No marketing communications plan would be complete without social media, and, like every strategy, there are always new trends to watch and new methods to try. But just like individuals’ social media accounts can be accused of being overly curated or not representative, so too can organizations’. Authenticity should be woven into every post; at GRAPHEK, we often discover that our best-performing posts are the ones that share a little of what’s behind the curtain. Yes, we can share completed, refined work and lean into our metrics to make sure we’re reaching target audiences – but we must remember that people are drawn to people and the stories that make us – and our organizations – relatable.
KiKi L’Italien, CEO of Amplified Growth, helps organizations strengthen ties between their mission and their members through social media. After partnering with her to fine-tune our strategy and tapping into the skills of our own social media lead, Justine Gaetano, we became more purposeful, both in scheduling our posts and in our techniques for engaging with our audience.
“There’s massive growth in the social media sphere, and it’s a Genie that’s not going back in the bottle,” L’Italien said. “Video content, moving graphics, YouTube shorts, TikTok and Instagram reels, Facebook stories … people are consuming content on every platform, and my number-one piece of advice is to create bite-size video content; take a long-form video and reduce it down to a short clip, or do a voice over with existing video, and suddenly it’ll be transformed into a podcast or interview look-alike. It’s engaging without requiring expensive production – just repurpose what you already have. And, it works; a study has shown that posts with moving graphics average 94 percent more views. It’s tough to argue with that kind of ROI.”
Advances in graphics – even simple gifs – also mean that being camera shy won’t affect your ability to produce content (although with so many of us now regularly video-conferencing, this has become less of an issue!). Whether you add a flickering filter, repurpose old video, or create new, keep in mind that many viewers will forgive slightly sub-par video quality but are less forgiving with sound. Invest in a great mic!
A few remaining musts for any social media strategy include keeping posts consistent with your brand in terms of visuals and messaging, and choosing platforms based on your target’s audiences usage patterns. If you start creating video content, keep in mind that YouTube is the second-most used search engine in the world, so anything you produce will be long-lasting (unlike TikTok or Instagram stories, which disappear after 24 hours). Also, don’t think of a post as a one-hit wonder: Once you’ve invested in it, created it, and posted it, encourage ambassadors and micro-influencers – supporters who regularly support your work – to like, share, or comment to allow algorithms to expand its reach. And, don’t be afraid to share it more than once! Change up the wording and post it again, even to some of the same channels – you’ll reach different people every time.
Lastly, have fun with positive content. Be the feed that consistently lifts people up and injects optimism, because that’s the brand that will gain a loyal following.
