Staying ahead with social media

You’ve nailed your short-form content, you’ve jazzed up your reel with a ‘trending’ track and just when you think you’ve got a winning formula for your social media strategy, the goalposts move again.  The (great and also incredibly frustrating) thing about social media is that it’s always evolving. If it’s not meta changing the algorithm or TikTok bringing in some new fancy function, it’s us – the user – changing the ways we choose to consume what’s out there. If you feel like you’re constantly playing catch up, here are a few nuggets to bear in mind…

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1) Think silent movie

It’s all well and good matching your visual to a trending soundtrack but how many viewers is that really benefitting? With mobile consumption at an all-time high, a large proportion of your customers are likely viewing silently. In fact, 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound (Digiday). That’s a big deal if you’re relying on voiceovers to explain your content. Ensure your videos are enabled for soundless optimisation and if they need explaining, you’ll find closed captioning is your best friend.

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2) Short-form just got shorter

Conventionally, short-form videos are those less than 60 seconds in length. However, millennials typically have an attention span of approximately 12 seconds, while for Gen Z it’s just 8 seconds (TikTok) – bad news for those 60-second reels you’ve been producing. It seems our attention spans are shrinking and the struggle to focus on a prolonged activity that doesn’t offer instant gratification has even garnered a name: ‘TikTok brain’. The takeaway? Whatever you do, make those first 15 seconds count.

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3) Sharing is caring

Likes, comments, follows, views - when it comes to KPIs, which ones are the most important? In truth, they all add value in their own way – as long as they’re genuine and not bought, of course. However, some argue that it’s sharing that carries most value. After all, it’s the word of mouth of the digital age and if you’re willing to vouch for something directly to your own audience then that carries serious sway. While likes are an effective engagement marker, shares demonstrate next level endorsement.

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4) Distract and divert

Research shows that the top reason people use social media is to be entertained and to mentally unwind (Hootsuite), which is a challenge if your brand doesn’t naturally lend itself to light-hearted messaging. Entertaining doesn’t have to be funny but it does have to engage – to divert attention away from the real world. When it comes to content, it’s all about your audience so try following their lead. Experiment with types of content and tone of voice and don’t assume you know what they want to see. If in doubt, ask them – that’s what polls are for.

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5) Cut your losses

With the average social media user hopping between 6 to 7 platforms every month (Demandsage), it’s difficult to know where to focus your efforts. Maintaining a strong presence across multiple platforms is time consuming – in fact, it topped the list as the biggest concern about ROI for social media (Hootsuite). No matter how much TikTok hype there is, if your target audience is Baby Boomers, ploughing time, money and energy into TikTok is likely futile. Don’t succumb to the pressure of being everywhere, all the time – be where your audience is and prioritise which platforms work hardest for your brand.

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