One of the most important aspects of social media management is consistent visibility. However, most of us know that is easier said than done. That’s why, this week on The Conversation, we spoke with MIT social media strategist Jenny Fowler about how brands can build a strategy that’s sustainable over the long term. Here is a summary of our conversation.
Invited: Jenny Fowler
Subject: Building a sustainable social media strategy
Format: Eight questions to the guests. All are welcome to share.
Question 1: What is a sustainable social media strategy?
It’s understanding that social media is a marathon. Having a solid strategy means having a clear goal with a steady stream of content ready to go.
A1. It’s having a clear purpose/reason for using social media, a steady stream of content, and a plan you can stick to over the long term. Social media is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. #TwitterSmarter
— Jenny Li Fowler, Kyungsil Lee (@TheJennyLi) June 16, 2022
like Sabrina Additionally, a solid social media strategy identifies you as a leader in your field. This shows that you have experience and that you have a solid plan for what you want to do and how.
A1: It’s a strategy that identifies you as a serious expert or authority in your field, intentional about your efforts for long-term success #TwitterSmarter
– Sabrina Cadini (@SabrinaCadini) June 16, 2022
Question 2: What’s the biggest mistake you’ve seen people make when starting out on social media?
According to our guest, one of the biggest mistakes people make is starting without really recognizing the effort it takes to maintain a social media handle. This includes not having enough ideas and creative for the content and not knowing who their audience is.
A2. I have seen so many people create new social accounts without having any content to publish. There is a lot of research that needs to be done before an account can be created. For beginners:
Is your audience on this platform?
Do you have the right resources?#TwitterSmarter— Jenny Li Fowler, Kyungsil Lee (@TheJennyLi) June 16, 2022
Another common mistake people often make is expecting to become an overnight success, like jelly directed. Social media is a long-term game.
A2: They start with the goal, need and expectation to get a lot of followers in a short time.
Yes, I too have made this mistake in the past. #TwitterSmarter
— Jelle Postma (@JelleTells) June 16, 2022
Question 3: What is the most important metric to track in social media?
Engagement rate is undoubtedly one of the most important metrics you can track on social media. The more engagement you get, the wider your reach will grow, resulting in increased followers. That being said, however, achieving a high level of engagement is not as easy as it seems. It takes long-term effort and dedication to build your social media handles and credibility.
A3. For me it’s engagement, hands down.
There is an equation that I know to be true for social media. More engagements will organically extend your reach which = more followers. It’s that simple but it’s not easy. #TwitterSmarter
— Jenny Li Fowler, Kyungsil Lee (@TheJennyLi) June 16, 2022
like Lance added, a 3% engagement rate is great, but anything less than 1% indicates that your audience isn’t as engaged with your content as they could be. This means you have to invest more effort in identifying and delivering what your audience wants.
#TwitterSmarter A3b: If the engagement rate is higher than 3%, this is a good sign that their audience is highly engaged with their content, and if it is below 1%, it means that their audience as a whole is not is very engaged with their content. pic.twitter.com/e4tj41e9YD
– Lance A Schart @ (@LanceASchart) June 16, 2022
Q4: How can audience listening inform your content?
One of the best things about social media, and Twitter in particular, is that there is an almost instantaneous feedback loop. This means that people are constantly talking about their likes and dislikes on social media, defending the brands they prefer and commenting on brands that don’t meet their expectations. If you listen to them, you can create content that directly addresses their needs and concerns. Doing so will also grab the audience’s attention.
A4. People always express their opinion on social networks. What they like, what they don’t like, how they feel, what their pain points are, It’s an instant feedback loop.
When you create content that shows you’re listening, they’ll take notice. #TwitterSmarter
— Jenny Li Fowler, Kyungsil Lee (@TheJennyLi) June 16, 2022
like Cornelius Additionally, listening to your audience also helps you discover what kind of content works well and what you should share more of.
A4.
👉 Relevance – you are able to create content that is relatable.
👉 Performance – content based on what the audience wants performs better.#TwitterSmarter.— Cornelius 🇰🇪. (@MKenyaFulani48) June 16, 2022
Q5: Are there any shortcuts to building a large audience?
No. To build a large and engaged audience, you need to be connected to people. Doing so requires having meaningful conversations and building relationships with those who interact with you on social media. There is no shortcut to achieving this.
A5. No.
Growth hacks involve numbers while growing a community involves people. Building a meaningful audience is essentially relationship building that takes time. #TwitterSmarter
— Jenny Li Fowler, Kyungsil Lee (@TheJennyLi) June 16, 2022
Q6: Can you use automation to grow your audience?
Yes you can. There are hundreds of social media management tools that help you plan your posts in advance. This can be an effective way to ensure you show up consistently. That said, however, it’s also important not to rely entirely on automation. Growing your audience is all about great conversations, and automation can’t always help with that.
A6. It can be a really useful tool. I schedule most of my Tweets for the day in the morning and this keeps you active on social media beyond regular work hours. Don’t ignore your audience on the other side of the globe.
But it is important not to rely on it. #TwitterSmarter
— Jenny Li Fowler, Kyungsil Lee (@TheJennyLi) June 16, 2022
Come on also pointed out that automation can be a useful tool. But the real growth comes from conversations – in conversations on Twitter and Spaces.
A6: For consistency, you probably need automation. And you will get followers with that consistency. But audience growth is a product of real-time engagement. My audience grows significantly with conversations taking place in both chats and Spaces. #TwitterSmarter
— ASICentral (@asicentral) June 16, 2022
Question 7: How do you adapt your social media strategy to algorithm changes?
Don’t make sudden changes in your strategy. Instead, as our guest recommends, observe what each algorithm change entails and how it affects people’s social media experiences. Once you are familiar with what the algorithm is doing, you can gradually make changes to your strategy.
A7. Stay the course.
Algorithms are designed to recognize our patterns and preferences. Let the new algorithm get to know you and take your time to get to know it. Make changes over time that are consistent with your current strategy if necessary. #TwitterSmarter
— Jenny Li Fowler, Kyungsil Lee (@TheJennyLi) June 16, 2022
Like Jenna from Agile also added, focus on your long-term goals, rather than making decisions for short-term gains.
A7: Go with the flow 🌊 Don’t try too hard to adapt every time there’s a change. ~ Jenna #TwitterSmarter
— Nimble (@Nimble) June 16, 2022
Q8: What is the most important aspect of managing a social media channel(s)?
It’s the hardest thing to do, but consistency is the key to successfully managing a social media channel. Having a great photography plan will help you build a solid social media strategy.
A8. Consistency
Be consistent with the quality of your content and the quantity of your content. Every single post is part of a larger body of work. #TwitterSmarter
— Jenny Li Fowler, Kyungsil Lee (@TheJennyLi) June 16, 2022
debit added some more important aspects of social media management, including a clear brand message and call to action.
A8 Important aspects of social management
* Consistency
* Clear brand message
* Clarity
* Provide calls to action#Twittersmarter— Debi Norton (@BRAVOMedia1) June 16, 2022
Well folks, that’s all from me this week. Thanks for reading and for more great insights from our chat with Jenny, check it out this moment on Twitter that Joana put together for us. If you think this review is good enough, you’ll love the real-time chat. Join us next Thursday at 1pm ET for #TwitterSmarter. We’re also hanging out on Twitter Spaces at 5pm ET to continue our conversation. Catch you there!
About me, Narmadhaa:
I write all the stuff – marketing stuff to pay the bills; haiku and short stories so I feel healthy. A social media enthusiast, I hang out with the #TwitterSmarter chat crew and am always happy to take writing gigs.
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