Communication is what we crave. Putting out a piece of high-quality content that we put our heart and souls into makes us feel accomplished. We are showing a piece of ourselves and communicating in a way on a one-to-one level that makes us all truly unique yet more connected to our interests and passions than ever before.
The likes, shares and views that pop up on the screen enable us to feel as though we can communicate our messages and beliefs with like-minded people with who we can identify and relate. This feeling keeps us coming back, continuously opening these apps to stay up-to-date on matters that mean the most to us. What you put into these platforms is exactly what you will get out. Who you chose to follow, the posts you heart and the videos you watch, are all a cumulative representation of your interests and passions. Advanced algorithms are utilized to show you the type of content that you have shown interest in, making the advertising and promotional value of these platforms so great.
Why is this? If your business is producing relevant & engaging content, others will want to share that same feeling with not only you but their like-minded friends and followers as well. If you can provide value to the people coming to your page, they will have a vested interest in you. Keep producing content at that same level and continue to get better and better to reach more people that would be interested in your brand. The more that users show these platforms your content is good by watching, liking and sharing, the more your content will be shown first. If you are not creating high-quality content, what are you waiting for? Having someone either in-house or hiring externally is a necessary component of a successful marketing strategy in 2019.
Optimizing Content for Mobile
A study by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority reports that 72% of Canadians use their mobile device to access the internet. This means that when creating high-quality content, it is extremely important to consider how it will look on the screens in our pockets. There are some things you can do to help optimize your content for mobile, such as using square photo formats, recording video in portrait to take up a larger section of the screen, etc. Check out our post on mobile optimization!
Producing high-quality content is difficult and making it platform-specific can be overwhelming, especially if you do not have a large, versatile team that can dedicate their roles to the task. Execution is key, but also having a team that can adapt on the fly and stay ahead of the curve on inventive ways to reach people in a meaningful way is what will make the difference, not only today but tomorrow as well.
Creating a content strategy is paramount before advertising on social media. Sit down with your team and figure out exactly what your brand is and what you want to say. Then, figure out exactly who will resonate with your brand’s message and the platforms they are most likely to be on.
Sometimes people will say “there are no old people on social media” when in fact, they are incorrect. The CIRA estimated in their 2018 Canadian internet usage statistics guide that an equal number of users aged 18-34 use Facebook as those aged 35+. Further to that, they state that 72% of those aged 65+ use and engage with the app. Social media is becoming more and more ingrained into our culture as Canadians and North Americans, regardless of age. This leaves no excuses for not having a strong social focus on your business.
Social advertising allows access to powerful tools for targeting on social media. As I mentioned earlier, we feed these platforms thousands of hours of user behaviour, and our experiences are tailored from them. When advertising, these platforms allow you to deliver your message to the right person at the right time, increasing the likelihood that they will interact with you and keep your brand top of mind.