[New] 7 SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS

and maintain its social media accounts with just one person handling it parttime. In 2023, social media marketing is likely going to require more energy and brainpower than before. The best way to tackle this challenge without getting overwhelmed is to utilize the resources you already have.

Now that you’re ready to start making video content, you might realize it can be a big undertaking. If filming video content seems daunting to you, try and use the resources available to you to simplify it. Use your phone to film and don’t worry about doing any flashy editing to start off with. Contrary to popular belief, your content does not have to be perfect or polished to be worth posting, especially when you’re just starting out. People will find less-thanperfect content to be more authentic and relatable anyways, so don’t let that stop you from getting started.

Maybe you already have product photos or instructional videos that you’re using. Great! You can repurpose those in a new and fresh way on social media. No need to go through the process all over again if you already have assets that can be refreshed. This will also help free up the time it might take for thinking up new content.

If your business is more than just you, try and get your other team members involved to help think of ideas and create. Even if you don’t have other team members, you could always try and involve friends, family, or even your VIP customers! You’d be surprised by the valuable ideas people can offer or even how willing they might be to help you. A video of a customer’s testimonial can be a really powerful marketing tool.

6. GO LIVE

In 2023, social media live streaming is going to continue to be a great marketing strategy for brands. Nearly all social media platforms now have live streaming capabilities including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok. Customers love to tune in to live streams because they don’t want to miss out on something exciting that might be happening, or they might want to use that opportunity to ask questions. For businesses, this is a great real-time feedback system and customer touchpoint.

Live streaming is also great for brand reputation. By going live, you are building trust with your customers. You are also humanizing your brand and showing how authentic you can be. This kind of brand reputation building is hard to come by any other way. You can connect with your existing customers and expand your reach at the same time.

Try planning out consistent times to go live and let your followers know when you’ll be doing it. Use that time for customer Q&A, unboxing new merchandise, or educating customers on a new product or service. You can even surprise your viewers and reward them with a special coupon code for viewing, incentivizing them to join again next time.

7. GO FOR THE SOFT SELL

One of the most important things you can remember is to opt for a soft sell. Consumers are tired of being inundated with ads, and it’s no wonder they feel fatigued when the average American is exposed to anywhere between 4,000-10,000 ads per day. But when consumers don’t want to be sold to and you need to sell, what do you do so your content isn’t muted?

Today’s consumers are generally distrustful of ads and are growing cynical about the attempts to win their buy. Influencer marketing is dying a slow death as Gen-Z finds these efforts to be fake. In 2023, traditional advertising is going to work less and less, and “sneakier” methods of selling, such as product placements and paid user-generated content (also known as UGC) will leave a bad taste in the mouth of customers. What people are desperate for is brand authenticity. Being straightforward with a soft sell is the most effective way of getting the information out there about your business. People will respect the genuine approach and will appreciate not being hit over the head with your call to action. Focus on using your social media to build your brand awareness, create community among your customers, and provide useful information. It’s a slower pipeline to sales, but it’s one that will make loyal repeat customers. In 2023, brands that connect with their customers on an authentic level will truly see success, and social media marketing is the perfect way in which to do so. n

This article was written for SCORE by CallRail. Since 2011, CallRail has helped more than 150,000 companies and digital agencies worldwide track leads back to marketing efforts.