Social media remains the Wild Wild West of the internet. Platforms change like the wind, measuring ROI on a regular basis can prove elusive, and the online realm as a whole is bigger than many realize. We spoke with Libby Stauffer, social media manager at Philosophy Communication, to find out where he's found the metaphorical gold nuggets throughout his social media marketing career. Here are some of her top tips.
Read: Don’t be left behind — Top 8 Social Media Trends of 2023
What is the biggest lesson or takeaway you have learned about implementing effective social media marketing?
Check your ego at the door
We are all familiar with the golden rule: “Treat others as you would like to be treated.” When it comes to social media marketing, think about how you want others to engage with your branded content. If you aren't your brand's biggest fan, who do you think will be?
Social Media Just Wants to Have Fun
In a world of buttoned-up websites, brochures, and emails, social media is like the cooler, funnier sibling with only one motive…to have fun. Save your straight-faced professionalism for other marketing methods and let your brand's personality shine through to its full potential.
golden question
When creating content for your brand, instead of asking “How does this help my business?” ask “How does this help my audience?” please. Libby recommends curating content that combines his four fundamentals of marketing: inspire, inform, entertain, and persuade.
stay agile
Always be prepared to change plans and add new content at any time. Social is fast-paced and content has a short lifespan, so if you have the opportunity to jump on a new trend, don't wait. Other evergreen content will be just as relevant tomorrow as it is today.
Another important aspect is keeping your finger on the emotional pulse of your content. Continuing to understand how your brand and its content are perceived will help you shape effective content in the future and determine the types of messages that resonate best with your audience.
Read: How to grow your company's social media presence organically
Keep your friends close, keep your competitors close
Some of your biggest inspiration for new content can come from closely monitoring your competitors' social. Pay attention to what type of content gets the most engagement, which posts are “failures,” how often you post, and how you interact with your audience.
What do you think is the biggest mistake brands make when it comes to social media?
Choose your channels wisely
The most important factors to consider when making social decisions are your audience, the service/product you're selling, your competitors, and your business goals.
Companies often make the mistake of thinking that just because they offer their services: can be present on any platform; should. Maintaining a successful presence on multiple platforms can be extremely difficult, as each platform has different hashtags, tone of voice, audience, and optimal graphic size. If you can't maintain a consistent content strategy across numerous platforms, there's no shame in scaling back and allocating your time, energy, and resources to one platform.
How many cooks are there in the kitchen?
Your post should be reviewed by at most 2-3 brand stakeholders before your post is given the green light. Creating an overly laborious approval flow will only do more harm than good by creating unnecessary roadblocks that prevent your brand from appearing first.
Another factor to consider when there are too many cooks in the kitchen is that over-editing increases the chance of changing your brand voice.
Are you true to yourself?
Prioritize authenticity. With endless amounts of content vying for everyone's attention, people crave authentic brands that are unapologetically unique and true to themselves. As a result of evolution, humans have developed specialized nonsense detectors.
In your experience, what are the most effective ways to get the most out of a small social media budget?
User-generated content is king
User-generated content is original content created by individuals or consumers rather than the brand itself. The beauty of this type of content is that it can positively impact consumer trust and loyalty to a brand, and build a sense of community among buyers, without companies spending a dime.
Alli Westbrook is the social media coordinator at Philosophy Communication, a marketing and PR agency based in Denver. Although she is a writer at heart, she has a deep curiosity about the ever-evolving social media landscape and its role in business success.
