Despite the recent changes and updates in Facebook’s algorithm – particularly the gradual halt of the social network giant’s Organic Reach this first quarter – social media this 2015 as we know it is becoming pretty much stable and accessible for Internet marketing use.
Maybe it just goes to show that big brands and start-up businesses must not simply rely heavily in promoting their company through various social platforms. Mind you, don’t take this the wrong way, as there are a lot of other ways to leverage on social media. After all, there’s Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Spotify, Yelp and Pinterest to name a few for you to maximize your social media marketing potentials.
That’s why on this blog post, we’ll tackle more about social media marketing’s latest trends, tips and dos and don’ts to be able for you to survive the social media corporate jungle that it is today.
So, before you go gaga over #hashtags, follows, shares, retweets and Likes, run over this list of expected social media trends and how to go about it.
In posting on Facebook
As said a little while ago, Facebook’s algorithm has been basically tweaked, prompting the Organic Reach to hit zero within the next couple of weeks or so… which means this will greatly affect the performance of your page/FB entity in terms of posting promotional contents without having to spend money on Sponsored Ads.
Sure, this particular feature has been long foreseen by most Internet marketing experts over the last two years, but fret not. User engagement is still attainable and practically doable. The key here is to bypass the idea of over-promoting your site. That’s where relevant, compelling and smarter content comes in. Do this by means of online survey, witty articles and conversational status posts.
And when going gets really tough in your social media executions, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to allot a small chunk of your budget and test the waters of sponsored ads to wet your social media marketing’s dry beak.
As for Twitter
It may come to most of us that Twitter is just a second-rate social media platform. Be it that way, if that’s what you think, but it doesn’t make this platform a little less useful marketing tool as Facebook. In fact, a lot of big-named companies and brands are inclined to post more on Twitter rather than Facebook, mainly because of its flexibility and the ability to reach a number of leads and consumers.
One formidable way to use this to your advantage is through regular interaction with influencers, as well as with your followers. Keep in mind that @mentions and retweets go a very long way, especially if the profile you’re interacting with has a large number of followers. Another is to analyze current trending topics. Given that we all want our ventures to become a trending topic on Twitter, it is still a-must for you to know, as well as to participate at times, on certain trends happening on Twitter – locally and internationally.
And of course, some of the things you have to avoid here is to use complicated hashtags. Bear in mind that these hashtags play a big role in driving traffic as well as impressions and interactions on your page. You can also track engagements using this, so treat it the way you strategize keywords for your PPC campaigns. Besides, Twitter accommodates only 140 characters, so make the most out of it!
Leverage on Other Platforms and Use it/Maximize it accordingly
Other than Facebook and Twitter, there are a number of social media platforms out there that are deemed useful in marketing your company. Want to extend your DIY site’s reach to musicians? Engage them by creating a “playlist for weekend DIY workshops” on Spotify; Is your business site too complicated to be understood by some? Make a simple yet comprehensive infographic on Canva; Want to showcase your collection of jewelries online? Collect photos of your merch and post it on Pinterest and incorporate it with your other social media entities altogether under the condition that you won’t directly link one social media platform to another. Remember that every platform has its own use, so if you’re thinking about linking your tweets to your Facebook entity’s wall, you may now stop.
Moreover, photos and videos can also be a great way to attract customers into clicking the LIKE button of your page, but do not over-do it… Unless of course, you want your Facebook Fan Page to look more like a virtual company photobook rather than an actual business entity.
Use Social Media as Your Direct Way to Communicate with Customers
As time passes, these social media platforms are becoming more of a makeshift customer service hub. Hence, this will be the perfect way for you not only as a way of introducing your brand, but also to keep it significantly visible without having to exert much effort in hard-selling your business. This way, you get to acquire positive feedbacks (mentions, tags, linkbacks, etc.) by attending to customer’s query on various social media sites in a more direct, straightforward and “humanized” manner.
Overall, social media marketing is evolving as we speak. The trends and best practices today are very different, not to mention passé from how it was 10 years ago. And it’s in your best interest to stay updated on the things you need to re-assess and strategize.
