Information in this blog post was obtained from the HubSpot Blog, Sprout Social, and Hootsuite.
What is Social Media Presence?
According to Sprout Social, social media presence is your brand personality expressed in visuals and messages on social media. It’s the face you show to the world, reaching both committed customers and first-time visitors. As I’ve mentioned in my previous blog posts, building a social media presence increases awareness and helps define what makes your brand unique.
Why does media presence even matter? Consumers want to associate with brands and resonate with their individual personalities and more. Social media brands building a social media presence is called targeting. When building a social media strategy right, you can achieve virality and take off.
A popular presence doesn’t happen by chance - it is strategically planned. For a social media presence, you first want to be able to set SMART goals. We all know what those are, right? If you don’t, let me remind you real quick!
Specific: Targets (followers, views, shares)
Measurable: How will you know you’re succeeding?
Achievable: Do you have realistic targets?
Relevant: Do your KPIs (key performance indicators) measure engagement?
Time-bound: Set a fixed point for assessing success!
Remember, everyone is human, and in order to maximize a social media presence, be yourself! I also mentioned this in my last blog post and I am mentioning this again because it is so important!
Factors that Boost Social Media Presence
Brand Awareness
Increasing brand awareness is key to reaching your target audience. Brand awareness is the foundation of acquiring a customer audience and helping them learn more about products and services with informative and engaging content. Social media is excellent for building brand awareness.
Engagement
Sharing relevant and high-quality content leads to increased engagement with your audience. Engagement is for retaining loyal customers who can talk about your brand.
Website Traffic
Social media presents a great opportunity to drive website traffic, bringing website visitors.
Why Staying Current is Crucial
Social media has also become an essential tool for businesses to reach and engage with their audiences. As such, social media marketing has become a thriving industry, and many people are now seeking jobs in this field. If you're looking to work in social media, it's crucial to stay up to date with the latest trends and technologies and to know how to maintain and boost an organization's social media presence. Here are some reasons why keeping up with social media trends and technologies is crucial for job seekers:
Demonstrates Your Knowledge and Expertise: When you stay current with social media trends and technologies, it demonstrates to potential employers that you're passionate about the industry and are committed to staying ahead of the curve. It shows that you're not only familiar with the current trends but are also capable of anticipating future ones.
Provide a Competitive Edge: With so many people seeking jobs in the social media industry, you need to set yourself apart from the competition. Staying current with the latest trends and technologies can give you a competitive edge when applying for jobs.
Enables You to Be More Creative: Social media is all about being creative, and staying current can inspire new innovations and ideas. When you’re familiar with the latest trends and technologies, you can incorporate them into your work, which can make you stand out!
Helps Measure Success: Social media is all about engagement and metrics. Staying up to date with the latest measurement tools and analytics can help you better understand the success of your campaigns and make data-driven decisions.
How to Stay Current
Now that we’ve established why staying current with social media trends and technologies is crucial, below are some strategies for staying current:
Follow Influential People in the Industry: Following influential people in the social media industry can provide insight into emerging trends. These people often share their experiences and knowledge on social media, which can be valuable for staying current.
Attending Conferences and Webinars: I know, this sounds silly. But, attending social media conferences and webinars can provide access to valuable resources, such as keynote speakers and breakout sessions focused on emerging trends and technologies.
Engage in Social Media Chats: Participating in social media chats and discussions can be a great way to network with other professionals and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices.
Read Publications and Blogs: There are numerous industry publications and blogs dedicated to social media. Regularly reading these publications can help you stay informed about the latest developments in the field.
Join Professional Groups: Joining professional groups can provide access to valuable resources, such as webinars and networking events. These groups often focus on emerging trends and best practices in the industry.
Experiment with New Platforms and Features: To stay ahead, social media professionals should experiment with new platforms and features. This can help develop new skills and approaches that can be applied to your social media campaigns.
Use Social Media Engagement Tools: There are many social media management tools available that can help you stay on top of the latest trends and technologies. These tools can help you schedule posts, track engagement, and analyze metrics.
Staying current with the latest social media trends and technologies is crucial for job seekers and businesses in the field. It demonstrates knowledge and expertise and provides a competitive edge. For businesses, it ensures relevance and visibility, enhances customer engagement, enables more effective campaigns, and enables better data analysis. By following the strategies outlined above, both job seekers and businesses can stay ahead and achieve success in the dynamic world of social media.
Social Media Trends You Need to Know in 2023
TikTok is an emerging platform and the average American is watching 80 minutes of TikTok every day, according to Sprout Social. With this being said, forward-thinking companies will invest more in video production equipment and staff. With this, there will be more hands able to help with video editing, direction, and brand storytelling.
BeReal = a big turning point
BeReal was one of the biggest trends of 2022. This application could go bigger than it already is in the future. They would introduce advertising features for brands. What really matters is figuring out what authenticity looks like for your brand and leaning in.
With trends like BeReal kind of coming out of nowhere and with it being a big hit, who knows what else the future has in store! Chances are, you’ll be creating a new account on another network in 2023!
Employee Advocacy
Employee advocacy has been a hidden social media marketing gem for a while now. Companies that have already implemented advocacy programs have seen an increase in brand awareness and qualified job applicants, which is already on top of gaining more control over brand messaging and thought leadership. Employee advocacy will become the go-to method for building a brand presence within an industry.
Brands and Sustainability
In recent years, many brands have been publicizing their environmental sustainability goals to appeal to conscious consumers. However, an increasing number of businesses are now adopting a more subtle approach, known as "green-hushing." This shift is driven by concerns about being accused of greenwashing, as several non-profit watchdog organizations are dedicated to exposing false sustainability claims. Inflating the sustainability of your brand can lead to severe consequences for the entire business so, as a social media marketer, you need to ensure that the information presented is accurate and to identify any potential risks associated with a post.
In summary, if you are wanting to have a successful career in social media marketing, it is extremely important that you stay up to date in social media. Understanding what and how to establish a social media presence, strategies to stay current, and what the latest trends and technologies are will make you more marketable and get you started in an exciting career in social media marketing!
To learn more, visit The SMMU blog and check out more posts about careers in social media marketing!
Disclaimer: No AI was injured in the production of this content. AI (ChatGPT) was used as a tool to supplement, enhance, and make suggestions in writing this blog post.
Resources
Boyter, Gavin. “16 Ways to Build a Better Social Media Presence.” Sprout Social, 27 Apr. 2023, https://sproutsocial.com/insights/building-social-media-presence/.
Deng, Olivia. “How to Generate Leads on Social Media.” HubSpot Blog, HubSpot, 22 Mar. 2023, https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-generate-social-leads?hubs_content=blog.hubspot.com%2525252525252Fmarketing&hubs_content-cta=null&hubs_post-cta=blognavcard-marketing.
Gomez, Ronnie. “11 Social Media Trends You Need to Know in 2023.” Sprout Social, 16 Mar. 2023, https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-trends/.
Hirose, Alyssa. “Brand Monitoring: Tools and Strategic Tips for 2023.” Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard, 25 Apr. 2023, https://blog.hootsuite.com/brand-monitoring/.
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