Why Social Media Matters

When it comes to social media in 2020, the question isn’t whether you have social media accounts for your business (who doesn’t right?), but whether you are using them effectively.

A strong social media presence can help your business grow exponentially by building brand awareness and establishing a loyal customer base.

But what do we mean by a strong social media presence?

Strategy. 

What Is A Social Media Strategy?

You may have already noticed that posting random bits of content periodically won’t achieve much as far as building a social media presence goes. The key to developing a large and loyal following on social media is knowing what your audience wants to see and delivering it to them in fresh and interesting ways. 

If your business is on social media simply because you were told you should be or because everyone else is, start with these tips.

1. Set goals – If you plan on investing your time in social media, you need to set measurable goals. Otherwise, you will have no idea if your social media strategy is working. Think about what you want to achieve. Is it brand awareness? Lead generation? Sales?  A customer service channel? 
2. Identify your audience and understand their needs – To create relevant content you need to know who you are targeting. What motivates them? What are their interests? Which platform do they use the most and who do they follow?
3. Find an authentic voice – The days of faceless corporations are long gone. People value connections, authenticity and real stories. You need to find a way to connect to your customers on a human level.
4. Content, Content, Content – Without a doubt visual content (photos, graphics and videos) get the most engagement. Sometimes up to six times as much (live videos). The key is to create instead of just rehashing the content other people have posted.
5. Integrate your accounts  – Social media feeds can easily be integrated into your website with small pieces of code. Instagram feeds work particularly well on websites. 
6. Stay Active – Inactive social media accounts are a bigger crime than not having one at all. Post fresh content frequently by blocking out set times of the day or using scheduling tools.

Social Media Trends 2020

Once you’ve got your social media strategy up and running it’s important to stay on top of trends, so your content continues to be relevant. Here’s what’s trending in 2020.

“Stories are a perfect way to get the attention, for a few valuable seconds, of an audience that loves authentic creative content. Stories are a great way to add a touch of humanity to your social media using emojis, videos, and stickers.”

• Diversify – Younger generations don’t use Facebook very much. Some don’t even have accounts. Therefore, if your audience is in the 16-24 age bracket, or if a fun and innovative tone suit your brand you need to consider TikTok.
• Customer service – One of the biggest frustrations for customers is not being able to contact a business. Allowing your customers to contact you via social media makes you accessible. In the age of instant information, people want answers fast and providing great social media customer service is the perfect way to keep your customers happy
• Stories –  As we mentioned earlier, customers are demanding authenticity more than ever. Boring, staid content just won’t cut it anymore. Get creative with stories and give your business a human face.

Need help with your social media strategy? Talk to Wollongong Web Design. We can help you identify your target market and build your social media presence from the ground up.