Contrary to the popular holiday song, we’re not looking for front teeth from Santa this year; from talking to our clients and other social media marketers, we know we’re not alone in wanting more than pearly whites. The only kind of teeth social media marketers want is the metaphorical kind—the knowledge and tools that can give their brand an edge on our evolving social media networks. We’ve compiled a list of the basic “teeth” that every social media marketer should want from Santa to get maximum results on social media:
Awesome images & video
You know what words make us—and any marketer—cringe? “I just used whatever photos I could find on the internet.” Ugh. Just because a photo is on the internet does not give you the legal right to use that image.
Studies have consistently shown that social media posts and tweets with images have an edge over text only. GREAT images—not just mediocre ones—are a must in your social media marketing toolbox, making this one of our top items on any social media marketer’s list for Santa. If your business is on Instagram or Pinterest, take note: your great images should also be high resolution pictures.
Good scheduling tool
A good scheduling tool is worth its weight in gold; we love our scheduling tool and would recommend this be one of the top items of your list for Santa. There are a few different scheduling tools to choose from; tools such as Hootsuite and Buffer can help you manage your profiles and schedule posts.
Once you’ve found your favorite, use these tips:
- Always make sure you read and check suggested content before you tweet it out.
- Don’t schedule too far ahead of time so you can stay on top of trending topics.
- Be flexible with your plan when needed.
- Create posts specific for the social media platform (i.e. adapt a tweet specifically for Facebook, avoid tweeting to LinkedIn, etc.) for optimal results.
Focus
There are a couple of different kinds of focus social media marketers want from Santa:
- the ability to focus efforts on the social media channels that fit their customer demographic for better results;
- a single-minded approach that keeps their efforts productive, even among all the social media distractions.
Knowing what social media site fits your brand (check out this infographic to match your customer demographic with the right social media platform) is almost as important as what you put on those social media channels. It’s a waste of your time as a business owner when you’re spending time on a social media site where your customers are not. If you need insight in this area, and on how to use the latest information for your purposes, contact a marketing firm that offers social media marketing services. We’ve said it before: there’s no shame or blame in placing your marketing in experts’ hands.
As for staying focused among the million distractions that come with social media, a social media scheduling tool is a good start; a social media marketing plan is more effective. If your business doesn’t have a written plan for your online marketing efforts, we’d recommend making it a New Year’s resolution for a better New Year.
Ability to see into the future
We think any social media marketer would love to see into the future, Santa. What’s the next hot social media channel? What are customers looking for in the future? Obviously, one of the biggest trends that is only going to grow in demand is meeting the needs of mobile customers. This is a continual process, but make sure that you are posting mobile-friendly content on social media.
Higher organic reach on Facebook
We know we’re reaching on this one, but any chance you could make this happen, Santa? Facebook’s declining organic reach has long been a sore spot for businesses trying to connect with their clients.
Goals
If you’re a company that jumped on social media without a goal or goals, it’s not too late to set a goal for next year (another New Year’s resolution). Once you’ve set those goals, prove your worth by measuring your results with metrics. Did you get more email addresses as part of your campaign? More messages? An increase in sales during your last campaign?
How do you get results from your evaluations? By taking those numbers, judging the effectiveness of your goals, and adjusting your efforts for the future. The result is…results. Relationship building. Conversions. In short, the number one item on every social media marketers’ list for Santa.
