It's almost time to ring in 2019!
The new year for a business calls for past reflection and future initiatives. When analyzing what went well and what needs improving from the last year, it's important to consider every part of your marketing efforts.
This includes your social media marketing strategy.
Every year, the top social media networks release new features, attract more users, and offer more opportunities for businesses to market themselves to their target audience.
And, when it comes to your social media presence, your company must adapt to the newest trends if they want to compete with other businesses in your industry. How will you use social media to present your brand this new year?
Here are four resolutions you might want to make.
Video marketing has exploded on social media in the last few years. In 2019, adding video to your social media marketing strategy could bring you more leads.
We recently launched a new video web series, Marketing Minute, and it seems to really captivate our audience and even new audiences. Other marketers tweet out our videos, expanding our opportunities to connect with new businesses looking for a marketing agency.
There are a few things to remember about using video on social media, however. According to Digiday, 85% of videos are watched without sound. This means you should probably consider adding closed captioning to the videos you publish to social media.
Also, always add some sort of call to action (CTA) at the end of your videos that can easily convert leads to your website. Don’t forget the importance of landing pages, either!
Beyond the rise of video on social media, live videos have grown increasingly popular among consumers. Facebook was first to introduce live video to their platform.
And it seemed to resonate with Facebook users. According to a study by L2, engagement with live video in 2017 was 25% higher than engagement with video overall.
Instagram was next to hop on the bandwagon – with no surprise, as Facebook owns the visual-heavy platform.
Live video allows you to connect with your audience in a real, authentic way. There should be no script or fancy effects. Put your employees in front of the camera to demonstrate products, host Q&As, and engage with your customers.
While many businesses hesitate to experiment with live video, we suggest giving it a shot in the new year. You never know what leads can discover your live video on their own feed, which might just result in new prospects and customers for your business.
Everything you do with inbound marketing should be customer-centric. Though this concept has been preached time and time again, it can be tough to remember when you are looking for the next tweet to schedule or Instagram photo to take.
Remember: Your content should resonate with your audience. You should put yourself in their shoes and ask, “Is this something I would like, comment on, or share with others?
When it comes to your audience, it's important to understand what they are actively searching for and engaging with on the top social media platforms.
Do the proper hashtag research; what hashtags should you include in your content – specifically on Twitter and Instagram – to give you the best chances of getting found by the right people? Use sites like Hashtagify to track popular hashtags on social media.
Buzzsumo is also a great website to discover the most shared content within your industry. If you notice any popular topics, it might spark a new content idea for your own content team.
This site also features a content alert tool so you can see what and when your competitors are posting. Use this tool to keep track of your competitors, see how they are using social media, and even track when your targeted keywords are being used.
Your audience engagement is one of your biggest weapons on social media this new year. Find new content that represents your brand, will attract your audience, and get them engaged with your business.
There are over two billion monthly users on Facebook, one billion monthly users on Instagram, 67 million monthly users on Twitter, 1.9 billion monthly active users on YouTube … need I go on?
With so many active users engaging on social media on a daily basis, advertising on these social platforms can do more than just put your name out there; it can help you find new audiences, bring traffic back to your site, and increase your lead opportunities.
While we continue to share the benefits of advertising on social media, a lot of companies are still fiddling their thumbs and are hesitant to hop on the social advertising bandwagon.
But, according to Adobe’s State of Digital Advertising 2018 report, 50% of 18- and 19-year olds and 42% of millennials (20- to 36-year-olds) think social media is the most relevant channel for ads. So, why not give them what they expect?
Add social advertising to your list of things to do in the new year. Promote new products, ebooks, guides, and whitepapers, and spread the word about your business to people who will want to hear it.
Luckily, you can target your ads based on the demographics, interests, and locations that relate to your audience, giving you the best chance of finding new leads to pursue in 2019.
Don't let the new year drag down your social media. Find new opportunities to experiment with your content, making sure to focus on your audience.
With these four resolutions made, you'll have a higher chance of reaching the right people with the right content, ringing in the new year with new leads. Make 2019 count!