Social media is a wonderful way for businesses to connect with current and potential customers. Staying on top of what’s happening on social media, however, can be challenging for small business owners. Social media platforms are often changing their algorithms or how something works on their platforms. What worked yesterday may not work well today. If you don’t have an in-house social media expert, read on for information to keep you on track with your social media.
Chronological feeds are returning
Yes, it’s crazy to think you just posted a great post and who knows where in the newsfeed it will be seen since feeds don’t show posts in any particular order. Back in ‘the good old days,’ when social media was new, feeds were chronological.
Twitter recently announced that it will soon be making changes to its timeline and letting users have some control over what they see. Twitter is also planning on using chronological timelines soon. (Yay!) How far behind do you think Facebook and Instagram will be in implementing similar changes?
User-generated content is the new age of marketing
Your customers are looking to relate to the products or services they purchase. Flashy ads have lost their luster. Now companies are turning to their communities for content.
User-generated content (UGC) is unpaid content created by your community of regular users. Not celebrities, not social media influencers. This is the digital version of ‘word of mouth’ recommendations.
The purpose behind user-generated content is relatability and authenticity.
Short-lived content is in
Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories, and Snapchat all use short-lived content so your audience is getting accustomed to it. Your audience has one chance to see your post or video or it’s able to be viewed for 24 hours. Time with this content is limited.
As a small business owner, take advantage of this and create impulsive content for the moment. You can post everything from product promotions to company updates and even UGC (user-generated content) from events.
Peer Endorsements will become standard
70% of millennials prefer the product endorsement of social media influencers over celebrities. Consider working with influencers that are a good match for your company because you’ll have a ready-made audience to market to. Another plus of working with a social media influencer is that they are not nearly as expensive to work with as celebrities, so you possibly could afford to work with one.
Video is still king…just bite-sized
Because the average person’s attention span is shorter than a goldfish’s, shorter videos are becoming more popular. A short video is typically 10 seconds or less. Because you have just a blink of an eye to catch someone’s attention, make these short videos flashy, bold and vibrant!
Private messaging
Have you used Facebook Messenger for your business yet? It’s a great way to direct message your followers. You can answer questions directly and you can also push ads to customers. It might be worth testing ads on a messaging platform to reach your target audience in a different way.
Are you ready to try some of the latest social media trends in your business?