New Year’s resolutions. Like them or hate them, there’s no doubt that they can be a useful way to set your sights on the goals that you have for the year ahead. While stats tell us that 80% of us will make, and then fail to keep, resolutions such as losing weight, working less and getting fitter in 2017, when it comes to social media your chances of seeing results from resolutions you make now are much higher. So, below are a few of our suggestions for changes you can make next year to get more ROI from your social media usage.
Shed the dead weight
If you feel like you’re sinking beneath the number of social media platforms you’re juggling at the moment then it might be time to drop a few. Streamline your social media offering by focusing on those that really work for your business. Where do you get the most responses? Which platforms result in the most clicks through to your website? Which sets of followers are engaging with you the most? If you don’t have a clear picture of this then use analytics to provide some cold hard numbers.
Start social media advertising
Yes, organic, informative content is very important but statistics tell us that between 20 and 25% of people will visit a brand’s website after seeing Facebook or Twitter advertising. According to market research firm Forrester Consulting, engaging with ads on social media channels is the top way social media users find out about new brands, products or services so if you’re not allocating some of your advertising budget to social media spend you’re not getting the return that you could do from Twitter, Facebook et al.
Engage employee advocates
According to Forbes, one of the Top 5 ‘things you should be doing with social media’ is activating your internal audience. Advocacy campaigns are a key part of social media success but can be expensive when you’re engaging external parties. Instead, use the workforce you have to generate attention – people trust work of mouth marketing more than any other type, even if it is coming from the mouths of employees.
Focus on mobile
Remember that we are moving towards a market where users engage with social media (and everything else) via mobile not desktop. When you’re planning content for your social media bear in mind your mobile browsers.
Understand social media searching
SEO has been the buzz term for years now but we’re beginning to see something of a sea change in the way that consumers search – we’re coming off Google and moving into social media. There are two reasons for this: firstly, that social media is likely to yield more visual results and, secondly, that people really value others’ opinions, something they’re more likely to find by searching for products or services via social media platforms.
Get visual
Words have been the content of choice for social media up to now but over the last year we’ve begun to see images and videos move way ahead. If you want to get the most out of social media this year then resolve to start using moving and still images more, whether you’re delivering up inspirational photos or short clips of ‘life within our business.’ Your engagement will go through the roof.
Social media for lawyers
We offer tailored social media training for individuals and firms. We can also audit your current social media and develop a new strategy for you.
