This week, I looked back at the 2012 Social Media Resolutions blog that I wrote last year and couldn’t help but laugh. Needless to say, last year’s social media resolutions are passé. With all of the changes that have taken place, I thought it would be appropriate to create 5 more new and improved resolutions that will help you kick 2013 off in the right direction. Take into consideration: social media is no longer a question of “if”, it’s a question of “how”. Here are some ideas to get your wheels spinning in 2013.
Social Media in the U.S. has increased 356% in six years (HubSpot)
Create an Editorial Calendar: The greater part of last year was probably spent dipping your toes in with social media—getting comfortable, acquainted, and accepting. This year, it’s vital to start swimming. One step you can take is to create an editorial calendar. This will take a lot of the last minute improvisation out of your strategy. Solidify dates, times, topics, promotional strategies, keyword lists, author assignments, etc. for the upcoming year.
Research Successes and Failures from Last Year: Did you notice any major successes or epic fails last year? What types of posts got the most engagement on your social platforms? What blog posts got the most readership and visits? Which
emails got the highest click-through rates? Take the successes from last year and weave them into your new and improved social media and marketing strategy more frequently this year.
Know the places where your audience is at: If you went to a business gathering or party, you’d probably have an agenda of some sort, right? If not, it would be a waste of your time. The same applies for social media. You must have an agenda of who you want to reach, where they
are at, and what they want to hear. Take a little time this year to discover and go where where your audience congregates online. Last month, FSM composed a blog “20 Ways for Financial Advisors to Reach Boomers on Social Media”. This kind of “out-of-the-box” brainstorming will help you better reach quality prospects.
Aim to Create More Videos: In 2012, YouTube had over 800 million unique user visits and 4 billion hours of video viewed each month. Those statistics, combined with the boom of smart phones will make YouTube a dangerously powerful platform in 2013. In fact, according to BusinessNews Daily claims, “those looking to develop their mobile presence, without having a mobile video strategy, will find they continue to disappoint customers and lose market share”. This year, make a point to explore video so you’re not left behind in the months and years to come.
- Keep it short (30-90 seconds)
- Use humor, if possible
- Create a schedule
- Cross promote
- Pay attention to analytics
- Optimize titles and use tags
Solidify KPI’s and Metrics: As you may already know, KPI and ROI are two of most elusive aspects of social media. In 2013, they are going to be issues that come more to the forefront. I suggest selecting some KPI’s that are meaningful to your business and keeping track of them in the upcoming months. The top social media platforms have places where you can analyze metrics. But it’s also important that your business determines what is valuable to measure. Here are some ideas:
- Network volume/# of followers
- Website traffic from social media
- Blog traffic from social media
- Applause rate/engagement
- Event and webinar attendance
- Organic Traffic (traffic resulting from search engines)
- Customer satisfaction and crisis control
In the upcoming year, you will begin to watch as the evolution of social media unfolds. What are some resolutions your business has made?
I need your help and direction. I am nervious
about the, how to, and the costs. Thanks, Tom.