Can you believe it? Christmas is almost here and it’s just about time to wave goodbye to 2019 and hello to 2020. Before you sign your name on this year, give your social media fans these 6 gifts that will show them how dedicated you are to providing quality content. You can put all of the upcoming tips & ideas into place during the holiday season, but they also apply in the coming year!
Give the Gift of Newness
2019 has flown by, right?! We can bet that more than a few of your campaigns are due for a social media refresh or even an overhaul. You have been looking at the same content all year and you are either admittedly ready to see something new yourself (which means your fans surely are) or you’ve gone blind to the cobwebs.
Right now is the time to look at everything your business shared on social media in 2019, on your website, email marketing, print marketing, or wherever else you promoted your services and decide what should stay, what should go, and what needs a refresher. Take inventory and then you’ll be in a good place to decide what kind of new & exciting things you would like to incorporate in 2020.
Give the Gift of Consistency
On the other side of the same coin, your fans will truly appreciate some consistency throughout your social media channels. This means a few things for us:
- Consistency throughout your branding – We don’t think your website & social channels need to look exactly the same all the time, BUT when fans visit you online they should be able to see some correlation. Make sure your design, colors, fonts, themes, logos, and your messaging are consistent throughout your website and social.
- Consistency throughout your posting schedule – Before you even begin posting online, it’s wise to have a plan for when and what you will share every week. Whether you prefer pen & paper or digital planning, get your content on a schedule so you won’t fall behind or get overwhelmed! This will help you post the right content at the most advantageous time. Plus, you can’t expect to attract engaged followers if you yourself are not fully engaged online. Spoiler alert: you will occasionally get off track, but it is much easier to get back on track if you already have a plan in place.
- Consistency in your tone: Allow your brand’s unique voice to shine through on your social! Just decide what kind of voice that is and stick to it. It is just far easier for fans to understand and get to know you if you decide beforehand if your tone will be light & silly, professional & informative, sarcastic & tongue in cheek, or whatever works for your business.
Give the Gift of Connection
Being present online requires more than posting regularly. It’s a great place to start, but don’t stop there! After you are done sharing, you need to engage with your fans. Talk to them in the comments and messages, answer questions and reviews promptly, like and share the posts of fans, ask them questions, and create content they want to see! Think about it this way—if you tried to talk with someone about something that interests you and they didn’t say anything back, would you stick around?
Give the Gift of Exclusivity
So we already covered that there needs to be consistency in your branding throughout your social channels and website. However, the purpose of your social media is not to be a carbon copy of your website. There should be an added value for following you on social. For example, if your Facebook only offers posts that promote your product or services, you are off track.
Take a look at your social from the last year and ask yourself how it differs from your website. Your social should share many facets of your business—the “why” behind your business, information about your terrific staff, behind-the-scenes content, testimonials, additional info that sets you apart from the competition. Continue to convert information that is on your website into social media posts, but also share content that makes your fans feel like they would be missing out on additional information about your services if they did not follow you. Regularly share things that aren’t on your website like contests & giveaways, more insights on a certain product, or what’s in the future for them to look forward to!
Give the Gift of Individuality
In the same vein as that last point, how can you set yourself apart online and offer unique content? Sharing content that others produce should definitely be a component of your social media strategy, but you also need to make sure you are creating unique content as well! The Pipeline team often shares articles from other sources in the same industry that we know will be helpful for our viewers, but we also create our own content that is unique such as our blogs and videos, for example.
What kind of content could you produce that is unique to you? For you, this tip can mean starting a blog, a weekly Twitter chat, Instagram Highlights, creatively sharing new products, or incorporating more videos. No need to reinvent the wheel. You have probably seen some creative ideas online that you can take inspiration from and make the concept fresh and your own. Brainstorm with your team or do some research on what has worked for others in your industry!
Give the Gift of Honesty
The conversation of authenticity online isn’t new. Fans don’t want to be lied to or manipulated into purchasing something. They don’t want to be creeped out by your choice of content or responses. They don’t want to be annoyed by the frequency at which you post or your post topics. They don’t want to see content that isn’t inclusive of different lifestyles or sensitive to different beliefs.
That’s a lot of not to-do’s. After a point, you can definitely lose your voice in the midst of trying not to offend. Honestly, the best advice we can give is to just be honest! If you don’t want to come off slimy, then don’t be slimy! If you want fans to feel like they can trust your brand, then create trustworthy content! You should create content out of a heart that wants to solve a problem you see that your product or service is a solution to. Begin there. Making lots of noise for the sake of making noise or trying to make a lot of money will not lead you to a place of honesty or finding fans that will stay for the long haul.
So, why do you want to share your business with the world? With a clear focus in mind, reorient your social media strategy so it aligns with your goals and your audience. That will help you connect in an authentic way with fans.
We hope your business was profitable in 2019 and we hope you had fun sharing everything along the way on your social media channels. Thank you for stopping by to learn how to better engage with your fans this holiday season and beyond! If you need some extra help implementing anything you read today, contact us to receive a free digital media consultation.
Pipeline Social Media is a digital marketing agency that offers three approaches to help you increase your social media presence: we can fully manage your social media accounts, we can teach your team how to do it in-house, or we can monitor/coach your team along the way and report back to you. Ask us about our Google AdWords management, web design, and SEO website packages.
