the rise in social media _

Every year, social media gets more and more complex, competitive, and harder to manage.

New platforms pop up. The expectation surrounding the quality of content goes up. The algorithms change. New features appear. The nature and the style of content evolves over time. And, the cost of marketing and social media expertise increases along with it.

Some Context:

Let’s use Instagram as an example.

When Instagram first launched, there was only one type of content you could post: photos.

However now, Instagrammers have to think about the following:

  • Stories,
  • Reels,
  • Lives,
  • Video (short and long-form content),
  • Photography,
  • linktr.ee/link in bios,
  • Instagram shopping,
  • The text/copy used in every post,
  • Hashtags,
  • And paid social.

And let’s not forget that this is just for ONE platform. What about Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Clubhouse, LinkedIn, and YouTube? The list goes on and on and on…

Especially if you consider that in this day and age, most companies are creating content professionally, either in-house, through an agency, or via a freelancer. And camera equipment and editing suites aren’t cheap, either.

To be frank, social media has become a business in itself. Hence the colossal rise in the influencer sector, where now, people literally do this for living. And it’s going to get more complex, more demanding, and more expensive as time goes by.

That being said, social media is NOT something to be neglected. It’s arguably one of the best sources of marketing there is, and the potential reach is practically limitless. Sooo, with that in mind, how do we keep up with the rising social media demands? And how do we get results that drive a genuine ROI (return on investment)? Here’s our top five tips:

Outsource It

The good news is, the “marketplacisation” of goods and services, and the rise in home-working has led to the increasing use of freelancer marketplaces, such as Fiverr.com

Whether it’s a few social media banners you need, or a 60-second video clip you’re looking for, in this day and age, you can outsource it on the cheap.

However, language barriers can compromise the quality of your content, so hiring a freelancer or an agency in most cases – will lead to better quality, a better service, and a better experience.

Hire Someone In

Or, you can hire someone in part or full-time who’s an expert in the field.

Whilst this isn’t necessarily the cheapest option, the advantage you’ll have is that they’ll be on hand whenever you need them, and they’ll have more focus than a freelancer who may be juggling multiple demands at once.

And, they’ll gradually learn how you like things done, and they’ll produce better results with time.

Create A Monthly Content Calendar

Mapping out your weekly or monthly content calendar in advance will not only create more consistency with your content, but you can be sure that all key initiatives will be mentioned. Everything will be done ahead of time, so you’ll never miss a post again. All you’ll have to do is post your content manually, or use scheduling software.

However, this can be time-consuming, and it can require a lot of creative thought, resources, and you may need a hand. Once again, consider hiring a freelancer, an agency, or some personnel to do this for you, as coming up with the right content ideas, executing them correctly, and planning everything in advance is a skill within itself.

Analytics

In this day and age, data is key.

You can download reports from every social media platform, or use analytics software to work out which posts are most popular, what times to post, and how to power-up your strategy for the best results. Once again, this is a skill within itself, and if you’re going to hire a freelancer, agency, or a new member of staff, make sure they understand how to navigate the complexities of social media analytics, as data is everything in social media.

Getting Results: Be Strategic

It’s all well and good taking on his mammoth task or hiring in additional expertise, however, the key objective should be to get results. So whether that’s gaining more followers to increase exposure, or driving clicks to a page, social media should be goal driven, and the only way you can achieve these goals is to have the correct strategy in place. The best social media managers are strategy geniuses.

To Conclude:

It doesn’t matter how you do it, but it has to be done. At Wirebox in Milton Keynes, we’re experts when it comes to social media. We know how to use social media to drive results through strategic planning and action, high quality content, and data.