Need to Stay Current? Discover the Top Social Media Platforms of 2022 (and How to Maximize Their Impact). The average person spends an entire day each week glued to their phone. Honestly, I’m a bit surprised it’s not higher (though I anticipate it will increase). Looking around my living room on Christmas evening, I observed everyone in my family engrossed in their social feeds, except my six-month-old nephew. He, however, seemed strangely drawn to the iPhone (mostly to try and eat it). It’s a slightly disheartening sight, but as my mom recently pointed out, Facebook has allowed her to reconnect with friends and even family she hadn’t spoken to in over two decades. We’ve all encountered stories of reunited siblings, lovers, and guardians who found each other through social media. Let’s not forget the impactful charitable campaigns like the Ice Bucket Challenge, which raised over $100 million for ALS, a staggering 3,500% increase from the $2.8 million raised during the same period the previous year, according to Forbes.

2019 is poised to be another exciting year in the realm of social media, with Instagram surpassing 1 billion users, Facebook hinting at messaging platform integration, LinkedIn introducing interest-based targeting, and Snapchat nearing 200 million daily active users. These are just a glimpse of the changes sweeping the social media landscape, but what do they mean for your marketing strategy in 2019? We all recognize the vital role of social media in every business’s marketing efforts (especially for creative industries like craft marketing). Neglecting active social channels is like showing up to work without pants – awkward and unacceptable. Nobody wants to be caught in their underwear at work, but what’s the purpose of maintaining social channels if they don’t benefit your business? The answer is simple: there is none. Your social media presence should aim to achieve one or more of the following: establishing and expanding brand recognition, generating qualified leads, or strengthening customer relationships (ideally all three). In my previous post about social media strategy, I emphasized tactics like crafting and adhering to a social media marketing plan, exceeding expectations in social media customer service, embracing mishaps, and more. Let me assure you, these strategies remain crucial, but with the New Year approaching, I have some fresh and enhanced tips to enhance your social media marketing plan for 2019.

Crafting an Effective Social Media Marketing Plan

So, you’re eager to embrace new social media marketing strategies. That’s fantastic. Enthusiasm is a valuable asset, and you should definitely capitalize on it. However, you can’t enhance a nonexistent social media marketing plan. So, how do you create one? Here are three fundamental steps.

1. Develop a Comprehensive Follower Persona

A social media follower persona closely mirrors a customer persona. The primary distinction lies in envisioning the individual who follows your social accounts rather than the one who purchases your product or service. (Ideally, these categories intersect.)

A follower persona is crucial because it provides the focus needed to share pertinent and valuable content. Without it, you risk trying to cater to everyone with your social content, resulting in generic material and a lack of a distinctive social media brand identity. How old is your follower persona? What is their occupation? What are their hobbies and interests? What are their biggest pain points? Answering these questions (and any others that come to mind) in detail will offer invaluable guidance in shaping your business’s social media presence.

2. Define Your Objectives and KPIs

Just as a follower persona guides your social media strategy, so do well-defined objectives. Without a clear understanding of what you aim to achieve, it becomes challenging to determine the best course of action. You need specific, measurable goals to strive for. Here are some examples of social media marketing objectives:

• Enhancing brand visibility
• Increasing website traffic
• Generating leads
• Boosting product sales
• Improving customer service The significance of setting goals becomes apparent after reviewing this list, doesn’t it? The strategies employed by a social media marketer focused on driving site traffic will differ greatly from those employed by one aiming to increase product sales.

Focusing on Driving Site Traffic…

…Versus Focusing on Selling Products. While the former might prioritize sharing enticing snippets of blog posts, the latter might concentrate on showcasing product value. However, goals are meaningless without a way to gauge your progress. That’s where key performance indicators (KPIs) come into play. As you might expect, the KPIs you choose will align with your objectives:

• Number of followers
• Website traffic
• Lead volume
• Conversion rate
• Customer retention rate (or churn rate)

3. Analyze Your Competitors’ Strategies

Competitive analysis is a cornerstone of marketing, regardless of the media channels you utilize. Whether you primarily leverage social media, Google Ads, or podcast ads, a core aspect of your job involves differentiating yourself from the competition. In essence, you need to demonstrate to potential customers why choosing your product or service over your rivals’ benefits them more. A proven tactic: understand how your competitors leverage social media to connect with prospects… and then outmaneuver them. For instance, let’s imagine you own a bakery cafe. Your main competitor is a similar establishment a few blocks away. Through competitive analysis, you discover they primarily attract followers by posting pictures of pastries and lattes. Now’s your chance to up the ante. Instead of simply posting images of finished products, why not share videos of the baking process? Additionally, consider featuring brief bios of the employees behind the scenes. The goal is to establish deeper connections with local customers than your competitor. And rest assured, Facebook and Instagram users don’t care too much overly polished content. They appreciate businesses that share authentic, creative material.

Six Social Media Marketing Strategies to Embrace in 2019

Now that you’ve established your follower persona, defined your social media marketing goals, identified how you’ll measure your progress towards those goals, and analyzed your competitors’ social media activities, it’s time to enrich your social media marketing plan with some dynamic new strategies. Here are six to test drive this year.

#1: Cultivate a Community, Not Just a Follower Count

Have you ever scrolled through the profiles you follow on Twitter or Pinterest? You likely engage with a mere fraction of their tweets or pins. Since everyone and their grandmother is on social media, even with regular posting, your followers might not be actively engaging with your brand. The number of followers you amass can only take you so far. “Twitter is like the ’live TV’ of social media,” explains Marketing Land’s Danny Sullivan. “If you’re not tuned in to a specific tweet as it happens, you’ve missed it.” This holds true for more than just Twitter. The organic reach of Facebook posts has plummeted, making it challenging for brands to stand out, even if you follow their page (more on this in tip #3). While surpassing 10,000 followers is noteworthy, it’s ultimately meaningless if they’re not interacting with and paying attention to your content. So, how can you foster a community and boost engagement among your current and potential followers?

• Infuse personality, humor, and energy into your brand. Remember, social media includes the word “social” for a reason. While some utilize platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter for industry news or global updates, most often, people turn to social media for entertainment and to pass the time. Your marketing messages need to reflect this. If you’re using the same copy as, say, your search or email marketing, your followers will remain indifferent to your brand. BarkBox, a popular dog subscription box service, exemplifies this well. Founded in 2011, BarkBox has achieved impressive growth in a short period, largely by focusing on developing engaging social content. Their Facebook page is hilariously entertaining, with each post featuring an adorable pup accompanied by a tagline as if the dog were speaking directly to the reader. This works because it’s a. adorable, b. hilarious, and c. relatable. Just check out this recent post that garnered nearly 3,000 likes, 42 comments, and 170 shares in just nine hours. This level of interaction not only establishes brand authority but significantly increases the post’s visibility on friends’ newsfeeds (expanding brand awareness, followers, leads, and customers).

• Engage Directly with Your Followers: Don’t just broadcast – have a conversation! Retweet them, like and comment on their posts, and directly encourage interaction with your content. The insurance company Allstate created a separate Twitter account for their popular advertising character, Mayhem, who consistently “captures those unavoidable life events.” Almost all their posts are geared towards interacting with fans, whether it’s retweeting, asking questions, running contests, or even sending #MayhemValentines. This Twitter account also embodies the earlier point about incorporating humor and personality. Their recent #MayhemSale campaign, where Mayhem impersonated a burglar selling his loot online, might sound bizarre, but it generated immense buzz. Take a look at this tweet with over 4,600 retweets.

In conclusion, when crafting social media posts, think outside the box and devise creative ways to encourage audience interaction with your brand.

#2: Launch Compelling Social Media Movements Across All Platforms

Keeping your audience engaged requires you to be engaging. One effective approach is to develop social campaigns that span your social media platforms. However, anyone can launch a contest or a social campaign, so yours needs to stand out. Infuse it with a charitable, inspirational, or emotional element – anything that tugs at the heartstrings tends to resonate. If your company already engages in volunteer work (as many do), this is a prime opportunity to inspire and engage your followers. While some might perceive using charitable partnerships for marketing as morally questionable, it’s important to remember that you’re simultaneously promoting the organization and encouraging involvement. So how do you apply this across multiple platforms? Start by…

• Sharing a Captivating Story: An entire story? But social media character limits! Yes, I know, but you can extract powerful quotes and engaging snippets that leave the reader wanting more, directing them to your website for the full experience. Charity:water excels at this. As a charitable organization dedicated to providing clean drinking water globally, they’ve consistently exceeded their fundraising goals, and I’d wager a significant part of their success stems from their masterful storytelling on social media. Their content inspires action and encourages audience participation. When I first encountered charity:water at Hubspot’s Inbound conference in 2013, their poignant video motivated me to create a birthday campaign requesting donations instead of gifts. One of their recent multi-platform campaigns, “Why I Give,” features donors sharing their personal stories. This humanizes the cause, tells a story, and encourages others to act. Take a look at this post featuring Shakil Kan, a “well-known, well-loved charity:water supporter.” The featured quote offers a glimpse into a larger story, intriguing viewers to click and learn more.

Clicking the link leads viewers to the full story on the charity:water blog, where various inspiring stories are showcased.

Think about how you can leverage your social channels to share motivating stories with your audience. These stories don’t necessarily have to be charity-focused. For instance, if you sell B2B software, share client success stories on your blog and create a social media campaign with a unique slogan and hashtag to promote these narratives.

• Brand Your Movement with a Distinct Name and Hashtags: Branding your movement makes it memorable and helps it stand out. Brainstorm actionable ideas that encourage follower participation, whether it’s posting photos under a specific hashtag, running contests, or organizing company-sponsored events. The renowned fashion brand Marc Jacobs successfully executed this with their #CastMeMarc campaign. Last spring, Jacobs encouraged followers to post pictures of themselves on platforms like Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag for a chance to become one of the brand’s new faces. The result? A flood of photographs shared across social media. Even today, long after the contest ended, people still use the hashtag hoping to catch Jacobs’ eye (as seen in the tweet below).

Remember, you don’t need to be a globally recognized fashion powerhouse like Marc Jacobs to replicate this success. Imagine you run an athletic wear store offering free yoga classes at several locations. This presents a fantastic opportunity for a branded social media movement. Tap into the inspirational aspects of fitness, New Year’s resolutions, healthy living, or any angle that resonates with your target audience. Experiment with hashtags, identify the most effective one, and launch your movement with announcements on your blog and social channels.

#3: Explore the Potential of Facebook Advertisements

In conversations with Boston-based paid search experts, the consensus is clear: Facebook advertising is cost-effective and delivers results. If you’re serious about competing on Facebook today, allocating budget to paid advertising is crucial. Organically reaching your audience solely through wall posts is a thing of the past. Fortunately, Facebook offers granular targeting options, allowing you to connect with your niche audience and avoid wasting money on clicks from users who aren’t relevant to your business. “Over the past two years, the social network has repeatedly adjusted its algorithm to prioritize approximately the top 300 posts it predicts each user will find most engaging,” notes a recent article by the New York Times. “Facebook argues that users prefer videos, photos, news articles, and updates from friends and family over brand content. Consequently, business posts are appearing less frequently in users’ feeds.” With Facebook’s continued emphasis on advertising, securing visibility for your business increasingly relies on paid campaigns. However, budget-conscious advertisers should proceed cautiously as rising competition is likely to drive up advertising costs. I highly recommend exploring retargeting platforms like AdRoll, which allow you to re-engage users who have previously shown interest in your brand by visiting your website. I frequently encounter retargeting ads on my Facebook News Feed (like the example below showcasing ads for two websites I recently visited).

#4: Participate in or Host Twitter Chats

Why would I spend time chatting with strangers online? What self-respecting business professional participates in these cult-like gatherings? These were my initial thoughts on Twitter chats. However, my perspective shifted when nexus-security founder, Larry Kim, extolled the virtues of #PPCChat, encouraging my colleagues and me to actively participate. Taking his advice, I started engaging in industry-related chats. To my surprise, I found the experience enjoyable. I even added #PPCChat as a recurring event on my calendar to avoid missing these live conversations. The chat connected me with industry peers and provided valuable insights from those with different experiences. I observed an increase in my personal followers, and one week, I was even featured in the PPCChat write-up published after each chat. So how can your business benefit? Aside from personal branding, these chats can unearth new leads, establish brand authority, nurture relationships with industry influencers, and increase brand visibility. Consider hosting your own chat or partnering with a larger brand for co-hosting – with effective promotion, this can significantly expand your follower base. Explore resources like this post to identify relevant recurring chats in your industry.

#5: Strategically Connect with Influencers

This point ties in with the previous one, as you’ll likely find industry influencers participating in relevant Twitter chats. Not having much luck with chats? Fortunately, numerous other strategies can help you connect with industry leaders on social media. The goal is to cultivate genuine affinity for you and your brand among these individuals. Why? Because aligning yourself with influential figures amplifies your reach by tapping into their established audiences and authority. Follow these four steps to connect with influencers socially:

1. Compile a comprehensive list of influencers and organize them in a spreadsheet, including links to their social media profiles.
2. Engage with their content thoughtfully: Like, favorite, comment on, and reshare their posts – but avoid being indiscriminate. Selectively engaging with their content demonstrates genuine interest rather than spammy behavior. Aim to like and favorite a few times per week and comment when you have something insightful or valuable to contribute.
3. Engage them in conversations on Twitter: This works particularly well when seeking industry-related information. They’ll likely be flattered by your recognition of their expertise and willingness to share their knowledge. nexus-security’s Erin Sagin employed this strategy for a blog post, receiving responses from nearly every expert she contacted.
4. Utilize the same hashtags: This increases the likelihood of them noticing your content when they browse hashtag feeds, potentially piquing their interest.

#6: Curate and Share Trending Content

Avoid using your social channels solely for self-promotion – it’s tedious and off-putting. Strive for a balance between marketing your brand and sharing valuable content from other sources. Constantly encountering self-promotional posts from your favorite clothing brand on Instagram would likely lead to unfollows and a general sense of annoyance. Instead, focus on a balanced approach that combines promotional content, audience interaction, and sharing valuable and entertaining content from other sources. Here’s how to identify share-worthy content:

• Explore Viral Videos on YouTube: Look for hilarious clips of children, adorable animal videos, and inspiring moments, and reshare them with your unique commentary.
• Stay Informed: Scan news headlines for widely covered stories and offer your perspective, keeping it relevant to your brand.
• Follow and Utilize Trending Hashtags: Engage in broader conversations on social media by leveraging trending hashtags. On Twitter, for instance, you can explore the “Trends” section.

Choose a relevant trending topic and contribute to the conversation, just like the social commerce platform Polyvore did with the People’s Choice Awards in the tweet below.

• Harness the Power of Buzzsumo: This tool has become an indispensable part of my workflow. It simplifies the process of discovering the most shared content related to specific industries, websites, blogs, keywords, influencers, and more. Analyze the headlines of widely shared content and reshare those articles with your followers, positioning your social channels as sources of engaging and valuable information.

Key Takeaways

To recap, it’s time to retire stale, uninspiring social media content from 2018. Embrace 2019 as an opportunity to… 1: Cultivate a community and inspire action. Move beyond simply amassing followers; foster meaningful interactions with your audience by infusing your social media presence with wit, relatability, and personality. Prioritize engagement over follower count and brainstorm creative, compelling social media campaigns that encourage audience participation. 2. Explore Facebook Advertising to reach your target audience effectively. Leverage retargeting to re-engage users who have previously interacted with your brand. Allocate a portion of your budget to test these strategies – the potential ROI can be substantial. 3. Engage in meaningful conversations, whether through Twitter chats or trending hashtags. Stay informed about your industry and share valuable insights to build partnerships, connect with potential leads, and expand your reach. Strategically engage with influencers by liking their content, retweeting their updates, and leaving thoughtful comments. 4. Prioritize high-quality content. Use tools like Buzzsumo to discover trending and popular stories in your industry, and integrate them with your content to keep your audience engaged and your social channels relevant. I’m eager to hear your thoughts…

• Have you experimented with any of these techniques? If so, what were your results?
• What changes are you planning to implement in your social media strategy this year?
• Which platforms have proven most effective for reaching your target audience?