You ‘ve probably used social media already to keep in touch with friends and family, and maybe you enjoy watching short videos on Instagram, TikTok or youTube for education or entertainment. But promoting your own content and getting your business seen out there is a whle different ballgame.
I first wrote this post in 2011, and looking back over it, I was amazed at how out of date and out of touch it was. So I chucked my original 10 tips out of the window, and here is my new list of things to focus on in 2024 and beyond.
How to Achieve Social Media Success in 2024
1: Define Your Goals:
Before diving into social media, it’s essential to outline what you hope to achieve. Whether it’s increasing blog traffic, making sales, building brand awareness, or engaging with your audience and building a community, having clear objectives will guide your strategy.
2: Know Your Audience:
Get very clear in your mind who you are talking to. Who is the target customer for your website and your products, services and expertise? Understanding your target audience is key to creating relevant and engaging content. Research their demographics, interests, and online behaviours to tailor your posts effectively. Try to figure out what they need to know, what questions do they need answers for? Then create content on your website and socials that answers those questions.
3: Choose the Right Social Media Platforms:
Not all social media platforms are created equal. Focus on the platforms where your target audience is most active, and also the platforms where you feel most comfortable and authentic. For a parenting blog, platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook may be particularly effective.
4: Consistent Branding:
Maintain a consistent brand image across your website and all your social media channels. Use the same logo, colour scheme, and tone of voice to establish brand recognition and credibility. Decide whether or not you are going to show your face and be the public image of your brand or whether you will use a logo or avatar and carry that through consistently
5: Create Compelling Content:
Content is king on social media. You wil of course have great content on your blog and website that you can use, but different channels need content in different forms. Some channels like images, others like video, others like a short and pithy quote or a long form article.
Produce high-quality, valuable content for each channel that resonates with your audience there. This could include blog posts, videos, infographics, or user-generated content.
6: Engage with Your Audience on Social Media:
Social media is a two-way street. Don’t just broadcast your message – spend time every day actively engaging with your audience by responding to comments, asking questions, and participating in conversations. Go and look at the things that your followers are posting and start conversations on their platforms. If they answer you and you start conversing then they are more likely to see your posts going forward.
7: Use Quality Visuals:
Visual content tends to perform better on social media, particularly on Instagram and Pinterest. Incorporate eye-catching images, videos, and graphics into your posts to grab users’ attention and increase engagement.
8: Optimise Posting Times:
Pay attention to when your audience is most active on social media and schedule your posts accordingly. Experiment with different posting times to determine the optimal schedule for reaching your followers. For example parents of school aged children may be most active just after school drop off time, just before school pick up time, and possibly for a while after that if they are waiting for children doing after-school activities, and then again just after the bedtimes of young children.
Weekends and school holiday times are likely to be less predictable.
9: Use Hashtags Wisely:
Hashtags can help increase the visibility of your posts and attract new followers. Research relevant hashtags in your niche and incorporate them into your content strategically. There is evidence to suggest that hashtags are less important in 2024 than they have been in recent years, and stuffing an Instagram post with 30 hashtags is not the way forward any nore. Choose a couple of relvant hashtags for each post.
10: Analyse and Adjust:
Regularly monitor your social media performance using analytics tools. Look at your success on each channel and also the click through rates onto your website from each channel. Pay attention to metrics like engagement, reach, and click-through rates to assess what’s working and what’s not. Use this data to refine your strategy and make informed decisions moving forward.
There are a lot of things to think about and learn when developing a social media strategy and it is unusual to be a big success overnight. Conistency is key – keep trying different ideas and watching and learning to see what works best for you
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Super post! Really concise and informative, especially for a beginner like me! 👍