It’s a new year! How has 2020 been so far? We’ve been busy making content for our clients and helping them reach their marketing goals. If you haven’t figured out everything you want to do with your social media marketing this year, we’ve got some good news for you—that’s totally normal! 

It’s never too late to get your social media house in order. If planning, highlighters, and mapping out the next year is a scary concept, start off with a brainstorming session. Below are just a few ideas on things you can try in 2020. Some ideas are must do’s and some are just for fun. All will help you get a little bit better at this whole social media thing! Here are 20 ideas to get the creative ball rolling. 

1. Incorporate more video content. – Get yourself or your team in front of the camera more often this year! Video content delivers higher engagement and there are options for every skill level – Instagram Stories, IG TV, Youtube, Wave. 
2. Animate your content. – Add something extra to your graphics! There are free & inexpensive resources available that will help you create gifs and animated graphics – Try Canva, Crello, and Bannersnack.
3. Get active on LinkedIn. – If you’ve ever heard someone say “No one uses LinkedIn” and now you too have decided it has no value, you have been deceived! LinkedIn not only gives you the opportunity to connect with others in your industry, but it is also where people can see what it’s like to be employed by you. It’s not like Instagram, it’s your workplace online where you should share your companies values, employees, work culture, and expertise in a more professional way. 
4. Run a contest or giveaway. – This is a simple and fun way to engage your fans and give something back for sticking around to see your content. Great for getting some exposure on new products or services. 
5. Do more in the moment stories and updates. – We are big fans of planning but sometimes choose instead to do some off-the-cuff sharing and don’t worry too much about how things look. 
6. Clean up your Google listing. – Don’t be shy, we all do it—google yourself! We bet you will find a few things about your business on the Google Knowledge Panel that aren’t quite right—like an outdated phone number, incorrect storefront photo, or missing services. Remember that other people can edit your listing, so you need to occasionally get in there and make sure everything is correct. 
7. Get into email marketing. – If you don’t have an email list going, create a prompt on your website that asks fans to provide an email to get updates from you. Create a simple email about the most important things you have to offer – Try Constant Contact or Mailchimp.  
8. Start a blog. – Great for google searches and being viewed as the authority in your field. Be the one with the answers!
9. Start a podcast. – There has to be a reason why everyone is doing this, right? If this platform is a good match for your business, it’s worth looking into! It is relatively inexpensive to start and your fans will love hearing your interesting perspective and the ease of listening while they commute. 
10. Optimize your website for mobile. – Make this a must-do in 2020. If your site only looks good on desktop, you are missing out on a ton of online hits. Your fans are on mobile! 
11. Update your company photos – If you’ve been using the same employee photos for a while (or have none at all), go ahead and get a company photoshoot day on the calendar. 
12. Do some tasks in bulk – Work smarter, not harder! Write a couple of blog posts at once, schedule a week of Facebook posts at once, take 5 Instagram photos at once. Be good to future you who may very well be busier than present you expects!
13. Focus on telling a story over selling – Great rule of thumb for all social media posts – Tell your fans what you’re about and how you like to go about it over telling them what to buy and what to think. 
14. Create a content calendar – Something like this: Pipeline February Content Calendar
15. Clean up all of your social channels – No time like the new year to get your social channels looking fresh and clean! Is everything accurate, clear, and up to date? 
16. Talk back– Don’t just post. Comment, like, and share! Be fully involved on the platforms you are using. 
17. Get a plan for answering reviews. – Start thinking of it as customer service, because that’s what it is! Create some pre-made responses for frequently asked questions. 
18.  Try a new platform or let go of one that isn’t working for you – Trial and error is your friend! Try a new or new-to-you platform and say goodbye to any that are no longer producing results or worth the effort. 
19. Work on your brand – Make sure your branding is consistent throughout your social channels—logos, messaging, colors, fonts, hashtags. 
20. Post more user-generated content – Show the world that others love your product or service too! 

And one more tip for good luck—Consider hiring a social media manager! Our favorite thing is helping businesses put their best face forward online. We do it all—Social Media Training, Social Media Management, and Reputation Monitoring. We look forward to speaking with you about all things social media marketing in 2020! What kind of new things will you be starting or stopping in 2020 with your social media strategy?