As Social Distancing restrictions hit, social media got a boost as everyone took their socialising online. For businesses this means researching, shopping and entertainment are all transpiring from the comfort of customer’s handheld devices and laptops. If you’re not advertising or present on social channels, where your customers are, how will you be found? We’ve created this blog to walk through how to make Social Media Marketing your friend. 

Three Hot Tips for Social Media Management: 

No longer do you have to wait for the customer to come through the door. In this blog, we go through strategies for social media to use what you’ve got to get in front of more customers.

1. Quick Start- How to Use What You’ve Got.
2. Forget Video, Consistency is Key.
3. Setting Up Messenger as Today’s Answering Machine.

Trends, followers, likes, reactions and communities make social media channels very complex, lively social ecosystems. It’s fair to say that social media has not only become part of our lives, but integral to expanding businesses’ reach. If there’s a customer base you’ve been trying to reach for a while, and just aren’t getting through to them, chances are, you’ll be able to reach them with social media- that is, with the right targeting strategy and valuable content, of course.

A 1-minute overview of our favourite, results-delivering, social channels:

  • Facebook. It’s got the most expansive audience (from local businesses to politicians to grandparents). It’s social in nature. Its Business Manager is sophisticated, specific and effective. Community pages, business listings, image, video and social networks are all key formats to Facebook.
  • Instagram. Acquired by Facebook, the image and video-heavy. Again, social in nature but generally younger. Increasing commercial presence with integrated shopping mechanisms. 
  • LinkedIn. Professional in nature. Great for B2B, C2C, B2C. For professionals, organisations and job-seekers, alike. 

This might seem obvious but too often it’s the fundamentals that are missed. Keep this blog close the next time you’re collecting Imagery Assets, creating ad copy or even posting to your community. 

Did you know that you can create an excellent Email Marketing Campaign with email addresses from social media channels?

We go through email campaign strategy here.

1. Quick Start- How to Use What You’ve Got.

A quick Google search about digital marketing strategies will show that video is the medium everyone is talking about. Video is being praised by all but our Social Media expert, Jac, warns that consistency is the most important tactic. Without expertise, video can be time and resource-intensive. 

Consistency and strategy are the most important considerations from which to develop your campaigns.

Everyone might be talking about the video but be careful to not underestimate the impact of images! Images tend to be much easier to acquire.

Using what you have, (such as images of your products from your online store) puts your product in front of a customer wherever they may be, instantly. 

You can use the data to see what’s gaining traction and what isn’t. 

  • Therefore, a little SM hack is Facebook Carousel. It’s in-between image and video and an excellent way to show a product range. 

For example, say your store stocked up on a whole heap of seasonal goods ahead of COVID-19. Next thing you know, social distancing measures are enforced. Your doors are shut but you still have your stock to show-off. With Carousel, you can show multiple products and for a limited time. If they’ve clicked on the Carousel ad, it’s more than likely they’re liking what they see. Follow-up on your sponsored ads’ views with remarketing, a new offer or a special discount.

Tip: Video is great if you have the resources to produce it but if you don’t have a video production team sitting idle, presence is more important than production. 

2. Forget Video, Consistency is Key.

A common misconception is that video is the answer, no matter the question. In fact, there is no tried and tested one size fits all prescription for what will work. Jac tells us that Facebook posts only reach ¼ of your following. As Facebook encourages boosting for My Business Manager that reach is likely to dwindle further. 

Did you know that not posting could be more expensive to your brand than the whittling gains from infrequent video posts? 

Therefore it’s more important than to make your posts exciting and engaging. 

Successful social media strategy is all about testing, to find out for yourself.

  • Using the first image to test your creatives. 
  • So, you’ve got a few images to choose from. Set up your catalogue and leave aside a few options for the first image.
  • Now you can track the traffic and views using a combination of Google Analytics and Facebook Business Manager. 
  • Catalogues are a great way to test the actionability of your creatives. They are a bit like a slideshow. A favourite technique of ours is to use the Catalogue to map the customer journey i.e. Start – Middle – End.
  • Not getting the clickthrough you were hoping for?
  • Swap out the first image for one that your audience can’t resist learning more about.

3. Setting Up Messenger as Today’s Answering Machine.

With opening times, an automatic greeting in Messenger, scheduling tools, your location and even FAQs, you can set up your Facebook to be like a friendly receptionist to your future customers. 

Would you like fewer phone calls answering the same questions about your business? For our clients, we have developed strategies that allow you to do the work you do best, while your social channels answer the questions you don’t have time to answer. 

Surprisingly few businesses set up their Facebook and social accounts to make the most out of them. 

This is exactly how you can take advantage and stand out against competitors – do what they aren’t doing, improve the customer experience, expand your business’s social reach and market share. 

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Digital is the new normal. So don’t miss out. Whether you’re the successful recipient of the Government’s Adaptation Grant or just a savvy business owner looking innovating your processes, the team at YEWS is here to help. For more information for some of these strategies and so many more, get in touch.