As a business or brand, your social media strategies are one of the most important avenues to get your brand visibility as well as drive web traffic to your site. Too often brands feel like they need to be on every social media platform or they have to copy the tone of other successful brands to be successful and that isn’t the case. Every business or brand is unique and so should their social media strategies be as well.
The biggest misconception when it comes to social media strategies is that your brand needs to be on every platform. You don’t and it’s ok that you’re not. You need to identify your target audience. What social media platforms are they using the most and target them there. If you’re a high yield bonds investment firm are you going to be on Tik Tok doing the latest dance challenges to get new clients? I sure hope not. Just like if you’re selling products that are geared to the elderly are you going to be on Snap Chat adding filters and doggy faces to your posts thinking your target audience is going to be swayed by that? The answer is no.
And just because a new social media platform emerges that happens to be the hottest thing since sliced bread, that doesn’t mean you have to create a profile and start using that platform exclusively. A prime example was Clubhouse during the height of the Covid crisis; even if it still feels like we’re still stuck in the height of the Covid. Everyone was hailing it as the next big thing and it’s user numbers skyrocketed. Where is Clubhouse now? It’s more like Outhouse since businesses and offices started to gradually open up. People abandoned the novelty of it because they had less time at home with less to do.
Another way to impede the success of your social media strategies is to copy the tone or voice of other brands. An example is that Wendy’s on Twitter is sarcastic and basically just being an asshole and people love it. That is their schtick. The problem with that is that people saw how highly successful they were and they thought their brand had to be the same way and all it did was create more asshole like messaging for brands which failed because that is not who they were. Be you; it’s ok that maybe you’re not sarcastic and that is great because that is not who your brand is.
Content creation is a huge factor when it comes to social media strategies for brands. There isn’t a one size fits all when it comes to content. Video may work best in one platform and a photo may get you more engagement in another. You have to develop a core message or principle with your content and strategized around that for each social media platform you’re on. As long as the messaging is consistent and you stay on brand, it’s ok to switch things up for different social media platforms.
Knowing when to post where you get the most engagement is important as well. If your peak time on Instagram is between 12 and 3pm then you need to be posting every day at those times. Likewise if your Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook peak engagement times are different then you need to post on those times.
And I would highly recommend investing in a scheduling app for your social media. It makes life easier when you need to schedule posts on different platforms at different times. I’ve been using Buffer for the past few year and it’s been amazing for me. There is also Hootsuite and other apps like it. Find the best one for your price range and sign up. It saves times scheduling everything at once and just sitting back and letting it do all the work for you.
A content calendar is also a must have for any social media strategy you brand might have. It lets you and anyone else know what days and times certain content will be going out. You can plan a week or month out when it comes to your social media strategies with a content calendar. It keeps your honest in the fact that you already know what you will be posting and when you will be posting. All you have to do is create and schedule the posts.
These are just some helpful social media strategies for your business or brand. Feel free to leave your tips or ideas in the comments section below!