The Content Connection

So here we are. Another new year. But rather than hitting the ground running with new, well-planned initiatives and continuing to build the success of our previous social media marketing strategies, we’re just going to keep working off last year’s marketing plans.

Maybe we’ll get more done this year.

Sound familiar?

Yeah, we know.

It’s overwhelming. And truthfully, as long as we’ve been working on our marketing and social media plans, things never stop changing. While ever-changing business and social media environments are “a given,” the tumultuousness can dim our creative fires over time.

Here are some of the “myths” (complaints, drudgery, frustrations…) that we’ve been hearing more and more from new clients. If any of these thought processes sound familiar to you, keep reading! There’s hope, and we can help!

“We have to finish what we started – no matter what.”

While it’s likely true that a lot of thought and effort went into last year’s strategies, they’re still last year’s strategies. Maybe the reason you weren’t excited about doing them before is because they weren’t exciting in the first place! Continuing to trudge along on an old path won’t lead you to new business possibilities. In fact, while your nose is stuck to the same old grindstone because it’s easier, your competitors will be busy blazing new trails because it works!

What should you do instead?

• Re-group. A new year is a great excuse to re-energize teams and plans, but so is the beginning of each quarter – or even, each month!

• Review last year’s plans and initiatives – anything that remains in a crumpled heap on your office floor. Decide which of them will stay and which will go. You’ll begin to notice plans and projects that should still be prioritized because they’re still relatable to today.

• Get rid of everything that doesn’t immediately connect with “now.” It’s time to move on with fresh ideas and fresh energy.

“We need to do what our competitors are doing.”

Have you noticed that certain “trends” seem to take over and it seems like everyone is doing the same thing… featuring the same colors, themes, ideas, words, tactics… whatever?

It’s not very exciting, is it?

In fact, after you see something over and over again, it becomes dull. “Copy Catting” is a surefire way to accomplish nothing new for your brand. And what about your customers? They’re going to gravitate to the brands that aren’t repeating the same jive. They’re looking for brands coloring outside the box… Brands that excite them and inspire them. Brands they can connect with.

What’s the alternative?

• Always do things a little (or a lot) differently. Yes, you have to fill the needs your customers have now, but you should also be showing them things they don’t even know they need yet. People are always looking for something new, so brands should always be creating something new.

• Dig a little deeper within your marketplace and find out why everyone’s doing the same thing. Once you determine why, build on that “it factor.” Then, take “it” in a new direction that your customers will love. There’s nothing wrong with being the brand that starts a new trend – it just takes a little creativity!

“This is the way we’ve always done it.”

Great. Got it. So… How’s that working for you? Do you really need to stick with the same thing just for the sake of assumed historical importance? Um… No. No you don’t.

If you’ve always been doing something a certain way for an exceptionally good reason, like because that’s what your brand was founded on, then you should probably keep it to some extent. Just don’t let it get stale.

• “Something new” doesn’t mean radical overnight changes. It means finding ways of integrating the old in new ways. Some integration is gradual, but don’t be afraid to go out on a limb once in a while – you know, “Be the change you want to see!”

“We need an intern or someone to come in and post things once a week or so.”

While we’d all like a little help once in a while, bringing in a warm body now and then to be the voice of your brand probably isn’t the best decision. And yet, we hear this all the time because those who don’t “do social” every day often assume that social media is a simple little task that just about anyone can do.

And just about anyone can do it. But they don’t always do it right.

So how does someone produce meaningful, bottom line boosting content that will take a brand to the next level year after year?

Consistency.

We hear a lot about that word, but when it comes to social media, consistency means a lot more than just making sure you post “X” number of times per day or week.

It means cross-communication that carries pertinent messaging from all departments right down to a single Tweet.

It means having different angles or information on different social media venues, but that every single word of it ties together and bonds the overall messaging campaign.

It means having a “brand vocabulary” so broad and relevant that it can be used consistently, creatively and colorfully in posts and broadcasts of every kind – including and especially in comments, replies and conversations with customers and followers in any given social media venue.

It means everybody has to communicate internally so there’s an overall understanding of the things that need to be communicated externally.

Is an intern going to know all of that? Probably not.

“But, social media doesn’t work… It’s not really worth the effort.”

Successful social media strategies begin with definitive plans. And those plans have to be communicated with, and connected to, the entire business in order to work. But more importantly, they can’t be collecting dust.

Successful social media strategies are living, breathing things – just like successful brands.

The only way to produce content that really performs is to re-group, review and revive – often.

Social media does work! It really is worth the effort, and we’d love to show you how!

“Like” it or not, social media is here to stay. Not only is it staying, but it’s bringing friends. And this year more than ever, it’s all about making friends.

According to Social Media Today, Engagement is, or should be, one of the top priorities of our social marketing plans.

Infographic via Social Media Today

Even a brief look forward at the marketing trends for 2016 shows us that brands must focus on becoming more personal this year. And in addition to making sure our brands have a more personal presence, we need to get more personal with our customers.

Yes, we need to create valuable, usable, relatable content that our customers can connect with when, and how, they need it.

Yes, our websites need to be up to speed so our customers can connect quickly and conveniently with our content.

And, yes, mobile is definitely where it’s at when it comes to keeping our brands at our customers’ fingertips.

But building relationships with customers has never been more important, and thanks to to social media, creating and nurturing those relationships has never been easier.

Sort of.

It goes without saying, but it’s so important (and so easily forgotten) that it’s worth saying again: We first need to figure out who our customers are, and that’s an on-going process.

If we do it right, we’ll have an ever-increasing group of core customers and loyal followers who know and love our brands, and who will help carry our marketing messages to more and more people.

But people change. The things they like change. The way they interact changes as the times change and as options available to them change. So, we have to stay on top of our social marketing game by continuously connecting with and learning about our customers. We need to think about our existing customers, of course, but we also need to think about who our new customers are and who our future customers will be.

Ideally, existing customers help create the positive awareness of our brands that helps us attract new customers. So, creating a widely relatable and genuine voice that speaks to our customers and their current needs and preferences is very important. We also need to create a presence that adapts with our customers’ lifecycles, and the lifecycles within our marketplace in general.

So, what’s the key to understanding peoples’ needs? Glad you asked!

Engage

Create good conversations. Find ways to draw people in to conversations. Connect with customers in ways that matter to them.

Interact

Just putting ads and comments “out there” doesn’t cut it. Talk with people about what your brand offers for them. If someone leaves a comment, respond to it! By interacting with your customers and followers on social media, you’re strengthening your connections with them.

Provide Variety – Consistently

No one likes to see or hear the same old thing over and over again, so we have to find ways of repeating our messages that drive the point home without driving people away.

Watch, Listen, and Learn

Don’t just broadcast. Watch how followers interact with your brand on social media. Listen to what they’re saying. Learn what works – and what doesn’t – based on how your communities respond to your messaging.

Creating and maintaining personal interactions via social media is an on-going process to say the least. Social media itself, and the “rules” by which it plays, are fast moving targets. The players themselves – our customers and followers – move even faster. But they are the reason we’re here, so they are what we need to focus on more and more to be able to compete in their arenas.

If you’d like to learn how to get more personal with your customers and followers, just give Filament a call… We’re here to help you light up your social communities!