Showing posts with label Content Strategy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Content Strategy. Show all posts

Thursday, March 27, 2025

YOUR Tangible Social Media Marketing ROI?


3 Reasons you're not seeing tangible ROI with your social media efforts..



Not telling your brand story, posting inconsistently and missing out on paid advertising opportunities could sink your brand.

Today, according to Statista, some 22 percent of the world's population is on Facebook, and a whopping 93 percent of Pinterest users are reaching for their credit cards to make online purchases.

When people hear these numbers, they don't wait long before they too dive in head-long, eager to have their own slice of the huge pie.

Typically, they open one social media account after another, in the hopes that one or two platforms will somehow convert and compensate for their overall investment of time and money.



But is "the more the merrier" approach delivering the desired social media returns?

Social media success has little to do with the number of profiles you have, the photos you like or the people you follow -- just as the success of your dating life isn't based on how many Tinder profiles you swipe right on.

With so much content out there and just so much time in the day, the mind-share of the consumer is becoming more and more competitive among brands.

It is no longer just a numbers game. Quality over quantity will win every time, which all comes down to your content and how you make it resonate with your target audience. So, create content you know your audience wants to see on their feeds. It's not about you or your company; it's about them.



How an Online Product Could be the Focus of a "Share-Able" Joke

Just as happens in real life in our efforts to meet that special someone, most of us also go on a blind date with social media: We settle for the "one-night stand" of a few likes and reciprocated follows, then hope to find true love with great returns.

But true social media success stories are not developed over a night. They are built with strong foundations and strategies in place for sustainable, value-adding content creation that engages with target audiences. Imagine how much more successful you could be on those blind dates if you had your date's entire life history pulled up in front of you to stir conversation, instead of awkwardly sitting there for half the night twiddling your thumbs.

In today's world, you don't step into the batter's box hoping to hit a home run, you step in with a strategy based on the limitless data at your fingertips, expecting to hit one. Successful content opportunities don't just pop out of thin air into your lap, they are facilitated. If you take the time to understand not only who your target audience members are, but their correlated interests and passions, you'll be on your way to effectively preparing a unique content-creation strategy that will lead you to those returns on social everyone is buzzing about.

So, if you're not seeing enough returns on your social media efforts, here are three possible reasons why:



1. Not Telling Your Brand Story

Stories are powerful, because they engage the mind. If well-scripted, they can attract visitors to your product or service, engage their emotions and get them doing exactly what you want -- without being salesy or downright "in your face."

If you sell umbrellas, for instance, you could post a picture of your product and say, "Buy this umbrella now." But no one would like that post. However, what if you took a picture of a man opening an umbrella for his date and helping her out of her car? You'd be telling a story that aligns with your product in a way the consumer can relate to: "This month's forecast calls for rain, and lots of it ... and as our fathers used to say, "Always keep protection handy in your car;" you never know when you might need to use it, but she'll appreciate it.'"

Without directly asking people to buy your umbrella, the picture you paint with words generates the feeling of desire for the umbrella. If you're targeting single men, they'll chuckle at the witty spin on sexual protection and put themselves in the situation most have been in when their date asks, "Do you have an umbrella?" And because the answer is typically "no," next thing, they'll be clicking "Purchase" and sharing the joke with friends.

Related Article: YOUR Video Content Is King?


The message? Compelling, brand-optimized stories that your target audience can relate to are key.

A brand that does this well: Warby Parker doesn't sell just glasses, but fashionable glasses that don't break the bank, especially for the millennial generation. To do this, Warby Parker turns every post on social media into a story, and allows customers to relate and "see" themselves in the product, illustrated by this recent Instagram post showcasing the brand with kids.

A brand that's missing the mark: Lincoln Motors sorely misses the mark on its marketing, especially in telling stories. Lincoln is not always top of mind in many car-buyers' decision process, in contrast to its parent company, Ford. If class and high-end appeal are Lincoln's goals, storytelling will be how the brand reminds the market it still exists -- and let itself be a consumer's "second thought." In contrast, Ford dominates, because of how its creative team connects with consumers through social strategy efforts.



2. Not Engaging Consistently

Consider the expression "Out of sight, out of mind." In that context, any business with a "when I can" approach to engaging online customers will eventually see its brand buried. The reason is that even more crucial than crafting persuasive content is consistent content.

In the fast-paced social media space, you must consistently push out compelling content (by developing a content marketing strategy and sticking to it).

The message? If you post content today, then skip several days or weeks before posting the next one, your overall online engagement efforts will fail to deliver desired returns.

A brand that engages its audience consistently: Look at Wendy's Twitter feed to see how consistent the brand is in engaging with fans. These tweets are the humorous go-to source for laughs, and often get into play "fights" with other brands. All eyes are on Wendy's because it "gets" engaging consistently.



A brand that's missing the mark: American Airlines had an automatic responder go out on Twitter to all that mentioned the company. But this was a big error because many tweets looked out of place and responded to offensive messages. The automatic responder wasn't doing any favors for the brand, which clearly needed to have a real person engaging the audience.

3. Missing Out on Paid Advertising Opportunities

Captivating copy + consistent posting = successful engagement, but are you engaging the right online audience? Facebook, alone, has an impressive 2.2 billion active users daily, but that's just traffic if you're not targeting and generating the right leads (those more likely to buy from you).

Paid advertising offers a great opportunity to target your ads. For as little as $1 a day, you can advertise effectively and affordably on a platform of choice like Facebook. But 62 percent of small businesses still fail with Facebook Ads. This is because (a) the target audience isn't spending time on Facebook; (b) The business doesn't understand its audience; or (c) The business doesn't have the right hook.



Again, businesses must tell a story that gets into the heart of the audience, and tell it strategically and consistently.

To do this, they should take advantage of paid ads on social media. This can result in impressive returns on ad efforts almost immediately.

The message? If you aren't continually testing new content ideas behind your ads, you will lose to a competitor who is.

A brand that does a great job with Facebook ads: One of our own advertising success stories centers around the product Gorilla Bow. With creative content, the mix of perfect targeting offered by our Facebook advertising manager together with a team making sure the product was stocked and ready to resulted in a 3.5x return on ad spend, a 350 percent increase in total sales and a 450 percent decrease in cost-per-click.



A brand missing the mark: This would be any brand on Facebook now that doesn't have an advertising budget. With Facebook's limits on your business page's reach, businesses are left with no "air space" on the Facebook feed. If you have a product or service worth sharing, then paid advertising on Facebook is a must.

Guest Authored By Colton Bollinger. Colton is the CEO of Jumper Media, which he founded in 2016 to help small businesses tell amazing brand stories on social media -- all day, every day. He brought on two other business-savvy leaders (also long-time friends) after seeing how most small businesses struggle to attract, engage and convert their audiences effectively on social. Today, using cutting-edge social tools and resources, Jumper Media helps over 3,000 businesses (of all shapes and sizes) connect with their target customers predictably and consistently. Follow Colton on Twitter.





Not telling your brand story, posting inconsistently and missing out on paid advertising opportunities could sink your brand..


    • Post Crafted By:
      Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at GetMoreHere.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, CO. where I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)

    Published by at No comments:
    Labels: , , , , , ,

    Friday, October 26, 2018

    YOUR Professional Social Media Marketing Strategy?


    15 Social media marketing strategies the pros use..

    More than 70 percent of small businesses plan on using social media for marketing this year, according to data from Infusionsoft. But not all of those businesses have an actual strategy.

    Posting content here and there isn’t going to be as effective as going in with a real plan. Every strategy will look a bit different, but there’s no shortage of options to choose from.

    Here are some expert-approved strategies to promote your small business on social media.



    Start with One Platform and Build from There

    When you’re just getting started building a social media presence, it can be tempting to go all in and attempt to reach people on every platform. But this is a recipe for overwhelm, argues Rachel Strella, founder and CEO of social media management firm Strella Social Media.

    She explained in an email interview with Small Business Trends, “We strongly recommend a conservative approach to social media, especially when starting out. I have seen many dive into social media and then fail to maintain their presence simply because they were overzealous. I’m not implying you shouldn’t review what new sites and tools have to offer, but I recommend that you carefully assess their potential benefits for your business before throwing time and money at them.”



    Create A Unified Presence

    Whether you end up using one social platform or many, it’s important for people to be able to spot your brand anywhere online. It should look professional and consistent with your website and other marketing materials. So update your profile photos and/or header images to go with your branding. And Strella especially stressed the importance of having a professional headshot for LinkedIn, rather than going with the standard avatar.

    Put Yourself In Your Audience’s Shoes

    Building a content strategy looks a bit different for every business. You’ll never post exactly the same content or topics as anyone else. However, it is always important to post things that are going to be interesting or helpful specifically for your target customers, says Strella. So before posting new content, get in the mindset of your customer persona and ask what you’d want to see.



    Use The RITE Formula

    RITE is another formula that Strella uses to assess the viability of specific types of content. According to Strella, RITE = Relevant, Interesting, Timely and Entertaining. So essentially, consider every post with those characteristics in mind. Ideally, it will hit at least a few of those check boxes.

    Aggregate Content From Your Audience

    Sometimes the best way to get the attention of potential customers on social media is to re-post content from current customers. When you aggregate content about your business from other users, it serves as a kind of social proof. It shows people that others just like them use your product or service and love them, whether it’s an Instagram post of a customer wearing your handmade scarf or text from an online review.

    Kristi Hines explains via Post Planner, “Anyone can write a few sentences, slap a fake name on it and add a stock photo of a smiling face to create fake testimonials. But utilizing compliments, reviews, and testimonials from social media has a different effect.”



    Promote Reviews

    Though social media posts are great, many people still trust official reviews more. Sites like Facebook offer a review function, so it’s a great place to promote positive reviews, which adds some social proof and also reminds other customers to share their thoughts.

    Humanize Your Business With Behind The Scenes Media

    Anyone can go to your website to learn the basics about your business. But people follow brands on social media to make deeper connections. That means you should show the person(s) behind your business in your post. Share a selfie or go live on Facebook to connect with people face-to-face. Share some video content from your office. Or even go live at a special event with your whole team.

    Strella adds, “People form relationships – and relationships are built on trust. Humanizing a business, especially with photos and videos, have often exceeded reach more than any other organic tactic we’ve tried to implement.”



    Host A Contest Or Challenge

    To really get people engaged with your brand, offer an incentive. Host a giveaway or raffle if people use your specified hashtag or post an image or video of your product. There are plenty of ways to personalize this experience to your particular brand and customers.

    Monitor Conversations From Your Target Customers

    Social media coach Janet Fouts believes that listening is just as important as posting on social media, if not more so. She writes, “On social media sites we can eavesdrop on the conversations and understand what the needs really are and the emotions behind them. Listening to a wide range of conversations on social media gives you a perception of what people really think, unfiltered and, generally, unguided. Be a fly on the wall without an agenda of changing the conversation.”



    Ask Questions

    Another way to learn more about your customers is to simply ask what you want to know. Ask an open ended question to start conversations or host a poll on Twitter or Instagram to get some quantifiable data.

    Stick To Your Own Voice

    One of the keys to social media is consistency. Another is authenticity. People who follow you want to feel like they actually know you. So don’t constantly switch between posting techniques or tones or change up your content whenever there’s a fleeting trend. Instead, go for an authentic approach and actually post how you would when talking to a friend. If you have multiple people posting to your account, make sure they understand the voice you’re trying to convey or even have a similar style naturally.

    Strella says, “Customers are media savvy and can see through a fake facade very quickly. Therefore, increasingly, people prefer to stick to brands that have a unique, individual voice, especially when it comes to the service industry where personal branding is everything. In a competitive marketplace, authenticity also stands out as one of the most appealing traits.”



    Don’t ONLY Automate

    Automating social media posts can save you a lot of time when it comes to things like promoting blog posts or aggregating content. But you shouldn’t rely on it solely. Set aside at least some time each day to check in on your network and look for opportunities to start conversations.

    Strella adds, “The benefits of automation for marketing and time/costs savings is enormous. However, automation should not replace the human element when it comes to marketing on social media. Find ways to connect with your followers in a genuine, empathetic, human way, as often as you can. Building an authentic relationship with your audience goes a long way in ensuring that they will continue to enjoy your brand, recommend it to others, and stay loyal customers for a long time to come.”



    Host Regular Live Sessions

    There is one increasingly popular tactic that allows you to show off a behind the scenes view of your business while also increasing follower engagement in a really authentic way — live streaming. You can host live sessions on Facebook or Instagram at a set time each week or month so your audience knows when to tune in. Then you can also repurpose that content.

    Digital media strategist Ileane Smith explains, “One of the biggest benefits of live streaming is the engagement and all of the feedback that you can get from your audience in real-time.There’s also the added benefit of the longevity of the replay and one of the things that you can do with every play is convert it into an episode for your podcast.”

    Host A Flash Sale

    If you want to increase sales quickly, you might host a flash sale that’s only available to people who follow you on social media. You can even unload surplus goods just by posting photos on Instagram or Facebook and having people bid in the comments.



    Monitor Your Mentions And Respond

    The thing that really sets social media apart from other communication methods is that it’s a two-way street. You don’t just broadcast messages to your audience — they use it to get in touch with you. So it’s super important that you monitor those messages regularly and respond.

    Strella says, “This can result in hard feelings and missed opportunities. When people engage with you on social media, they expect a response promptly.”

    Guest Authored By Annie Pilon. Annie is a Senior Staff Writer for Small Business Trends, covering entrepreneur profiles, interviews, feature stories, community news and in-depth, expert-based guides. When she’s not writing she can be found on her personal blog Wattlebird, and exploring all that her home state of Michigan has to offer. Follow Annie on Twitter.





    "With social media, there’s no hoping people find you. You have the opportunity to take your message to where the conversation is actually happening," says Hsiao.

    "Your dollar goes a lot further when you know all your content is being seen by people who should be interested in it.." -RebeccaLerner


      • Post Crafted By:
        Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at GetMoreHere.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, CO. where I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)
      Published by at No comments:
      Labels: , , , , ,
      Location: Loveland, CO 80538, USA

      Tuesday, September 4, 2018

      YOUR Social Media Content Planning Tools?


      Four planning tools to improve the efficacy and impact of your social media content..

      “Work smarter, not harder” might be an awful cliché, but it’s true.



      As social media has matured and advanced, whole hosts of marketing technology platforms have risen to keep pace with and meet the needs of agencies, brands and influencers.

      And it makes sense. Public relations and marketing professionals should seek out the best possible tools for their agencies because they can do better work for their clients if they can work more efficiently.

      Having a solid content strategy for each social media platform that each client uses is critical to successful growth (since what works on Facebook won’t necessarily work on Instagram). And the tools you use can give you an edge and make executing your stellar strategy more measurable, scalable and organized.

      Like many of you, our agency has tried our fair share of different platforms and content planning tools over the years, so we wanted to share what works best for us and our clients, especially when it comes to navigating an ever-changing landscape.



      Accurate, Accessible Analytics

      When planning your social media content, it’s important to be able to measure the goals that have been set for a client.

      In my experience, I've found it important to find a tool that gathers data on how social content drives web traffic as well as conversions, both of which affect a client's bottom line.

      And that way, if you ever need to make the case for how your social media efforts directly contribute to clients’ business goals, you can have that information readily available. For this type of tracking, our team uses Google Analytics, which, for many, probably isn’t the first tool that springs to mind.



      Cross-Platform Scheduler For Social Media

      With having multiple clients across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, investing in a cross-platform scheduler is key for efficiency. Find a product that can help you schedule content for multiple accounts and that also provides valuable reporting tools. Some platforms even connect with Google Analytics, which allows you to view your reports all in one place.

      While we tend to prefer Schedugram specifically for Instagram because of its visual elements, the reports and ease of use make Sprout Social our go-to tool for social media. To get the most out of Sprout Social’s robust reporting metrics, I recommend syncing up all social channels for a given account to the platform, even if you’re also using another tool that's specific to one social channel.

      If you do sync up a social channel to Sprout simply for reporting purposes, be sure that you’re checking in to ensure that the account remains connected at all times. Things like password changes can disconnect the account, and if you’re not publishing to that platform from Sprout, this can easily go unnoticed until it’s time to pull reports. Nobody wants missing data points.



      Instagram Scheduler

      For image-heavy clients, we use additional tools that are designed to help draft and schedule content exclusively for Instagram. While there are a handful of products to choose from, we wanted something that would allow us to upload videos and image carousels, as well as Instagram Stories and Highlights.

      Do your research, and find which tools make sense for your own needs.

      One of our favorite features about Schedugram, the tool we use, is the ability to drag and rearrange posts while viewing an account in “grid” mode. You can view your upcoming scheduled posts on a monthly, weekly or daily view, in addition to creating drafts you can choose to schedule later. The platform also offers geotagging and the ability to add hashtags within the first comment of your post.

      Other tools for Instagram scheduling include Later, Planoly, Iconosquare and more.



      An Editorial Calendar

      You should never underestimate the value of a good old-fashioned editorial calendar. Whether you prefer to plan content out two weeks at a time, a month at a time, or for even longer stretches, having an editorial calendar can ensure that you account for any upcoming events, holidays, new product releases or monthly newsletters. No matter the format you use -- Excel spreadsheet, Google Docs, Canva document or a third-party program like Divvy -- creating an editorial calendar gives you a big picture look into what, when and how you create content for a client.

      While this covers some of the tools we’re currently using and loving, we like to stay open-minded. This industry is in constant flux, and the platform you may have disliked in the past could become the next best thing as features expand and improve.

      Guest Authored By Allie Danziger. Allie is the Dynamic founder of Integrate, a Houston-based, full-service communications agency specializing in public relations and social media. Follow Allie on Twitter.





      "Ultimately, choosing the best content planning tools for your business depends on your unique needs and personal preferences.

      If you want your employees actually using these tools to work smarter (and occasionally harder) on behalf of your clients, do the research into what’s right for you, and your clients will definitely appreciate the results.." -AllieDanziger


        • Post Crafted By:
          Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBrand.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Salt Lake City, UT. where I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)
        Published by at No comments:
        Labels: , , , , ,
        Location: Midvale, UT 84047, USA
        Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)