Getting it right on social media is more important than ever before. The instant nature of communication and response leaves businesses with few places to hide. A business’ social channels are often the first point of call for customers, who are looking for a quick and easily digestible way to learn about the company. So, as we get closer to a new decade of exciting social media developments, let’s look at a few ways you can strengthen your social content offering in 2020.
A rock solid tone of voice
Would your customers recognise you instantly, just from your chat on social? If the answer’s no, then listen up. Tone of voice should be top of your priorities when it comes to marketing your business on social. So, talk to your audience in a way they’ll understand; not everyone can be the Innocent brand and nor should they be, it’s about finding a voice that suits you and your offering. Also, think about consistency – the key to sustained engagement. If you’re relaxed and conversational one minute, and business-like the next, your customers will be left confused and unable to make progress in the sales funnel. Check out @SlackHQ for an example to write by.
Visuals that ‘pop!’
What’s the first thing your eye is drawn to on social media? Yes, the message is important but it’s the imagery that does the work upfront.
“Today, people have an attention span of fewer than nine seconds, or less than a goldfish.”
We process images at lightening speed and so they’re the most effective way to grab people’s attention without asking them to make too much effort. Plus research has shown that “a social media post accompanied by a photo is ten times more likely to get engagement.” The stats don’t lie, so when choosing images think about your customers’ interests and make them relevant, use a variety of formats, try infographics, a colour theme or maybe even a consistent filter. Humans are naturally drawn to other humans, so imagery that features a face or a group of people is also always a winner. As with tone of voice, your brand on social should be instantly recognisable and consistent across platforms.
Storytelling
The crux of all good content: telling a captivating story. And this goes for social too. Across all your channels, defining themes and telling the story of your brand is a great way to keep customers engaged and make sure (without them even knowing it) they progress down the sales funnel. So, at the beginning of each month, define your theme across content, language and imagery, make a plan of how this translates across the different channels and how the content should be scheduled to keep your customers engaged. This consistency keeps your message clear, so customers know what they’re getting and when they’re getting it.
Be the god of customer service
Interacting with your customers, satisfying queries, quashing doubt, all the hallmarks of a successful customer service strategy. But being a customer service god doesn’t just mean sticking an automated assistant on your website, it’s so much more than that. It means being able to talk to your customers in a way that puts them as ease, gives them the answers they’re looking for and endears them to your business even more. So, what’s the trick? You guessed it, social media. When you’ve captured that rock solid tone of voice, put it to good use – talk to your customers in the way they’re used to and provide them with the answers they need.
CTA is everything
A short one, but equally as important as the rest. You can write the best social media post that’s ever existed, but if at the end of it the reader doesn’t know what to do next, then you’ve failed. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule – such as if you’re sharing a fact, but even so there should always exist a link to take you to more interesting information. A call to action should be concise, direct and clear and often it’s best to put it at the beginning of a post, because then even if nothing else is absorbed the reader will know what you want them to do.
Implement all of these tips and you’ll be on your way to having a social media content strategy beneficial for both your business and your customers’ sales experiences.
Stay informed on the latest trends in content marketing with the January issue of The Knowledge, available for free download here.