- Welcome to The Journey.
Today, we're gonna talk about
how to create a social media strategy for the new normal.
- So, if you're someone who takes pride
in your online or social media presence,
the past year has proven to be quite the challenge
to navigate responsibly.
Between a global health crisis, civil unrest,
and a major U.S. presidential election,
when it comes to your posts,
it can be hard to know what to do.
- But even with all of that uncertainty,
that doesn't mean that you need to create
a social media strategy from scratch.
It just means that we need to change how we approach it
to be successful today, tomorrow,
and no matter what the future throws at us.
So let's take a look at
how this affects your content decisions,
and then some specific steps that you can take to make
your social media marketing strategy implementations easier.
- Start with humanity.
People are at the heart of every business.
The people who built it, the people who run it,
and the people who buy from it every day.
In fact, every brand is a human brand,
whether we've been treating them as such or not.
So when you're working to create your social media strategy,
moving forward, consider what feels the most human.
- Even when we can't connect face-to-face,
we turn to social media to help build connections.
You can become human by embracing the less polished side
of social media, including doing live videos
from wherever you are,
whether that's in your office, retail space, or home.
- Our next advice, be understanding.
A key part of being human is handling all the emotions
that come with it.
From sadness to anger, to despondence,
and of course, joy, happiness, and excitement.
Not only accepting, but embracing
and supporting the range of emotions
that your customers are feeling
as you create a social media strategy
will help you build stronger relationships with them
in the short and long term.
- And you should have an outward focus.
The days of your social media messages focusing on
what your business is all about are over.
Starting today, your social posts
should focus on your customers and your audience.
Share their stories as well as the benefits
of working with you
and the benefits your customers will achieve.
This is a great time to review and embrace your brand story.
And, especially, applying the lessons
from building a StoryBrand to ensure
that your followers can see where they fit.
All that sums down to is focus on how you help your audience
and how you solve their problems.
- Yeah, which tees up the nice tip, add value.
Adding value isn't about selling to add to your bottom line.
As consumers, we go on social media for a couple of reasons,
build relationships to learn and also be entertained, right?
So as business owners, we can add value to the platforms
through the tone and content of our messages,
through how we create a social media strategy.
And this could be as simple as explaining
how to do something related to your industry,
information on resources helpful to your audience,
or sharing a list of local sites
that offer COVID-19 testing.
I know one of my favorite hobbies
that I already had pre-COVID,
but especially has blossomed, is cooking.
So I was watching this little local bakery
on an Instagram story, going through the steps on
how to bake something and it just inspired me,
and it got me excited,
and it was educational and entertaining.
And it really resonates to this day
that bakery that I watched back in April.
- Emma, I'm a little disappointed
you haven't sent me any yet
but I'll move on with the video.
So, you wanna focus on engagement.
Your customers all have at least one thing in common.
They all support your business.
Though, the types of posts
that drive engagement and communication,
you can help them connect with you and each other.
It's all about community.
And while you're maintaining brand awareness and engagement,
sales will come naturally.
We wanna support the businesses that make us feel good.
- So, also, don't forget to customize your content.
You're going to see a lot of generic advice out there,
including the advice in this video
about how to post on social media in the future.
But to be really successful,
you need to take the elements that work from that advice
and customize it to your own brand
as you work to create a social media strategy.
So, consider how you can build long lasting relationships
with your customers.
And also ask yourself,
what do they always ask you about?
How can you change the way you serve them?
- Yeah, and gyms fitness instructors,
and maybe physical therapists can create at home routines
to share along with virtual challenges
to build and maintain in their communities.
I know I follow a chiropractor on TikToK
that shows me different ways I can stretch out my back
from sitting in my chair all day
now that I'm working from home
and doing my side hustle from home,
and it's helped out a ton.
The possibilities are absolutely endless
with a touch of creativity.
- And be sure to build collaborations.
One of the best ways to expand your community
is through partnerships.
So you could work with individuals
with complimentary businesses, like a restaurant
and a specialty spice shop.
Also, partners like artists teaching virtual classes
with their art supply shops or galleries.
- And the thing I love about social media is
that you're not limited to the people in your own area.
You can build collaborations with people in other states
or other countries, really all over the world.
And really find businesses and individuals
who have brand messages that align with your brands,
so that both your audience's benefit.
- And listen, don't forget the listen.
Social media is not just about
broadcasting your messages, right?
It's also a powerful listening tool
to better understand what your customers
and your community needs.
And no matter what type of business you're in,
you'll be able to create a new product, new services,
and improve your existing lineup
when you're actually engaging in the conversation
rather than using your social feed as a megaphone.
- Yeah, that listening plays a huge role
in the success of a business.
And now, another tip we have for you is just to be flexible.
And I don't mean just flexible with your body
but flexible with your social media.
The rules of engagement in our world
are changing faster than ever before.
Pay attention to changing signals, changing rules,
and just changing norms in general.
So even if you've got your social media scheduled out
for the next several weeks, you'll need to be flexible
in your approach and be willing to pause
or just change directions if you need to,
and ultimately be human.
And if you make a mistake, own up to it,
apologize and figure out how to do better.
- Yeah, and take a break when you need to.
That's a good reminder.
It's okay to take a breather
from social media from time to time.
I know I have done that with Instagram since,
well, the past three months.
But by using scheduling tools,
you can make this seem almost seamless.
You'll just need to check in regularly
to address any comments or questions that you get.
And you can also be transparent and let your followers know
that, "Hey, I'm taking a break from social media."
And give them other channels to contact you.
There are multiple platforms, right?
And pausing certain channels is a great tactic to use
if you've scaled back on staffing
and don't have the resources to manage multiple platforms.
- That is fantastic.
But where do you go from here?
Well, start by evaluating how you've been doing
with your social media so far and how you want to change.
Then clearly define your brand voice
and map out your content calendar.
And with those ingredients,
you'll create a social media strategy
that you can be proud of.
- All right, that's a wrap.
You just learned how to create a social media strategy
for the new normal.
Be sure to comment below
and also be sure to subscribe to our channel.
- And ring that bell to be the first to know
when we drop new episodes like this.
This is The Journey, we'll see you next time.