Push for Purpose, Social Media Content that Drives Results

Everyone is in a different place in their social media evolution. At one end of the spectrum you have those who just want to push out content to check the box and the other end is those who push for purpose, otherwise known as creating content that drives results.You have to start somewhere, but if you're going to invest the time, money and energy into participating in social media you may as well make it count. Here are some questions to ask yourself to see where you fall on the spectrum.

1. Do you post because you have to or because you want to?

2. Do you hold social media accountable for driving results? Is there any measurement?

3. When you create content do you do so with a business goal in mind?

I wouldn't solely rely on social media as my one and only marketing strategy, but if done right, it can be an effective tool in helping you to achieve your goals. That said, you have to believe in social media and approach it in the right manner for it to work.

Where do you fall on the spectrum?

Three Social Media Pitfalls to Avoid in 2015

The landscape of social media is constantly changing. The networks are changing how they serve up content, consumers expectations are changing around the quality of content posted by brands, and the skillset of what's needed to do social media well is changing. Good job security for those in the know, frustrating for those who don't have the time to keep up. To help navigate, here are three pitfalls to avoid in 2015 on social media.

1. If you post it, they will come.

As more businesses come on board, there is more clutter than ever in people's newsfeeds. The content you create not only has to be quality to stand out, it will also need to be supported with advertising. Facebook has decreased organic reach for the last few years and has publicily come out saying: "The free ride is over in 2015." You could have 10,000 fans but only 1 - 5% are ever seeing your content. The Solution? Set aside ad dollars in this year's budget, even if it's a small amount. You can throw $5 behind a Facebook post and reach the right audience efficiently. Don't forget, Facebook knows more about your interests and life events than some of your closest friends. As a marketer you can use that information to your advantage.

2. Telling your story in words.

The brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text. Standing out on social starts with a great image. Once you pique someone's interest then they may read what you have to say. Be sure to line up the right partners - photo, video and graphic design, when creating content in 2015, and think about how you can tell your story in a visual manner. If budget is tight consider inexpensive stock photography on sites like canva.com

3. Being too trendy, a.k.a. jumping on every trending topic.

When social media first started marketers were told not to "hard sell" on social. They were taught to be fun, light and casual, which led to a slew of "Happy Friday" and "National Cookie Day" posts. In 2015, you need to think of social media as a series of circles - what's relevant on social (the current conversation), what's relevant to your brand (your business objectives or story) and that magical area that intersects. If talking about a certain holiday or topic is an awkward fit, don't push it. Twitter users slammed the Seattle Seahawks for tweeting out a MLK quote with a photo of one of its players, they didn't see the connection, yet revered Krispy Kreme for a tweet which read: "Ours are fully-filled" after the deflate gate episode. No matter what the hot topic, your content should drive business results and should be relevant to your brand story in 2015, if not fans will let you know.

The Importance of Visuals in Social Media

People's brains process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. In the world of social media this is becoming increasingly important as newsfeeds become more cluttered. You need to start telling your story through pictures. As someone who has more training in copy writing than photography or graphic design, this was a tough fact to face but one that I needed to in order to keep engagement high and clients happy. So what to do?Well you could take your own photos. After all anyone with a smartphone is a photographer these days. Or you could rely on an expert, you know people who were trained to do this. I'm not saying iPhone photos are horrible. An iPhone image is better than no image at all, but look at the difference between my photo and the photographer I hired for a restaurant client.

               

Same dish, same day but she got the better angle, the better lighting and ultimately the better engagement on social when I posted. That's why I've been quietly gathering partners in the areas of photography, graphic design and video. I come up with the creative concepts and they execute. Stay tuned as more visual social unfolds.

Facebook's Future. Let's not panic yet.

There's been a lot of talk around teens leaving Facebook, and if you're a brand that's targeting teens that's cause for concern. But if you're a brand targeting teens, my guess is you've seen it coming. Heck, even Facebook has seen it coming. They've offered to buy Snapchat. They tried to launch Poke. They purchased Instagram. The writing has been on the wall for awhile and while Zuckerberg may be many things, stupid he is not.For those not targeting teens your target demo is most likely spending an inordinate amount of time on Facebook. Look at all the stats and Facebook still reigns king. Will it in five years, ten years? Who knows? But you can't predict the future. It's like hesitating to advertise on a certain TV show because you're not sure it will be popular three years from now.

What you should be doing is focusing a majority of your efforts where your customers are spending their time now. Not where you think they may be five years from now, and not panicking. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with preparing for the future. You should be thinking about how to collect data from your Facebook fans. Get their information in your database so if you do ever jump ship from Facebook you can stay in touch. But don't let a few articles, whether it be the crazy Princeton infectious disease study or the fear-based "teens are leaving" headlines, drive your marketing plan. Get a grip, stay calm and talk to your customers while they're still checking the newsfeed.