6 WAYS TO KILL IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN 2018

Rock Your Social Media in 2018!

Check out this quick video recap of the blog below!!

Out with the old and in with 2018!! I hope you are ready for it! If not, and you are still planning out your content for 2018 you definitely need to keep reading! 2018 will be all about giving the user what they want when it comes to social media. Keeping the users happy means that we have to grow, adapt and change our strategies - just because something worked last year it doesn't mean that you'll see the same results this year. 
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The types of content that we are seeing for 2018 include:
1. Video (Obviously!). More specifically, Live Streaming is not going anywhere anytime soon. If you are not posting video your organic growth will be slower than a snails pace. Video is being pushed in the Facebook and Instagram algorithm. Now you do not need a professional camera crew to do video. You can simply create on your phone or computer - just ensure good lighting and sound quality. You can edit video by using simple software on your computer or an app. I do strongly encourage your video to be authentic and real. Don't worry about putting together a perfect script simply know what you plan to talk about and write down a simple outline. Do not let overthinking your video quality stop you from doing video. You simply need to start. 

2. Connection. Followers want a more authentic and real experience from their social media. Spend time connecting, engaging and conversing with your followers. When people feel a genuine connection with someone they will be loyal and that is the best kind of audience to have! Make sure that you reply to emails, comments and direct messages in a genuine manner it will make people feel heard and valued. 

3. Paid Growth. Organic reach is still very much a part of the game but social media is definitely a pay-to-play game! You need to factor in advertising dollars into your 2018 marketing budget.If you want to grow your Facebook page solely organically it will be incredibly slow. You need to plan for both paid and organic growth. The upside is that Facebook, Instagram & Google have incredible audience targeting. You can ensure that your advertising dollars are well spent. 

When using paid growth on social media put the same care and effort into your copy and creative as you would your posts. Do not put all your advertising dollars into one basket - try out some different strategies and find what works best for you. 

4. Pick a platform and stick to it. It's really hard to focus today with the increasing number of distractions put directly in front of us. As business owners we are bombarded with all the "things" we need to be doing to be successful and no body has got time for that! I recommend that you figure out what platform your audience is most on and what type/style of content they most want to see and focus your energy there. So many of my clients try and do all the social media, blogs, vlogs, podcasts, ads, webinars, etc that they do not do one thing really well. Unless you have a huge team to support you there is simply not enough time or energy for you to do all those things well. Pick one platform and focus your energy there. Do it well and as you grow, your business grows and your team grows then your social media and marketing can grow too. 

5. Chatbots. Messaging on social media platforms is becoming increasingly popular. Different chatbots like WhatsApp and ManyChats make it possible to "connect" with the user instantly giving a more personal feel. It is also a great way to lead your audience into your funnel. These chatbots are definitely not going anywhere!

​6. Learn to love Live Streaming!! Facebook Live, Instagram Live, Instagram Stories and YouTube Live are making HUGE wave in social media right now and are most definitely favoured in the algorithms. The key to sales and marketing is to create know, love & trust with your audience and video accelerates this by 50%!! Live Streaming does an even better job of creating know, love & trust with your followers. The audience is changing and how they want to receive their content is also changing. 

It's not only Facebook Live that is seeing huge growth from video but also platforms like SnapChat, YouTube and Instagram. Instagram Stories may be one of the biggest trends for 2018. Instagram's Stories has injected new life and huge growth into the platform this past year. In fact, users are more likely to watch their stories than scroll their IG feed. In face, since the launch of Stories the average time spent on Instagram per day has grown to 28 minutes!!!! It isn't only users that are loving Stories but also businesses, currently there is about 1 million business and brands advertising on Instagram Stories because that is where the users are!! It is important for your business to be on Instagram Stories if that is where your audience is.