What changes in the social media climate have you seen in the last couple of years? Does your business depend on social media for marketing or any other function? Are you noticing any impacts do these changes?
It is pardonable to be defeated, but never to be surprised.
Frederick the Great
Can you change? Of course you can. Everybody changes every day. But how versatile, agile, and quickly can you adapt yourself and your organization to stay relevant in today’s society?
Organizations are always evolving. What’s different now, is that we set a new speed record of change on a daily basis. Technology gives us unprecedented possibilities. And this sea of opportunities is pushing the traditional bureaucratic, controlled and hierarchical organization into an identity crisis.
And pay attention to what Frederick the Great had to say, it is ok to be defeated, just not surprised. So take heed of trends ahead of you.
If you own a company or are responsible for marketing or advertising in any way, shape, or form, you need to understand the way that today’s social media world works.
What’s more, you also need to be in tune with future possibilities, and to be ready to adapt to changes in the digital realm.
When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, one of the first things he did was develop a marketing campaign to rebrand the ailing enterprise. Leveraging IBM’s long-running “Think” campaign, Apple urged its customers to “Think Different.” The TV spots began, “Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes…”
The truth is that while people like the idea of being different, real change is always built on common ground. Differentiation builds devotion among adherents, but to bring new people in, you need to make an idea accessible and that means focusing on values that you share with outsiders, rather than those that stir the passions of insiders. That’s how you win
This year is expected to be, and already has been to a certain extent, a volatile year for social media.
And as someone responsible for anything to do with social media, learning new trends should always be at the top of your agenda.
Here is an excellent story highlighting a trend.
In 1960 two men made a bet. There was only $50 on the line, but millions of people would feel the impact of this little wager. The first man, Bennett Cerf, was the founder of the publishing firm, Random House.
The second man was named Theo Geisel, but you probably know him as Dr. Seuss. Cerf proposed the bet and challenged that Dr. Seuss would not be able to write an entertaining children’s book using only 50 different words. Dr. Seuss took the bet and won. The result was a little book called Green Eggs and Ham.
Since publication, Green Eggs and Ham has sold more than 200 million copies, making it the most popular of Seuss’s works and one of the best-selling children’s books in history. At first glance, you might think this was a lucky fluke. A talented author plays a fun game with 50 words and ends up producing a hit.
But there is actually more to this story and the lessons in it can help us become more creative and stick to better habits over the long-run.
Here are some more ideas we suggest how you should begin to adapt:
Social media climate: be flexible or else
While plenty of talented marketing professionals have made predictions for how the social media marketing world will look in the coming year and the future in general, no one knows which new sites will spring up and become the next Facebook or Twitter.
However, it is always wise to be constantly checking the current social media predictions as well as being aware of new trends, sites, and applications and anything and everything else that is constantly arising on the web.
Keeping a finger on the pulse of not just what’s appealing, but what large amounts of people are using, will ensure an audience for any future efforts of your own.
Keeping pace with the social and mobile web
Uses of social media.
We all know that the internet moves more quickly than any other communication medium, and this presents both unique challenges and opportunities for marketers.
Making sure that you’re not only up to speed with the latest platforms, but innovating and figuring out how to take advantage of them is integral.
After all, you need to be where your audience is–whether that is Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn, or newer mobile messaging platforms like Snapchat, Kik, or WhatsApp.
That starts with actively participating yourself. If you don’t understand how a given platform works on a personal level, how can you effectively use it to market your company or brand?
Content marketing, social signals, and search engine optimization
The value of social media marketing extends beyond the actual social media sites that you have a presence on. Having a popular and positive presence on social media means much more than the size of your immediate fan base and how they connect with your content.
It can have a powerful effect on your search engine rankings.
Types of social media.
Google, Yahoo, and Bing all use social media posts, reviews, and general sentiment as a ranking factor, so having a strong presence can help improve your position in the search engine results pages for relevant keywords.
Therefore, it is important to keep in mind the fact that today’s social media climate is all-encompassing in the sense that people can not only view your content at any time or anywhere.
Content marketing and social media, in general, isn’t really about just written text anymore. Images, video, Vines, and other assorted .gifs might be the most interesting options for brands this year and going forward.
What’s more, users are starting to expect multimedia content on various sites, and that trend will only continue. You can even consider offering services not found on most other sites to attract a new or unexpected user base.
The bottom line
To succeed in social media of the future, you need to think of your brand or company as a content curator or even as a publisher. You’re creating content that your customers will enjoy and share, regardless of where you post it.
There is a reason why some change leaders succeed while others fail. At some point everybody needs to decide whether they would rather make a point or make a difference and, in the end, those that prevail choose the latter.
That said, you need to make sure they see it, so the location or platform still matters, along with any associated advertising and making sure it all of the above are optimized for mobile.
We’d love to hear how you are planning on updating and improving your company or brand’s social media in the coming year in the comment section below.
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy improving your marketing, branding, and advertising?
Do you have a lesson about making your marketing strategy better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add to the section below?
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.
More reading on marketing strategy from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
