Previously we looked at whether your goals are SMART enough for social media success. Now it’s important to consider that having a mobile first approach helps you succeed in social media.
The rise and rise of the smartphone and ‘mobile first’ strategies has meant that your customers expect to find you on their mobile phone. Sure, they’ll use a desktop or laptop sometimes, but they are just as likely to research, select and buy ‘on the move’ (on their mobile devlce). The functionality on a smartphone, coupled with 4G broadband has enabled us to watch films, catch up on our favourite TV shows, follow vloggers and learn from ‘how to’ videos. The jump to live streaming video, where your audience can become part of the show, via comments or questions, is truly amazing.
Live Streaming Video
The world wide web has spawned dozens of social media platforms. We’ve gone from long, text-heavy social media to short and sweet posts, with photos and video.
Clients regularly ask me about the latest platforms and features. As you will no doubt know, video is increasingly popular, but in the last two years, live video streaming has becoming more accessible. Live Hangouts on Air (now YouTube Live), Facebook Live and Periscope are popular tools, and allow you to have guest contributors. Unlike GoToWebinar and Zoom, (as well as the many webinar tools) they are also FREE, so if you want to give them a go, there’s no big upfront investment required.
They’re also useful because you can usually access a recording of the discussion later on, although it’s not always easy to extract it for use elsewhere. Once you do, though, you have a recording that you can share again and again or repurpose for other platforms.
You do need to have a moderator, or co-host, as trolls can pop in and be really unpleasant on some platforms. If you are hosting alone, you will find it really distracting.
Top Tip: vary your media to appeal to different ‘learning’ styles. Not everyone’s a reader / listener / viewer
Mobile First = Right Time and Place
You no longer have any control over the device your customers and audience use, so adopt a mobile first approach. Your website, blog, social media and email need to look good on mobile. Full stop.
Google now penalises you if your website is not mobile friendly by not presenting you in mobile search results. But mobile friendly is more than just templates, images and fonts. It’s also the chance to create content in real time, on the go, capturing the moment.
Guess what… all the social media platforms have a bias towards ‘live’ social media activity versus scheduled. So, make sure you have the apps for your social media accounts on your phone and get posting.
The Right Place
Success will depend on picking the right social media platform to connect you with your target customers.
I recommend picking just one, then adding more once you’re comfortable with each one and you know why you’re using it.
The most important thing, beyond finding your customers on social media, is making sure you show up only where (and when) you are welcome. Otherwise, expect to be ignored.
Top Tip: research and test to find the social media platform where customers are most happy to hear from you. Otherwise, you may just become ‘background noise’.
Scheduling your content requires a bit of advance planning, but it’s a more efficient way of working and allows you to create better content and posts. Remember mobile first – if it works and looks right on mobile, it’ll work anywhere.
When you invest time in thinking and planning, you create something meaningful and of better quality. Quality trumps quantity every day of the week.
Repetition of messages, links to content (content seeding) and sharable content will help you reach your customer at the right time in their customer journey.
Top Tip: ‘mobile first’ and mobile friendly – brief copy, clear images and subtitles for silent ‘viewers’.
The Right Message
Make sure you’re really making an effort to post content that’s interesting to your target customer, rather than just updates about your brand, products and services.
Have you developed your buyer personas yet? It will help you focus on them.
It’s fine to have a mixture of content formats and topics. It’s also fine to have some messages that are about you, your brand and products, but always flip it on its head: what’s in it for your readers?
Can you turn it into a benefit in some way?
Top Tip: your customer is at the epicentre of their own universe.
Remember, it’s all about them…
Build It, or Buy It
There’s probably no point in buying followers, because they won’t convert to customers. It’s better to attract followers gradually, based on genuine affinity, as they may well want to become your customers one day. Using a scheduling tool can save you time and send out content on your behalf to keep engaging with these people.
Top Tip: bought contact data & social media followers are the hardest to convert.
Are your Goals for Social Media ‘SMART’ Enough?
There are so many different ways of communicating with people now, and like with learning styles, we all have our preferences. But, think about what your target customers really like, and give them what they want.
Top Tip: be selective, focus on quality and be realistic about how much social media can add to your marketing.
And the most important tip, last
Consistency is vital. Plan, schedule and post good quality content on a regular basis. Curate and share others’ good quality content too. Remember the 80:20 rule.
It may take a while to build you social media audience but ask yourself:
Question: How long do you intend to be in business anyway?
When you look at it this way, you can see why building a following doesn’t need to happen overnight.
We hope you enjoy Mobile First and Live Streaming Video Help You Succeed in Social Media.
Why not check out the other blogs in the series:
- The Three ‘Rs’ of Social Media Success
- Know the Right Place for Social Media Success
- How do You Know the Right Time for Your Customers on Social Media
- Get the Right Message: Get their Attention
- Build Your Social Media Following versus Buying Reach and Followers
- Are your Goals ‘SMART’ Enough for Social Media Success?
If you like video, check out our recording of this fascinating topic and give your social media a rethink.
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Photo by Rahul Chakraborty on Unsplash