Relationship-Based Digital Marketing Agency

IMPRINT DIGITAL

social media strategy

Times are changing. One of my good childhood friends, Bob Dylan, put it this way&#8230;



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
Come gather &#8217;round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You&#8217;ll be drenched to the bone If your time to you is worth savin&#8217; And you better start swimmin&#8217; Or you&#8217;ll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin&#8217;
<cite>The Times They Are A-Changin&#8217; Song by Bob Dylan 1964</cite></blockquote>



The time to start swimming is now. 



There is a common thought that cutting the marketing budget during an economic downturn is a way to save and cut costs to make it through a recession. History proves this is a horrible idea.



But today I bring you a contrarian thought!



You may need to cut your budget in certain areas. You may not be able to afford your full-time marketing person anymore. Your paid budget may be bloated and you need to creatively approach your social media, reviews, and content strategy. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Social strategy = Best Kept Secret</h2>



Social media is an incredible tool for storytelling. Social is where people spend most of their time. Social is like a movie, a feed of information to escape and to engage with funny, interesting, and engaging content. 



The best thing your brand can do is to tell your brand&#8217;s story through social with comical, encouraging, informative, and helpful content. 



&#8220;Going viral&#8221; used to be a rare and coveted thing to happen. With how social channels and organic algorithms are working, one small piece of content can rocket an individual or brand into visibility and awareness that used to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How humans have failed at communication</h2>



Remember the saying &#8220;you have 2 ears and 1 mouth.&#8221;



^ This saying is WILDLY relevant to social media. 



So many brands create content to simply create. They don&#8217;t pay attention to current events, popular sounds, songs, or ideas. They just create for their own benefit and visibility. People see through the self-serving intention!



Let me say that again&#8230; People see through the self-serving intention!!!



Most brands &#8220;sink like a stone&#8221; as our pal Bob Dylan said above&#8230; They create content that doesn&#8217;t mean users are where they are. Content should be made for users based on where they are, how they are engaging with the internet, and in a fun and approachable and memorable way. We are all human after all!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cutting to the chase</h2>



Your old ways of marketing won&#8217;t cut it. Your old approaches won&#8217;t work. Lazy marketing deserves to be cut. What has worked over the last 13 years in creating your growth won&#8217;t be the same playbook you used over the next decade. 



The sooner you are intentional to connect with your audience and the internet at large, the more success you will find. Don&#8217;t get me wrong, target markets still matter, but we are talking &#8220;word of mouth&#8221; here. 



Create fun, engaging, trust-building, and valuable content that relates to your audience. You will generate engagement, engagement leads to visibility, visibility to lead flow, and lead flow means &#8220;it is time to close some sales&#8221;.



We are here to help. Give us a shout below and we will help craft a strategy that won&#8217;t leave you sinking like a stone. Because the times are changing&#8230;

Social is the secret to word-of-mouth marketing in a recession

In 2022 Social Media presence is an absolute must. 



The real question is, what is the best way to approach social? How do you add the most value? Consumers are very discerning and read through the BS.



Social media strategy gives you the structure you need to make a material impact.



I am going to break down 7 of the most important things you must consider when building your social strategy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Identify &amp; Know your Audience</h2>



Whatever your business goals are, reverse engineer and think about who your audience. The answer is not for everyone. 



Think about who your core customers are or will be, and consider what social platforms they use daily. 



We have seen hundreds of brands post willy nilly without considering their audience and platform and get zero results. 



When you know your audience and post material relevant and valuable to them, you get engaging responses and build a following.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Be Real. We are all humans afterall</h2>



The worst thing is when a brand is overly corporate and unrelatable. Remeber that at the end of every device is a human.



One of the best things you can do is show off the faces behind your brand. At Imprint, you can see how we put a focus on showing our team, our faces, and making a connection before we actually speak to our customers!



Allowing people to experience your team and culture before the relationship starts is valuable. (You won&#8217;t believe how many people resist this at times)



So differentiate yourself, showcase your team, and communicate with intention like you would with friends and family.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Relationships &gt; Followers</h2>



How have you felt when someone used you?



They were in it for themselves. Right? It is the same way with social. Do not use social for what you can get out of it. You have to add value and build relationships.



Would you rather have 100k followers and zero engagement, or 250 followers and 25-40 engagements per post? 



The engagement is a signal that there is a connection. Seek connection and relationships with your audience and you will find success.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Schedule and Automate</h2>



I LOVE real time social media management. It is culturally aware and personalized.



But lets be honest,



It is hard to manage profiles in real time all day every day. This is why you should write and schedule social posts for your brand. It may take some work, but you can actually build a process workflow to make this easy.



Whatever your #1 social channel is, write some posts at the start of the week and schedule them out. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Video and Visuals</h2>



Video is the most powerful tool. Quality graphics still make a great impact as well. But video is the content king.



DO NOT SHOOT PROFESSIONALLY.



While pro video is great, people want AUTHENTICITY! You can shoot directly from your phone and get Incredible Results! 



Think about it. Everything on Instagram, Tik Tok, and Snapchat. It is mostly phone! 



Do not underestimate the value of organic, naturally shot video!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Consistency</h2>



It is easy to get hyped for a week or two then fall off. One of the most important things is consistency.



If you have never heard of Pareto&#8217;s Principle I will Google it for you.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-style-default"><img decoding="async" src="https://sbx-dev.imprint-digital.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image.png" alt="" class="wp-image-2874"/></figure>



Consistency matters. This is why 20% of Brands control 80% of the market. This is why a small % of people hold most wealth, land, etc. Those who add value, do the work, and are consistent get the results!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Trending Topics</h2>



This is the most active approach, but following trending topics and responding to what is going on culturally is a way to be insanely relatable!



When news drops, or something big happens, social is where you hear it first.



Be in the mix, chime in, take part in the online community with your own narrative, voice and approach.



I hope this helped 🙂 



These are just a few tips to get you going on your social management journey. With consistency, intentionality, and a relatable approach your brand will stand out from the 80% who do not consider these things! Go crush it! 



Get a free social audit or chat more with our team, just reach out below 🙂 We would love to say hello!



?

Social media makes it easier than ever to establish a business. Always remember that you may boost your social media presence.

social media strategy

Social is the secret to word-of-mouth marketing in a recession

7 Tips to Improve Social Media Presence