4 Competitive social media tactics (2019)

/ Social Media Marketing
competitive social media tactics

Keeping up with the pace of the ever-changing social media strategy is a challenge in itself. On the 6th of March 2019, Mark Zuckerberg posted a blog post that upended social media.

Over the last 15 years, we’ve seen Facebook and Instagram connect people with friends, communities, and interests. Social media has been a public broadcast channel, or “town square” as Mark puts it. But, there’s been a rise in people wanting to connect privately on social media. We’re already seeing that private messaging, ephemeral stories and small social groups are the fastest growing areas of communication. This is because people are becoming more cautious when it comes to having a permanent record of what they’ve shared and prefer the intimacy of communicating with just a few friends. 

Needless to say, public social networks are still very important for helping people connect, discover new ideas and content and voice their opinions. But now, there’s a big opportunity to build a place for people to message one-on-one or within small, closed groups. 

While this will bring about a whole new set of challenges for social media marketers, we’re ready to help you adapt to these big changes. 

We’re moving towards more privacy

Businesses advertising on big social media platforms do not need to worry about these changes. You can still stay abreast of the new developments. The transition to a post-social future will be a gradual one, and “public” platforms will continue to play a vital role for businesses. But, within them and alongside them, private messaging platforms will rise in popularity. You just need to make sure your social media strategy evolves and adapts to these changes.

Brands need to rebuild trust

Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica crisis has also influenced how users feel about social media. Users are now questioning the value of networks and seeking more meaningful ways to engage. Consumers are wanting to be treated as individuals instead of being boxed into demographics and are demanding more value from brands in exchange for their time and information.

Consumers, regulators and media observers have questioned the ethics, privacy and accuracy of nearly every social network and most consumers are growing distrustful of many macro influences, as many of them have fake or bought followings. This has caused consumers to revert back to trusting those close to them on social media, such as friends, family and acquaintances. Users are also returning to traditional and trusted journalism outlets and local news sources. Obviously, this depends on the brand. Some macro-influencers play a vital role in brand awareness for many brands.

Brands on social media are facing both new challenges and opportunities.

Our social media strategy you can use to build trust online:

1. Orchestrate more intimate conversations

Brands should focus less on maximising reach and more on quality engagement with their prospects. By creating more intimate conversations with smaller, targeted audiences then letting these groups engage with each other, you will see a rise of trust for your brand.

2. Create an alternative social media strategy to celebrity influencers

 * Employee advocates

While content is extremely important for marketing, how you deliver that content can have a huge influence on how your prospects react to it. Users are becoming more conscious of who they interact with on social media. Earning trust and providing legitimate value are key ways to increase engagement. By using employees and/ or internal experts as advocates,  you can gain entry into existing circles of trust.

 * Micro-influencers

Micro influences who have access to niche communities, encourage engagement from prospects. They are also a lot more affordable for brands and more trusted by consumers. A great example is Adidas’s “groundbreaking” Tango Squad Program. The brand partnered with young footballers, giving them access to exclusive content and events. By doing this, they were able to reach all the followers these young footballers had in an authentic way. This helped them grow their social media reach.

3. Create a branded # 

By creating a branded hashtag specifically relevant to your brand you can effectively build a conversation around your brand. You should use hashtags to align users around a brand value, not just a product offering. 

4. Build a Facebook Group around an audience interest

Complement your Facebook Business Page with a Facebook Group. This way you can provide general information to your page followers and the group can address niche interests, especially targeted to the members. By doing this, you create a platform for customers to speak about and advocate your brand to one another. 

Conclusion

Your potential customers don’t become trusting overnight. You need to earn their trust by being authentic and establishing a relationship with them. The more effort you put into nurturing your potential customers, the bigger chance you have of converting them into loyal customers.

If you’d like to find out how to build trust with your audience on social media, contact IEDM Digital Marketing. We’ll show you the best way to grow your business through popular social platforms by using our social media strategy.

Additional sources:

https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/adidas-fixed-broken-influencer-model-tango-squads/1459662

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanholmes/2019/04/17/the-rules-of-social-media-just-changed-heres-how-to-keep-up/#5a42a356731d

https://www.edelman.com/research/trust-barometer-brands-social-media

2019 Hootsuite’s annual report on Social Media trends

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