Social media marketing is a complex beast. Countless strategies pop up online, all advising different things. Read through enough of these so-called guides, and you will soon realize that many gurus contradict each other.
Perhaps the most ferocious debate is over whether you should be focusing more on producing quality content for your social media feeds or concentrating on quantity.
There are valid arguments for both, but there’s only one true winner.
Believers in the quantity-over-quality philosophy say that you are more likely to figure at the top of social media feeds by posting more often. While this argument held sway in the past, the algorithms have changed.
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram prioritize relevance over the time that something was posted. If someone regularly interacts with your content, they’ll see your newest posts regardless of when they log in.
In other words, it’s all about engagement. The only way to encourage engagement is to constantly develop great content.
At the last count, 4.62 billion peoplehad at least one social media account, and targeting the right portion of this huge audience will ensure you up your engagement figures. You’re not going to tame the algorithms if nobody is interested in what you have to say. It’s better to have a smaller but highly engaged audience than millions of followers with little interaction.
For example, a live casinobrand has no reason to focus on underage social media users or people with little disposable income. They want to work out the type of content that older gamblers are likely to respond to, because these consumers have more time to play and more money to spend. Spending the time crafting content that relates directly to your audience will yield better results in the long run.
Social media trends move extremely fast. Using appropriate hashtags and getting involved in the conversations people are having will empower you to get more engagement.
Savvy social media marketers don’t just post. They take the time to browse, including the feeds of their competitors.
What is quality content?
The definition of “quality” is broad, and it can be challenging to pin down precisely what falls into this category. Adding value means making it worth someone’s time to stop scrolling and click on your content.
Think about your target audience’s problems and how you can solve them. Apply the same principles to marketing your content that you apply to marketing your products and services.
A comprehensive understanding of your customers’ needs will help you extract the most value out of social media
Quantity is important, to an extent. If you post too little content, people will quickly forget about you. Staying in the minds of your target audience will ensure a loyal following. You cannot afford to give your competitors an opening to eat into your market share.
Starting a social media feed requires you to train your audience. What can they expect from following you?
Consistency means that people will soon learn on which days you share a new blog or post an infographic. It takes time to build up consistency, but it’s far more potent than quantity alone.
Some experts recommend that you settle on a specific posting frequency, though there’s not that much hard evidence to back up these claims.
Establish a frequency you can consistently meet, depending on how much time and available resources you have.
Part of successful social media marketing is listening to your customer. Analyze your metrics to see which posts get the most attention.
Everyone posts some duds, but what differentiates successful brands is learning from these. If a recent piece of content didn’t get the attention you expected, try to figure out why.
Don’t underestimate the value of simple trial and error. Remember, your customers are fluid, and what worked a year ago may no longer have the same impact.
Quality and consistency will always beat out quantity. Spamming your target audience in the hope that they’ll eventually respond is not the way to go. The days of posting multiple times per day are far behind us.
Focus on learning about your customers – what they want, and what they respond to. Craft your content-marketing strategy appropriately, and you’ll soon start to see results.
What other tips do you have for successful social media marketing?