2018 is off and running. Although the snow in this area has made it feel more like a start and stop, productivity is beginning to get back up to normal standards. Or.. maybe we’ve been stuck in this house so many days in a row that staring at my computer is the only way to escape cabin fever. Either way…
Back to business.
For those of us in the social media world, a couple of announcements have changed some strategic planning for social marketing this year. Yesterday, Facebook announced that users would see less business marketing and more content from friends and family – you know, the reason we all got on the platform in the first place. Before that announcement, there were changes to Instagram that were published.
If you aren’t familiar with these changes and you own a business, I encourage you to click both of the links above to see what’s up and alter your plans (they each explain it all pretty clearly so I’m not re-inventing the wheel here). Of course, you could also outsource your social media management and feel confident your vendor knows how to adjust. 😉
Fortunately for our clients, not much change has to happen. I got into this business so that I could be a true, human voice for a brand. A human doesn’t just shove information out there and say “read my blog!” “buy my product!” “like all my posts!” A human engages, makes friends, earns credibility. You can’t expect to make friends in a minute just by shouting all your “stuff” at people. This three-year-old post still resonates. You can’t expect a miracle and you can’t just yell. That’s not how this works.
The bottomline with the changes in Facebook is that the company is taking Facebook back to what it was when it first took off. No one joined Facebook so that companies would get in their face all day long. They joined to connect with friends, share stories, engage. So does it mean content needs to actually help you speak with people and not just shout at them? You bet it does. Those “share this to win” contests (which were ALWAYS against Facebook’s terms of service and ALWAYS risked your page) are going to count against your brand if you keep it up. If you can’t get people to talk to you without giving them an opportunity to win, what are you doing? That’s not how you make friends out there in the real world, is it? Or is it?
So it’s time to get back to basics. Talk to people. Work the proverbial room. Be relatable to your community. Talk to them like you’re one of them. Stop shouting at them. Make it worth their while to read your content. Will it take more time than just scheduling a bunch of content with links to your blog? Yes. It will. And those who are doing it right will keep going.
I’m dedicating this post to my team. I wish them a successful, happy, healthy 2018 and I thank them for giving it their all each and every day. Go team go!
Want a hands-on learning experience to develop your social media skills? Join us at our first Smart-Social-Louisville workshop. Class begins February 13th! Click here to register.
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