Information in this blog post has been obtained from HubSpot, Social Media Today, and Hootsuite.
Social media has become an indispensable tool for businesses looking to grow and engage with their audiences. However, navigating the digital landscape can be overwhelming, with platforms constantly evolving and new trends emerging. To truly succeed, marketers must adopt effective strategies that balance consistency, creativity, and audience engagement. Whether you're crafting the perfect post or deciding which platform to focus on, it's important to remember that success doesn't come from perfection but from connection.
This guide breaks down three key principles for social media success: embracing imperfection, focusing on engagement over follower counts, and leveraging short-form video content. Additionally, it highlights the importance of selecting the right platforms and understanding your target audience's behavior. By following these insights, businesses can build trust, expand their reach, and foster genuine relationships with their audience, creating a lasting impact in today's competitive social media landscape.
Three key concepts to social media success:
Perfection isn't necessary: It's important to remember that social media posts don't need to be flawless. While posts should be free from spelling or grammar errors and include good visuals, not every post will go viral or attract thousands of likes. Don't overthink or spend too much time on each post. Sometimes, a simple, spontaneous post can perform just as well. The key is consistency, not perfection. While tracking the flow on social media apps is available, it is impossible to know exactly what video will be the next viral outbreak (Bretous).
Marketers should also engage with the audience to ensure more engagement is brought to the post. By responding to comments, asking questions, and starting conversations, marketers can boost interaction on posts. Developing a consistent content calendar and experimenting with posts is the best way for marketers to reach more people.
Focus on engagement, not followers: The number of followers doesn't determine a post's success. Many apps make follower counts seem essential, but engagement is what truly matters. Instead of fixating on follower growth, focus on increasing post interactions like views, likes, shares, and comments. These actions drive brand awareness and can expand your reach organically. Some of the criteria that social media managers use are (Bretous):
- Likes
- Comments
- Followers
- Shares
- Retweets
- Click-throughs
- Direct messages
- Favorites
If viewers are not paying attention to the media posted, it is no good to have a large number of followers. Furthermore, choose platforms that the target audience will enjoy to help maximize efforts. Knowing where your audience spends their time will help maximize your efforts.
Utilize short-form video content: Short videos have exploded in popularity in recent years and have become an essential tool for marketers. It is crucial to be able to connect with a target audience. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts have captivated audiences with easily digestible content that keeps people engaged. Short-form videos are more appealing and more likely to be shared, increasing visibility and reach. For marketers, embracing this format can lead to significant success. Marketers need to study current trends so they can stay on track to success. Being responsive to trends is a great way to set up success on every post. TikTok is an excellent example of how one successful post can change the engagement on a page. Diversifying content on a page is vital so viewers can enjoy the content. A good mix of videos and pictures can majorly help marketers reach their desired goals (Bretous). Below is a list of different types of media choices for social media:
- Photos
- Videos
- Illustrations
- Stop-motion
- Live streams
- Polls
Image Courtesy of Unsplash
By understanding the power of short-form videos, marketers can capture the attention of a more significant audience and build stronger brand recognition. In a situation with a new marketing position, following these tips can lead to success. Now, marketers can dive into the steps to create a proper post using their social media marking tips.
There are 4 leading social media platforms that businesses use. Facebook, which is mainly used by millennials and older people, has great ways to encourage engagement with a brand. There are features that allow businesses to create groups that can entirely focus on products. Instagram is very similar to Facebook, offering live videos, reels, and photo posts. There is a significant focus on reels for Instagram, as many viewers engage in these types of posts. In recent years, TikTok has grown in popularity. TikTok has a feature that allows anyone to use trending sounds that can boost engagement in a post (Sked Social). X, formally known as Twitter, is the last central social media platform. X has immense popularity in gifs and memes, and if they become popular, they will encourage large numbers of individuals to interact with businesses.
There are steps to creating a successful social media for any business. After looking at the top social media platforms and understanding tips and tricks for social media, businesses should first do a social media audit. An audit will help the business understand what it needs to change and get an overall picture of what is working (Christison). Next, choosing the right platform is essential. A business needs to select a target audience to pick the proper platform. While older individuals love Facebook, TikTok is very popular among Gen-Z.
After looking at the top social media platforms and understanding tips and tricks for social media, businesses should first do a social media audit (Christison). There are steps to creating a successful social media for any business.
An audit will help the business understand what it needs to change and get an overall picture of what is working.
Next, choosing the right platform is essential. A business needs to select a target audience to pick the proper platform. While older individuals love Facebook, TikTok is very popular among Gen-Z.
Building trust with the target audience is the third step to social media success. For Gen-Z, building trust is a huge factor if they interact with a company. Make sure that posts are truthful and do not include much bias.
It is essential to educate the internal teams that are working on compliance and strategy. If team members understand the business terms, the social media managers will be less likely to post something that does not comply with the post's goals.
Finally, companies should use social media as a means of a more outstanding marketing strategy. Creating a network of digital information will help you build a reliable reputation.
Social media should be integrated into a broader marketing strategy. It shouldn’t exist in a silo, separate from other marketing efforts. By using social media as part of a larger digital strategy, brands can create a consistent message across all channels, building a reliable and recognizable brand reputation.
Social media presents an invaluable opportunity for businesses to engage with their audiences and build lasting connections. Marketers can maximize their efforts by focusing on engagement over follower counts, embracing the power of short-form video content, and choosing the right platforms based on target demographics. Conducting a social media audit and building trust with your audience are critical steps to ensure success. While perfection isn't necessary, consistency and authenticity are key to standing out in an increasingly competitive landscape. By following these strategies, businesses can enhance their online presence and strengthen their overall marketing efforts.
Resources
Bretous, M. (2022, June). 5 Social Media Tips Every Small Business Needs [+ Free Tools].
Christison, C. (2023, April 6). Bank Social Media: 7 Top Tips for Banks and Credit Unions.
Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. https://blog.hootsuite.com/bank-social-media/
Sked Social. (2022, October 24). The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Engagement. Social
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