One of the toughest parts of running social media is keeping up with how social media evolves. It’s easy to keep track of the new vernacular, the latest memes, and the biggest influencers, but keeping up to date on what strategies are working on the back end can be far more difficult. Many brands simply go on autopilot and never update their strategy, which is the quickest way to lose any footing you had. So, in the spirit of the Halloween season, it’s time to learn how to put down your zombie tactics once and for all!
Stop Polluting Your Data
Sticking to “tried and true” methods is certainly easier than constantly pivoting. The problem is that, even if your old methods are seeing some return, the money and time you’re spending on outdated models is time and money you could put into something that could be far more effective.
Zombie tactics also hurt your understanding of your own brand. Trying something new won’t always work, but the data you get from a failure or success is going to give you more insight into your audience, help you expand your fans, and show you how people view you. Your audience will also recognize stale tactics. Just like reusing the same content over and over, presenting your content in the same package day after day sends the message that you aren’t as invested in your brand as they are. Remember, you’re not the only brand out there, and if your content looks musty, your audience will gravitate to fresher pastures. You want your brand to be recognized, but not for the wrong reasons.
Automation Is The Enemy
Automated content used to be one of the best ways to keep your channels going without putting in much time. Tools like PostPlanner, Buffer, Hootsuite, and even the scheduling tool on Facebook were time savers, and early on, they were effective. Many brands also used automated messages to respond to follows or to try and open a dialogue. However, today’s audience is quickly turned off by automation. And it isn’t just your audience seeing you as impersonal and lazy; Facebook will see it too. Constant automation will tank your social numbers and your engagement. It’s time to put a stake in the automation you have set up, once and for all.
Doing Too Much For Too Little
Remember the days of mass following accounts, knowing that the majority wouldn’t respond, but still seeing enough follower growth to make a difference? Remember when stuffing your content with hashtags helped you get noticed? Those days are gone! Social media users are far more diligent in investigating the accounts that follow them, and having a random brand follow them will lead them to either feeling that you are a bot, or that you’re simply working for followers and don’t care who they are. Each connection you make is one you need to foster; so make sure you target follow, and interact with people you feel will have an interest in your brand. Growing a relationship through even minimal interaction will lead to loyalty from the audience rather than skepticism.
Hashtag stuffing was also a classic way to gather eyeballs. Chances are, you’ve seen a tweet that is one line of text, and five lines of hashtags. Think about your personal reaction. Was that post visually appealing to you? Did you feel that they had a personal interest in their fans, or were they simply casting a wide net to inflate follower numbers? Your audience is looking at your content the exact same way. Using hashtags is a powerful tool, but now you need to find the two or three most relevant tags, and forgoing a word salad of hashtags.
Many people get anxious or overwhelmed when they think about adjusting their social media strategies, but it’s important to remember that there is a log of fun to be had trying new techniques. Your audience is also on the ride with you, and when you start seeing their reactions and continued support, you’ll forget any stress you had when you first started a new strategy. Have fun with what you’re doing, and they will too. Slay those zombies, and watch your channels rise!
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