While many of us may be returning from a well-earned break, it’s important we don’t lose the essence of our social feeds by forgetting about our audience’s interests.
Here are five things to do to make sure there is no social media hangover this year, particularly as the month of January tends to be a blur of holidays and work for many small business owners.
Stay on brand
Over the past year, followers have become fans of your content. So, when it comes to posting celebratory messages over the summer, don’t make the mistake of running to free stock images or reposts of material that were successful earlier in the year. This strategy puts your brand identity at risk.
Instead, use a more personalised approach by creating artwork that is in line with your brand and tone. Canva is perfect for quick, easy, on brand artwork creation.
Don’t stress over the metrics
It’s normal for engagement to decrease in December and January, as people spend more time off-line and are more sociable.
Don’t stress about the vanity metrics – followers, likes, comments. When people return to social media after a break, if your posts give value and are interesting, you will see those metrics increase quickly.
Keep posting
While you don’t have to post daily it’s important to post every few days on the platform. This allows you to stay connected to your consumers and encourage them to spend time with your business.
Maintain value
There will be millions of sales messages online during this time. Remember why your followers interact with your business and continue to deliver quality content that they love.
Stick to your plan
Just because it’s the summer season it doesn’t mean you should stray from your strategy. Remember what you want to achieve overall from your social media by communicating with customers and stick to that plan. When we panic post, we risk forgetting the key elements that help to generate sales, like the right call to action.
If you run a service-based business but are on holidays, you can still offer tips and advice, reminding people when you will be available again for bookings.
By remaining professional, even if you are being transparent and authentic, remembering your audience and sticking to your strategy, you can avoid a social media hangover and still find new customers to fall in love with your business too.
Demelza Leonard, digital marketing and social media expert
