication via the internet. With the rise of social media platforms, we have collectively witnessed many apps rise and fall but they have all left an imprint. Currently, there are 3.78 billion social media users worldwide and in just the last year it has grown by 5%. Even if we look at the growth of users since 2017, there are 920 million more people on social media today. The amount of time that people spend engaged on a social platform equates to 144 minutes every single day.
The question you should be asking yourself is what can you do to capture the attention of these people? How can you have them spend some of that 144 minutes with your brand looking at and engaging with your social media?
When looking to build out a social media strategy, it’s important to think about the 5 C’s as they can be an easy reminder and a great guide.
5) Creativity: It’s time to have some fun. Think of ideas to gain the attention of a social user that you want to target. You want to be thinking of those individuals who are your audience. As an example, if your business is in construction, then coming up with ways to reach teenagers won’t make sense as they are not your client base. Spend time here jotting down concepts of what you could try or do differently to get others excited about what your brand is up to. These could be ideas like generating a contest, creating a new hashtag, running a series of photos as a portfolio of before and after, present a how-to series to help someone get started doing something. Brainstorm and write down all ideas that should be considered. Put everything on the table and don’t spend energy trying to figure out the ‘how’.
4) Comprehensive: When writing your posts, now is the time to think about everyone and to be inclusive and diverse. Be considerate of how your business positions itself and your products or services. From the words that you choose to the images you select to publish, it’s important to be mindful about how your position your posts, keep the audience in mind and gather your content for them. Another reason might be that as the business owner, HR recruiter, or hiring manager you are looking to grow diversity in your workforce it will be important to have your social media platforms be reflective.
3) Candor: With the shift we’ve experienced in our society, it is now even more important than ever to be honest, transparent, and candid with your audience. Social media users are very tech-savvy and can easily sleuth out insincerity. By sharing with your audience of followers what’s going on and what you’re up to, it will strengthen their bond with your brand. You don’t need to be sharing trade secrets here, but rather sharing with them what you’ve been doing recently and how you can help them with your products or services from a place of authenticity.
2) Content: Your goal should be to incorporate blog posts, photos, illustrations, case studies, testimonials, product or service reviews, videos, animations, and podcasts to create a fresh mix of content to keep your audience coming back to see what you are producing and publishing. Begin writing, developing, and narrowing down our ideas into thoughtful and purposeful content.
1) Consistency: You should be using a social media calendar to manage your daily posting schedules as well as highlighting what posts will publish on what channel/platform. Consistency is critical here creating and managing a daily posting schedule should be a primary objective. By not posting every day, your business will risk being forgotten about if/when a user is potentially making a purchasing decision.
Let’s put it all together so you can define your social media goals and measure your success:
- Are you looking to grow followers?
- Are you looking to engage with brand ambassadors or influencers?
- Are you trying to get more people to your online events?
- Are you wanting to generate more online transactions?
Once you’ve defined your campaign goals, establish your metrics to measure growth, it’s time to initiate the campaign. Be sure to monitor as you go as you may need to make minor refinements along the way.
JB Consulting Systems can work with you to define your social media objectives, create social media posts, build rich content that engages and consistently deploy social media posts for your business, so you can spend more time focusing on your business. If you would like to learn more about how we can help, please send us an email or give us a call at 800.317.1378 x14.