Social media is everywhere. It’s in front of us at the office. We carry it around in our pockets. So it’s more important than ever for businesses to run a social media campaign.

But with the benefits, social media can bring comes the complexities of the ever-changing algorithms and strategies. How do you keep up? If you’re not seeing the traffic growth or sales you had hoped for, it may be time to mix things up.

These seven social media mistakes will tell you why you may be losing money with your current campaign and how you can turn it around.

1. You’ve Spread Yourself Too Thin

A lot of people think that to reach as many consumers as possible, you need to be on every social media platform there is. Which is true to an extent but is usually not the most effective method out there.

Remember quality over quantity? Mmm-Hmm. This is a classic example.

You need to get specific about who your target audience is and where they would be hanging out on social media. Think of it like this: if you want to sell a high-quality business suit, you wouldn’t put it on sale at the junior clothier down the street.

The same holds true for social media. The demographic that frequents Facebook or Pinterest won’t necessarily be the same demographics that are always on Instagram and Twitter.

To get the most of your time and your money, find out where your audience is and focus on creating a quality social media campaign for those particular platforms.

Focusing on two or three social media accounts will not only save you time and money, it will enable you to engage with your audience more. And that will add up to dollar signs.

2. Your Posts Are All About You

Of course you want to share your content with your social media following. I mean, getting your products and services out in front of your customers is the point of being in business, right?

But social media is a different kind of ballgame. Folks aren’t on there to hear sales pitches or see a constant flow of advertising. The whole point is to be social and build relationships.

Your audience wants to see you being helpful and friendly, maybe even funny. Almost as if they were sitting around a table having a conversation with you. And by mixing your content with shared links from other respected, non-competitive sources in the same niche, you will ensure that they see you as a trusted resource that not only cares about business, but cares about them as well.

And your social media platform will agree. They create algorithms that rank you on how much of your own content you post versus content from others that you share. Some algorithms want you to use the 5:3:2 rule when sharing content.

Social media wants you to share the love, and so do your followers or they’ll go somewhere else.

3. You Follow to Gain a Follower

We’ve all seen it… someone follows your account so you turn around and follow theirs (you want to be nice, right?)… only to find they’ve unfollowed you shortly thereafter.

Those are follower hoarders, my friends, and that tactic is so wrong for so many reasons.

A follow for a follow is empty. Most of the time it’s not your target audience. Any social media campaign you launch will be lost on those who just aren’t interested.

So it’s a tactic that shouldn’t be used to increase your own following. You want an organic audience, one that will be interested in your campaigns. It may take longer to build up, but it’s a following that will last.

And a following that will earn you money.

4. You Post at the Wrong Times

Your target audience has a time of day that they are most active on social media. Whether you go for the early birds who are checking their feeds first thing in the morning or the night owls who love to scroll the feed after dark. Chances are there’s a “window of opportunity” that you should be shooting for.

So don’t go posting at random times throughout the day. If you’re posting outside that window, your content will get lost in the feed by the time your audience does decide to sign in.

Study your analytics, which most social media platforms provide for business accounts. Look to see when your posts get the most engagement. Find when the opportune time to post is.

Then you’ll know when your content will reach the most followers.

5. You’re Not Making Your Content Shareable

Just because you now don’t use every social media account under the sun doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make your content shareable to them all, right?

People love to share content they find interesting or particularly helpful. And the more they share, the more people will see your stuff. Word of mouth is sometimes the best form of advertising!

If their friend trusts you, then why shouldn’t they, right?

Enable all your posts to be shared on other platforms. Place those share buttons where they can easily be seen. Let them pin to Pinterest or click to tweet on Twitter.

Talk about more bang for your buck.

6. Ignoring Influencer Marketing

As we already discussed, social media is about building relationships, not direct selling. And what better way than to use a social media influencer to promote your brand!

Influencers already have a mass following and they have a strong relationship with their audience. People love to see what products they use and services they rely on, then they quickly turn around and buy the same stuff.

By using an influencer, you’re not selling to the masses, they are. But it comes across to the audience as very organic and “real”, not pitchy. That’s the kind of marketing social media will eat up.

7. Not Using Video Ads

People are tired of seeing the same old ads. They need something new and eye-catching! And what better way than to showcase your brand in a video? Not only will it be visually appealing, it will also give a “face” to the brand–something that is so important on social media.

Connecting on a more personal level with you will keep your customers coming back.

Now Your Social Media Campaign Will Pop

With just a few changes, and mixing up how you connect with your audience, you’ll see your social media following (and your profits) continue to grow.

Want to learn more about how social media campaigns can work for you? Be sure to check out our blog or contact us to find out how we can help you grow your business!

The post 7 Ways Your Outdated Social Media Campaign Loses Money appeared first on Fanatically Digital.

The world now uses social media in every aspect of their lives. Facebook has 2 billion monthly users. YouTube is not far behind with 1.5 billion monthly users and WhatsApp has 1.2 billion monthly users as of February 2017.

Social media marketing is not going anywhere and it’s become even more relevant for marketers and businesses to stay on top of social media trends if they want to continue to scale and increase their customer base.

Social Media Trends of 2017

Half of creating and executing an effective marketing plan is staying on top of social media trends. With social media changing rapidly over the years, it can be extremely difficult to stay on top of all the relevant platforms and social media tools.

The social media trends of 2017 are no different. In 2016, written content such as blogs and tweets were all the rage; this year it’s video content. Some of the other social media trends of 2017 are social messaging (including Chatbots) and influencer marketing.

I’m going to briefly go over each one of these very important social media trends, as they are sure to be just as relevant in 2018.

Video Content

Authenticity is the name of the game when it comes to social media marketing. As a result, consumers have become jaded with the usual static ads.

Because of this competitiveness, consumers are now searching for something different; they want to know and buy from the person behind the product or as commonly known to marketers, they want to connect with the brand.

Nearly every social media platform around now has an option for users to create, share and connect using video.

Video options on Facebook and Instagram have rapidly proliferated during 2017. On Facebook, you now have Facebook Live which allows marketers and brands to live stream directly to their followers.

This has led people to consume media in a different way. According to this infographic, 80% of people would rather watch a live video than read a blog.

Not only is it important for brands to create a video in order to connect with their consumers, they also have to invest in quality production and quality content. 67% of viewers say that quality is the most important factor when viewing a video.

And on top of that other social media platforms have various other ways for you to reach people via video. Instagram has rolled out a live streaming feature and has an option to upload video to your profile picture commonly known as an Instagram story. YouTube has launched a cable package called YouTube TV.

Not surprisingly, YouTube is set to surpass the viewership that television has.

Facebook live, Instagram stories, Snapchat, and YouTube has ushered in a new craze for video. The use of video is the new and improved type of content that’s a must-have for any marketing or advertising strategy. Utilizing video content is definitely one of the biggest social media trends of 2017.

Social Messaging

Reaching consumers through their email inboxes used to be the best way to build a relationship with them. Now, since email marketing has become so crowded with other marketers, it’s become more difficult to reach people via their inboxes.

Text messaging or using messenger apps are now the preferred way for millennials to communicate with one another. Millennials are now the largest generation alive in America today so it’s important to follow the trends of these consumers.

Believe it or not, 9 out of 10 consumers want the ability to communicate with brands via text messaging. However, less than half of consumers have the ability to fulfill this need.

Utilizing new tools such as Chatbots on Facebook can help your business stay ahead of the curve. Chatbots is an automated conversation that can help you build a relationship with potential consumers without having to actually speak to each one individually.

Chatbots can allow you to get in front of consumers very easily because it allows you to find your customers right where they’re at; in their phones! Social messaging is definitely another hot social media trend of 2017 that’s not going away anytime soon.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is hot right now and is likely here to stay. What exactly is influencer marketing? According to Forbes, influencer marketing is a non-promotional approach to marketing where brands pay influencers who have large social media followings that consist of the brand’s ideal clients to give their opinion on the brand’s products or services.

In this way, the brand is promoting their products and/or services in an indirect way which is more effective because the consumers already like, know and trust the influencer reviewing their products which makes the consumers more likely to purchase.

The Best Way to Stay on Top of the Social Media Trends of 2017

It is extremely difficult for businesses to stay on top of all the new emerging, yet relevant social media trends. However, it is crucial to know what your consumers are doing and what’s relevant to them in order to keep your business revenue increasing.

Hiring a specialized team to help you strategize and implement those strategies is crucial to the success of executing your marketing and advertising goals.

Here at Fanatically Digital, we specialize in content marketing, social media marketing, and email marketing. We’re experts in creating the type of relevant content that’s going to make your consumers love your brand whether that be in the form of videos, whitepapers, or simple blog posts.

Our content marketing plan will help target your ideal client and ideas, strategies and tactics to reach and engage them. Read more about our services here and make sure to contact us to learn more about how we can put together a comprehensive plan for your business.

The post Top Social Media Trends of 2017 & How They Impact Your Marketing Strategy appeared first on Fanatically Digital.

For most companies, that’s no longer true. Today, customers find you… the real you.

They research online, read articles, ask friends and family, look at reviews. With the exception of references, people generally use search engines to uncover the information they are looking for. Companies need to create a presence online that is both useful to the customer and understandable by the search engines. This takes the form of websites, social media, community activity, forum participation and content creation and sharing. When people research their next purchase, you have to be where they can find you.

Business buyers and consumers, the saying goes, are in control. They decide what they will read, what they will trust and what they will share. Businesses that try to craft a message are finding themselves in tough times. Though perhaps overused, this is why the term “Authentic” has become so prevalent. Brands that look at this as just another marketing tactic, trying too hard to craft a message, fail to recognize the paradigm shift that has given control to the consumers.

To help consumers find your company, engage.

Create robust social profiles on those platforms that people interested in your product or service are likely to use.

Share broadly about your product or service category. Be helpful beyond the scope of your own company. Give them something they want to read, hear or watch.

Participate in forums as individuals who are part of a company, not just a company.

All content and communications must be driven by the core values or principles of the company.

Companies must decide what they stand for. Not some cliche, but what is important to those “in control”, and guide their companies accordingly. This is the core of being authentic. When mistakes happen, and the company makes corrections, the main driver comes from the core values of the company, not the fear of market repercussions. As consumers research, they will come across information (flattering and otherwise) about your company; stick to the core values and the balance will be in your favor.

The post Why can’t I find new customers? Wrong question. appeared first on Fanatically Digital.

For years companies have been doing sentiment analysis to try to figure out if they are loved, liked or despised. To do this well we would combine algorithms from tools with manual evaluations and adjustments. The truth is, the vast majority of comments and input are neutral.

The emoji roll-out will provide a second line of sentiment measurement. However tempting it may be to start using Facebook emoji metrics as guides immediately, companies should lay the groundwork.

1. Ignore emojis for a while. Use the first month or two to simply gather data. This will provide a baseline for your organization upon which to base decisions.
2. Don’t write to elicit specific emoji reaction. Stay true to who you are. After you’ve gathered enough data, then evaluate the sentiment from emoji buttons to see if there are any surprises. If your brand is warm and fuzzy, but your facebook emoji metrics lean toward sad or angry, then evaluate the content. As an example, a brand that wants to be known for a positive / feel good attitude and social responsibility may post content related to issues in urban areas. These types of stories and elicit feelings ranging from motivating and uplift to very upsetting, often simply based on how it is presented. The emoji evaluation can help a company understand if the style of writing aligns to their image.
3. Use the first month or two of “do nothing” data collection on facebook emoji response and compare this to the sentiment analysis that you’ve been doing for years. One of the challenges on the sentiment analysis is that it lacks nuance, an understanding of the dynamics in the middle where the majority of customers reside. The emoji analysis should provide you with the nuance that traditional sentiment analysis lacks.

I’ve been in digital for a lot of years and a constant reaction to change is to jump in and start messing with it. I admit that doing so is a lot of fun. But it also hinders our true understanding of what the new tools or feature really mean. Take the time to let the data educate you, then start acting.

The post Facebook Emoji Rollout – Finally Some Nuance appeared first on Fanatically Digital.

The author didn’t actually answer the question, but posited a number of “issues”. The only upside that was suggested is that doing so is a way to marry the search and social channels.

Don’t Force Social Media On Users

This is a distraction for the user and the brand. Paid search users have a specific intent, and expectations that they will be brought to a page relevant to that intent. Basic optimization requires a level of tracking and control that is not available on FB. Search traffic should be directed to a landing page directly connected to the brand site, created for the intent. This allows the experience to be optimized to the expectations.

Social media engagement should be in the context of a user’s social media experience. While cross channel engagement may be desirable, it is only so when the connection between the channels is natural to the user, not forced by the brand.

Social Media Advertising

In the area of social media, when it comes to advertising, we view brand interactions at three levels:

1) Resident – The brand is actively engaged in the social landscape with ongoing interactions with users, involvement in topics related to but beyond the brand or brand’s products & services (charities or the arts as examples) and is generally “expected” to be seen.

2) Visitor – The brand has a page and responds regularly to user initiated interactions such a product queries, help requests, or review responses. The brand is not expected by users, but in mild doses, it is accepted.

3) Intruders – Dormant pages, poor response times or no natural connection to the users. Ads seemingly appear from nowhere and don’t serve a purpose in the user’s experience.

Not all paid search users are on facebook. Even if they are, being there at that moment (when conducting a google search) is not what they wanted; if they did, they would start on facebook. By pushing search users to facebook, brands are creating an unnatural path for them. Regardless of what your standing is on facebook, the interaction you create by doing this is forced, unexpected and creates a tension that should not be there.

Social media is a connection while paid search is a transaction. The two should not be confused.

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