If a brand drops a killer piece of content in the social media marketing forest and nobody sees it, does it make a sound?
It’s no secret that those halcyon days of posting a piece of content and getting in front of a good chunk of your fan base are long gone, but many brands are still partying like it’s 2011. Some are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars or more on the content itself and treating social as free media.
So what happens to that shiny, expensive content? Nobody sees it. Well, not nobody. But just about. The brands that haven’t already shifted their marketing spend to adjust for ever-decreasing organic reach need to shift their perspective. Content still matters, but it’s no longer king. Media has usurped the throne (with a little coup-ssistance from changing algorithms and shifting social landscapes). And if your 2016 social content strategy doesn’t include budget for paid media support or paid content promotion, you’re doing it wrong.
But how to do it right? Here are a list of DOs and DON’Ts to help you get started.
DO…
Work backward from the finish line.
Many brands see “paid social” and think “boosting Facebook posts.” That’s certainly one tool you can use. But maybe engaging your current fan base isn’t your main objective. Maybe you want new fans. Boosting a post to current fans probably won’t help much there. Maybe Facebook isn’t even where you should be. Think about who you want to target and what you want to accomplish, then plan accordingly.
Take risks.
More than any other platform, social media allows brands to push the boundaries of their comfort zones, and part of the reason is the relatively low investment in any one given execution. If you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a TV spot and it doesn’t hit the mark, that’s bad. If you push out a piece of social content that doesn’t hit the mark? Well it’s not great, but it’s certainly a lot easier to stomach because the cost of creating and supporting that content is relatively low by comparison.
Spend. Learn. Spend bigger.
Brands can begin to content market at any spend level, really, which is great news for brands with smaller budgets. But those brands should resist the urge to “dabble” in paid social, or “pick their spots.” Instead, set aside a portion of your budget to support EVERYTHING you post, at least for a period of time. It’ll help you spend smarter in the future. Because brands that commit to supporting a range of content in the short term aren’t just learning the type of content that gets results. They’re learning the types of content you can feel good about putting even more money behind next time.
DON’T…
Talk to yourself.
Social media wasn’t designed for brands. It was designed for people, and that’s something all too many brands seem to forget when all they want to do is promote their special offer, or drive sweepstakes entries or tout their new product. Brands are (barely) tolerated, not embraced on social media. Make sure your content is adding value for your fans and not just your business objectives.
Set it and forget it.
By its very nature, social media is a real-time platform, and you can expect real-time results. And you can make real-time updates, as well. Just because you posted something and put media dollars behind it doesn’t mean that post is locked. You can make adjustments on the fly. If the post tanks, or if there’s a mistake (typo, missing link, etc.), “turn off” the paid promotion. Or if a post is flat out killing it, go ahead and put some additional spend behind it.
Give up.
Not getting the results you intended? Try something new. It really can be that simple. With the vast number of tools available to brands, there’s a path to success no matter where you’re starting from or where you want to end up.
Got any other tips for succeeding on social media? Need help getting started yourself? Hit us up on Twitter @Moosylvania.
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