We are living in the new normal times and there are changes in everything we do! Our way of working has changed, the times are changed, the attitude has changed and the biggest change is in the way people perceive businesses and brands. What worked for you last year will not work this year, what worked last month needs changes now and we don’t know what changes we will have to make in the coming months. All these factors have a great impact on the social media strategy and the overall promotions of your business brand.
The new normal times call for having a different outlook towards your overall social media strategy. You don’t have to necessarily create a completely new social media strategy from scratch but you need to change the way you look at it!
Let’s have a look at the factors that affect your social media content and the ideal steps that you can take for making your social media marketing strategy implementation easier. Here’s how you can create the perfect social media marketing strategy according to the new normal.
Nurture Humanity
People are the epicenter of every business. Everyone is important – the people who build the business, the people who run it and the people who buy from your business. It’s all about maintaining good relationships with people and thereby it is about nurturing humanity. Every brand is built with people!
When you move forward in terms of creating your social media strategy, you need to take into consideration what feels the most human.
This is the time when we cannot connect face to face but we turn to social media for establishing long lasting connections.
To be more human, you can embrace the most influential sides of social media like live videos, stories and powerful images and this can be done from home too.
Be considerate
An integral part of being human is managing all the emotions that are connected to people – right from sadness to anger and of course to excitement, happiness and exuberance.
While posting on social media your content needs to be considerate towards the emotions of your customers and the people who follow you. If you create social media content on these lines, you will be able to establish stronger connections with people in the short term and in the long run as well.
Change The Focus
Gone are the days when social media content was only about posting business information. Starting today, make sure that your social media posts are about what your customers are seeking.
You can give it a human touch by sharing the stories of your customers and the benefits they received by using your products or services. And you can also portray the improvisations if you have made any, to your products and services and thereby feature the benefits that your customers and prospective customers will receive in the near future.
This is really the best time to review your brand story. This is the time when you convince your followers that they perfectly fit in your brand story and they are important for your brand.
Add Value
Adding value does not mean putting out the benefits of your products and services or selling more products. You must make the right use of the social media platforms to:
- Create long term relationships
- Learn
- Be entertained
- Provide the right information at the right time
As business owners, you have the capacity to add value to your content and messages by being cautious about what you post, when you post it, the subject and the tone of words used in your posts. You can post something as simple as explaining some concepts related to your industry or explain the new guidelines of your business and customer care but the way you post it is important and the way in which you respond to your audience is also equally important.
Encourage Engagement
Your customers and all the people that follow you on social media have one thing in common – they are all a part of your business and they are connected to it. When you make social media posts that drive communication and engagement, you can help people connect with you and connect with each other as well.
When you maintain brand awareness at all times, sales happen naturally! The truth is that we all want to support the businesses that make us feel good!
Extended Support
Even though you have support systems in place on your website and through various other communication channels, you can also open up additional communication mediums through social media. You can make use of tools like Facebook Messenger, scheduled Twitter chats and you can open up your direct Instagram messages as well so that people feel free to connect with you anytime, anywhere according to their convenience.
Personalize Your Content
You will read a lot of information about how you are supposed to post on social media and what types of content you must post, but you need to give it your own touch because you know your business and customers better.
There is no harm in taking inspiration from various sources but the key is to personalize your content.
Your focus should be on creating long-lasting relationships with your customers. Think about what your customers always want to know about and what changes can you make to serve them better?
For instance, if you are into providing essential products, you can put up videos on social media about making your own masks at home, this is simple, effective and highly beneficial to people. Similarly, physical fitness instructors can create videos that feature simple exercises that people can do at home. No matter what industry you are in, you can create an impactful and strong presence on social media by featuring useful information.
Related : 10 Top Social Media Content Marketing Tips
Build Partnerships
One of the most effective ways of growing your community is by encouraging partnerships. You can partner with:
- Individuals having complementary businesses
- Other media and technology partners
You can tap into the potential of the huge social media platforms and you no longer have to be limited to your area. You can build beneficial partnerships with people in other states or other countries as well. You need to look out for businesses and individuals whose brand messages resonate with your brand so that you can create a win-win situation for your business, your partners and your audience.
The Art Of Listening
Social media isn’t about just broadcasting your own messages; you need to learn the art of listening as well. Your customers and the communities present on the social media that are related to your industry say a lot and discuss a lot and you need to learn from all this. Irrespective of the type of your business, you will be in a better position to improvise your products or to create new products and services when you are listening to the opinions of your customers and prospects. Work on creating social media posts that encourage conversations rather than just telling your story.
Be Flexible
The rules for achieving customer engagement on social media are ever evolving and changing. You cannot follow very strict rules and guidelines for making your brand social; you need to take all the changes in your stride. Pay close attention to the changing norms and the changing signals on social media websites.
It is not bad to plan your social media posts well in advance and even if you have your social media posts scheduled for several weeks, you need to be very flexible in your approach and make changes if required. Be open to change the subject of your posts, to change the wording, to change the direction or to pause them according to the circumstances.
Go For Paid Advertising
As more individuals and brands are working towards creating a powerful presence on social media platforms it is ideal to consider paid advertising on social media according to your budget. Paid advertising is a great way to enhance the visibility and reach of your business brand. You can make use of retargeting ads for closing the sales or you can create new ads for generating more leads, it is a truth that ads are a very powerful tool for growing your business. Additionally, you can set the budgets and schedules that work in accordance with your immediate business needs.
Efficient Tips For Your Social Media Success During The New Normal Times:
Create A Content Calendar
This is a difficult time for everyone and your social media posts cannot be impromptu. When you write according to the pressure of time limit, you are more likely to make mistakes in phrasing your content. With a content calendar in place, you get time to think about what you want to say and how you can put it across. One look at the content calendar and you will know if you need to make any changes in your content.
Use Tools For Scheduling Posts
You have resumed work full time and you might be having many things on your mind. Along with this it is also important to maintain a good presence on social media. The best solution to this is to make use of the scheduling tools. With these tools, you can keep your social media posts going even when you step away from your computer. Even if you have set posting schedules, you can pause and delete the posts in case you think that they are no longer legitimate. Your content calendar can help you in scheduling the posts appropriately.
Related : When Is The Right Time To Post On Social Media Currently (COVID-19 Outbreak)?
Have Conversations
The aim behind creating a presence on social media is to create relationships and community for your business and this means that you need to respond and engage. Make sure to regularly check for the new updates that you have received in your social media accounts including questions, comments and feedback. This is a very important aspect if you have opened up your brand page for your customers for getting in touch with you.
Show Your Brand Personality
You can give a soul and personality to your brand online with the use of emojis, with the use of different languages and by creating memes. The use of humor goes a long way in displaying the personality of your brand and making the mood lighter. Be cautious and ensure that your messages are insightful so that your audience is not driven away.
Over To You…
This is the new normal and your customers are looking for various ways to be social, to connect with other people and they are also looking for ways to be distracted from whatever is going on. Social media is the most ideal platform for brands to connect and engage with their audience and to open new opportunities along with building long term relationships. Your business persona, your customer care, your values, your interactions, everything is on social media and you need to manage everything with the thoughtfulness of the current situation in mind to create your mark and to touch people’s hearts.
