SOCIAL MEDIA RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
I have a love/hate relationship with social media. One day I love it. The next day I hate it. And so I do not pretend to know everything there is to know about Instagram. But, I have certainly read a lot, practiced a lot, failed a lot and along the way, seen a small amount of success. So below I have compiled a list of the things I’ve learnt about social media. The things I absolutely know to be true in a world which is at best, ever changing. To me, social media is both a marketing tactic that should not be ignored as well as a smaller piece of your overall brand strategy puzzle. Consider these some basic rules of engagement.
EXPERIMENT ALWAYS
Social media is driven by newness; what’s hot, what’s new, what’s now. And generally the first time you do something will always be the best and most impactful. So it’s really important to just keep experimenting. Keep pushing forward. Because, as I have learnt, there is no blanket answer to the question of social media success and one size most definitely does not fit all. You need to keep learning and to do that, you need to keep trying new things. Check your insights regularly, see what posts are getting the most engagement and do more of that. Quality content is expected. It won’t make you stand out. But doing, showing, sharing something new will.
BE SOCIAL
Yep, it’s called ‘social’ media for a reason. Collective communication shared between groups of people. Humans. And we’re a social, curious, pack-like bunch. So share your little slice of life, be bold, engage and interact. Consistently wherever possible. As in once a day. Minimum. Take a look around the vast landscape of the internet, find 6 accounts similar to yours and engage with their followers. Tell a story. Your story. Because ‘all you’ve really got is your own point of view’ (thanks Susan Naci).
THINK LONG TERM
Anything worth having takes time to bring to life. As in, deliberately manifest into something you love. And something you’re proud of. Think about your long term vision when posting on social media. Does this single image fit into my overall brand aesthetic? Does it contribute to my message or communicate in my chosen tone of voice? Curate your feed like it’s an art gallery. Choose a style. Two, three colours max. And make it pretty.
ADD VALUE
This should be the thought process behind every.single.post. How can I add value today? Will my audience value what I’m about to show them? This is one of the most common social media struggles. But, it doesn’t have to be. Design your social content so it fits into one of the following ‘value categories’ and always remember to apply the good old 80/20 rule when it comes to promotion; 80% value, 20% promotional content.
Share – your day, what you’ve been up to, what’s happening in your business right now, behind the scenes, sneak peeks.
Participate – in popular calendar moments, trending news, what’s happening at New York Fashion Week.
Advise – impart your wisdom on your chosen field of expertise.
Inspire – #inspo doesn’t really need explaining but generally keep it within your industry.
Entertain – almost everything we do, we are seeking entertainment; going out for dinner, going to the movie, catching up with friends aaand scrolling through social media.
HAVE FUN
‘Entertain’ is one of the value categories for a reason. Social media is supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be light hearted, positive, silly, amusing. The moment is becomes negative, competitive, snarky, out of touch, it’s not fun. It’s toxic. And so everyone should be striving to make our social world a better place. Do your bit and always take the high road. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Be nice. Have fun. And keep it all in perspective.
STAY SMART
Social media algorithms are constantly changing and updating, adapting to how you use each platform in an attempt to show you more of what you enjoy most. They are incredibly smart so be sure you are too. Regularly update your Instagram, Facebook and twitter apps. These platforms introduce new aspects and amendments all the time. They want you to try out stories, like comments on your feed, post up to 30 hashtags and use video whenever you can. They introduced the functionality for all these things for a single purpose. To drive even more engagement and social interaction. So (see point 1) - have a go, try, test, fail. Repeat. Succeed. You get the idea.