Social media marketing continues to evolve as preferences and algorithms change and shape our approach to reaching our audience.  Storytelling posts communicated through the means of microblogs and videos have started to dominate social media platforms.  Paid advertising and engaging with customers have become necessary ingredients to an effective social media marketing plan.  Trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t through experimentation and A/B testing can be exhausting and at times ineffective.  If your reach has begun to dwindle or you’re just getting started, take the following suggestions into consideration:

Microblogs

Microblogs are great for driving social media engagement. They tend to have a further initial reach because in most cases they do not contain links that will take you away from a given social platform. Microblogs help to get conversations started and develop relationships with your potential customers. These pieces can range anywhere from one sentence to a few hundred words and can be published daily as long as you’re providing value. Be sure to participate and follow up with conversations in the comment section, as this will increase your reach and encourage further engagement.

Organic Video

Videos uploaded directly to your company and personal pages have become the best way to increase reach and drive engagement.  Video puts your company and personal brand on full display and allows your prospects to put a face and personality with the name. Video is extremely versatile and can be used to demonstrate new products, educate your audience and provide a laugh. The reach of video can be unmatched in some instances, though not every one of them will be a hit. As with written blogs, posting videos frequently will help you to build the following necessary to truly increase the reach of your content.

Current Events

Newsjacking on current events and relating them back to your industry is a great way to capitalize on popular topics and hashtags.  For instance, commentary on a team’s victory in a championship game and the struggles they overcame to get there can be easily spun into a lesson in leadership and perseverance.  Holidays, anniversaries, special events and any other popular news story can used to expand your reach and catch the eye of your target audience.  It is important to remain socially conscious and not make what can be considered inappropriate comments.  While being controversial can increase engagement, you want to be careful not to attract too much negative attention.

Graphics

Visual content such as video, infographics and memes get a lot of attention online and having quality, unique graphics can add a layer of professionalism to your work.  Even written blogs, eBooks and white papers benefit from extraordinary graphics.  Infographics help to explain complex ideas and statistics while making them easily digestible for your audience.  A unique graphic attached to a blog post will draw the attention of your online followers.  Tables, graphs and diagrams can make great additions to microblogs and will make your organic social posts more appealing.

Engagement

If generating leads is the primary objective of social media marketing, engagement is the driving force behind doing so.  Each post represents an opportunity to steer visitors to your website and open the lines of communication.  Every click, follow, like or share is essentially the beginning of a conversation, whether it be by direct means or through information sharing.  Since acquiring quality contact information can be expensive and risky depending upon your source, social channels offer an opportunity to communicate directly with the people who have shown interest in your company.  Making real connections and nurturing relationships prior to a sales pitch is necessary in a time with so many options. Trust, credibility and your brand’s personality all need to shine through in order to drive social media engagement.

Advertising

The world of social media has been evolving rapidly as privacy, revenue and social impact have all come under scrutiny.  Recent changes have left many marketers in flux, trying to determine the best strategy to reach their audience.  Algorithm changes have made it more difficult to lean on organic means alone. While organic messaging is still effective, in order to drill down to your target audience, your strategy should be supplemented with paid ads. There are several different types of social media ads you can use including sponsored content, direct messaging and many more.  Compelling ad copy, unique graphics and a valuable offer will help to amplify the effect of your advertisements.

Company Participation

With so much content available online it can be tough to grab the attention of your target audience.  The more people within your company that participate in your efforts the larger and more refined your audience will become.  Each like, share and comment helps to increase the reach of your social media posts.  Key players within your company must support your digital efforts as they likely have contributed greatly to the current success of your company.  Without their buy-in it will be near impossible to get those outside of your organization to take your solutions seriously.

As with any other aspect of marketing, social media takes detailed planning and flawless implementation to be effective.