Worrying about your marketing strategy this year? Chuck your worries out of the window and trust two golden words: Social Media. It continues to be a dominant force as consumers use these platforms to connect, to find entertainment, and, increasingly, to interact with their favorite brands. This is great news for social media marketers, of course! Here are some tips to help you get your 2020 social media strategy in shape.
Before we get started, get into the always-be-testing mindset. You don’t necessarily have to be on every social media platform. But you should test them and see if it’s where your audience is and if it can help attract new customers. Ready to dive into how you can create a winning social media strategy for your business?
HAIL THE POWER OF VIDEO:
According to social reports, people look at videos 5 times longer on Facebook and Instagram than static content like text and images. Are you creating videos for your potential customers to consume?
The number of brands using video in their marketing strategy has drastically increased over the past few years and will continue to do so in 2020. It’s time to join the party. Social media platforms are increasingly prioritizing video as this format appeals across demographic lines. Good news for businesses: 33% of those who watch social videos view brand content.
And given the increasing prominence of mobile, social media marketers must make sure that all videos can be played across devices.
INFLUENCER MARKETING IS THE NEW COOL:
When we see a highly targeted ad, we feel violated: I was just searching for that and now it’s here in my Facebook feed. Creepy. But when people we follow, like, admire, or by whom we are inspired share a brand with us, it feels as if they are giving us a personalized recommendation. In fact, 22% of 18–34-year-olds have completed a big purchase after seeing an influencer recommendation. If that’s your target demo, influencer marketing is a must-add to your social media strategy.
EXPAND YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY TO GOOGLE:
Why? About 34% of consumers distrust search engines, while 95% of consumers distrust social media. Google is a logical place to focus, and not just for search. They are rolling out features like Google Follow (Google Map users can follow a business and then see that brand’s Google My Business Posts in a “For You” tab on the app) and Google Posts (this allows brands to create content directly on Google. Not surprisingly, these rank very highly in search results).
GO WHERE YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE:
This is not exactly a revolutionary 2020 social media strategy! It is fundamental, but it never hurts to assess: Are you where you need to be?
You do not have to be everywhere. With several options to choose from — Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Twitter — it is not feasible in terms of time or resources. Focus on the platforms your target audience is using.
By selecting one to three platforms, you can make the most of your budget — and hit the right people in the right places with your social media strategy.
TEST NEW TECHNOLOGIES BEFORE EMBRACING THEM:
Be open to trying new technologies, but be realistic about where they fit into your plan. It would be a terrible thing to have your 2020 social media strategy not generate the results you were hoping for because you were spending most of your time trying to get your chatbot to return the right response. Be realistic! If you can integrate these new capabilities safely, great! If not, keep your eye on them and revisit them down the road when the features are more developed.
There you have it: our five tips for planning your 2020 social media strategy. Social media marketers, are you ready? This could be your best year yet!
