Many entrepreneurs and critics rag on social media for its lack of ROI. Here’s the deal, though: those who struggle via social often do so because their strategy is stuck in the past.
Furthermore, many marketers could use a reality check and mentality shift when it comes to how they approach social marketing.
Rather than hope for an instant flood of customers or overnight, the right expectations are crucial to a winning strategy. Likewise, marketers should use social media in a way that’s actionable versus sinking all their time into something that doesn’t produce returns.
Below we’ve broken down four realities of modern social media and how these principles can help you score that positive ROI you’ve been so desperately looking for.
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Free Tools Can Take You Far
Sinking tons of cash into any marketing channel oftentimes leads to disappointment unless you’ve done a ton of testing. As such, you can’t just throw money at Facebook ads or scheduling platforms and expect to transform your social presence overnight.
On the flip side, there are tons of ways to streamline your social presence within spending a dime. Need a scheduler to wrangle your content? Try Tweetdeck or Buffer’s free platform.
Looking for smart social analytics? Use Likealyzer or Phlanx. Need graphics to spruce up your profiles? Look into the top seven DIY logo tools out there.
The takeaway here is that there are tons of apps and free platforms available to test with which will give your presence a more professional vibe minus the price tag. When you’re less worried about burning money, there’s less pressure on you in the process.
Optimization Counts
No matter how you slice it, you can’t just post content at random and expect results. Even if you’re producing the most engaging, thought-provoking content in the world, it means very little if you aren’t taking the steps to optimize it specifically for social.
The good news is that unlike the fine details of SEO, optimizing a social post is relatively straightforward. Here are the elements you need to pay close attention to:
- Industry and community hashtags to expand your reach (Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest)
- Tapping into timing when your followers are most engaged (varies by platform)
- Using appropriate imagery or a video preview to grab the attention of followers (rings true for all networks)
Many people make the mistake of thinking that a tweet or post blowing up or going viral is something they can force. While there is an element of “right place, right time,” there are steps you can take such as the ones above to encourage more engagement.
Look At Social As Is Part Of A “Big Picture”
As noted, so much of succeeding with social is about a mentality shift.
Think of your social presence as part of a bigger picture when it comes to appealing to influencers and potential customers. While you may not make tons of direct social sales, you can make positive impressions on people by answering their questions and showing off your personality.
Likewise, marketing via social comments allows you to get in front of industry players and thought leaders who might otherwise never know who you are.
Will these tactics result in direct dollars and cents? Maybe not, but they do make your business look like a million backs to outsiders.
A “Less Is More” Mentality Is Totally Practical
There used to be an expectation for businesses to be a million places at once in terms of social media. Times have changed, thankfully.
It’s not uncommon for businesses to have a primary platform where they focus on marketing such as Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram. There is no “right” network: it all depends on where your audience and industry players are hanging out.
That said, given how much the Facebook is restricting reach for businesses and brands, many companies are migrating elsewhere and focusing their effort on platforms where their voices can actually be heard.
Scoring a positive ROI from social means being proactive while also having realistic expectations. Rather than leave your social presence stuck in 2018, take it into the modern age with these principles and tips: you may be surprised at how much easier running your profiles is when you do.
If you are interested in even more social media-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels then we have a lot to choose from.
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