Time-tested Approaches to Optimizing Your Digital Marketing

In digital marketing, it can be a doozy to try and figure out what the latest and greatest trends are. There are enough tools, approaches, platforms and guidelines to make your head spin. (Who would have guessed that “influencer” would become a legitimate job title and career path?) In this rapidly changing environment, many smaller tech companies, especially startups, have found it difficult to cultivate their brand and promote it effectively against the throng of others. So, what really sets apart the well-known from the undiscovered? 

Social media content, strategy and optimization.

Bluntly stated: If you’re not using social media, you’re not just out of the game, you’re not even in the arena. In 2019, Pew Research Center found that “for the first time, social media sites surpassed print newspapers as a news source for Americans. Nine-in-ten U.S adults say they go online, 81% say they own a smartphone and 72% say they use social media.” Regardless of the industry, people get their information on what to say, see and buy from these platforms. If you’re not on them, or you’re only using them occasionally, odds are that people aren’t including you in their conversations. Here’s how to set yourself apart.

Social media content

The uber-successful social media accounts would have you believe that they conduct their social media marketing in a way that no one ever has before. That’s just not true. These accounts all use the same age-old foundation of marketing – intentional communication. In a blog posted to Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education, the author states: 

Creating a constant supply of fresh content is no guarantee that a critical mass of followers will see a given post. Intentionality has two elements: 

1. 1. The content must address a customer’s want or need.
   2. Content must address a real business objective beyond brand awareness that furthers the company’s marketing strategy and aims. 

There must be a clear benefit that motivates them to follow, share and engage.

Industries, such as tech – where jargon reigns supreme – could benefit from reviewing their content and ensuring that it not only touts the product they are trying to sell or promote, but that it includes content that engages with their customers on a more personal level. When used well, social media is a matchless source for direct, instant communication that traditional communications models just can’t provide.

Strategy

While creating engaging and intentional content is half of the battle, the other half is being seen by the companies and customers that will utilize your products. Social media strategy and optimization are the tools to achieve this. Strategizing can include planning your content in advance. At Cayenne Global, we use tools such as Hootsuite to help us automate our content and post regularly on platforms. This allows us to create our content ahead of time and have it queued up, ready to be used when we need it. It also allows us to preview what our posts will look like, to ensure that the overall post aligns with our brand’s identity. Strategizing can also include utilizing reports and analytics to measure the metrics from each post on your platforms. This information allows you to see what may be working and what may not be in your social content.

Optimization

Here’s where social media optimization comes into play. After seeing what does and does not work for your respective audience, you now can revise and update your strategy. Sprout Social, an online digital marketing resource, shares: 

The benefits of social media optimization are three-fold: 

1. 1. Increase the visibility and reach of your content, resulting in greater engagement (clicks, traffic, and so on) 

   2. Assess the overall ROI and outcomes of your social marketing (think: sales, brand awareness) 

   3. Develop a consistent process for creating content that’s poised to perform well (relative to your brand).

Social media strategy and optimization go hand-in-hand, providing the best results when used in conjunction and utilized often. Of course, we must acknowledge the elephant in the room: ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms. However, rather than villainizing them or dreading their integration into our world, let’s look at how they can be utilized to create great content in an efficient manner.

No longer do we have to spend hours copy editing to meet word counts and improve readability. These platforms can be instructed to remove or rephrase unnecessary wording, thus tightening your message while keeping your theme’s integrity. Generative AI platforms can also digest long form content, such as videos or podcasts, quickly and provide central themes, speaker quotes, and more. However, as with any too-good-to-be-true solution designed to make our lives easier, these platforms should be used with an abundance of caution and never solely relied on. Content should always be double-checked for accuracy against source material before publishing. When used smartly, generative AI can be a lifesaver. When used carelessly, you could be posting content from every dark corner of the internet without even knowing.

At the end of the day, social media is what can make you or break you. It provides insight into who you are as a brand and what you are trying to succeed by selling or sharing your product/ideas. How well you devote the time, energy, awareness and investment into your social media could ultimately change the trajectory of your business well into the future. The great news? You can start on or rework your previous social media marketing plan right now!  Cayenne Global is here to help you build and grow a social media presence that’s right for you. We just ask that you hold off temporarily on having your “influencer” desk plaques made.