—Vivian Ward, Pretty Woman

Whether we like it or not, social media is an important part of modern marketing strategy. 

To be as visible as possible you need a strong, consistent, focused social media presence with engaging content and strategic messaging. You’ll have to regularly post new information, engage with your audience, and keep up with the latest trends and best practices.

And who, exactly, has time to do that and run a business?

You can DIY it for a while, but eventually, you’ll a) get burned out by having to keep up with posting or b) grow enough that social media needs to play a larger part in your business, or c) both. 

Social Media Managers to the rescue! Posting powers activate! 

Having someone take over your social media needs is one of the best things you can do to save yourself time and energy. 

But… what does a Social Media Manager do?

As Upswept Creative’s Social Media Maven I say what we post, when we post, and how often we post. 

Follow me for a peek into what it’s like to have me on your side!

Social Media Strategy

One of the first things I do as a social media manager is evaluate your current social media strategies and figure out how to make them better. If you’ve been flying solo with posting you might not have much of a strategy, but believe me—it’s a whole lot better to have a plan.

Your strategy is individual to you and your business, but includes a few key things:

• What are your goals with social media? 
• Who are you trying to reach?
• What are they interested in and what do they like?
• Where and when are they on social media?

All of these questions determine which social media platform is best for your business and what kind of message will speak to your particular audience. 

Optimize Your Social Media Accounts

Do not neglect your bios! 

If you only knew how many times I’ve seen bios with no information, outdated information, or irrelevant information…

You don’t want to be that person, and I won’t let you. I’ll optimize your accounts to be the first impression that grabs attention. Social media algorithms pick up keywords in your bio that can direct more people to your account. 

We’ll work together to make sure any images, profile pics, or logos are up to date and relevant to your audience and your branding.

And I’ll check that your accounts are all set up to be as effective as possible.

Set Up Social Marketing Tools

There are hundreds of tools, platforms, and software that all want to help you streamline your social media marketing. Researching all the options and learning how to use them is a giant time suck as a business owner.

I’ll help you choose the tools that fit your budget and your needs. And I’ll figure out how to use them!

Social Media Content and Branding

Not all Social Media Managers also create content, but it’s generally part of the job description unless you work with a dedicated marketing team—as is branding.

Your brand is how you show up online. It’s your story, your personality, your voice, and your look. My job is to bring your social media content in line with your brand. 

When someone looks at your social media, they should automatically be able to tell it’s yours. The colors, style, and tone of your posts should be consistent and cohesive across platforms. 

As a content creator, I aim to get your message across in your voice—whether it’s funny and irreverent, serious and business-like, or cute and bubbly. 

Social Media Analytics

How do you know your social media strategy is working? 

As part of my job as a Social Media Manager, I keep a close eye on what’s getting engagement and what’s not. Tracking, tweaking, and testing different kinds of content or different scheduling strategies helps me know what your audience wants more of. 

We’ll meet at certain intervals (monthly, quarterly) to discuss the analytics and what direction we need to take. 

Analytics is one of the most intimidating parts of social media for people to learn, so it’s helpful to have someone else take that on. 

Do I Need a Social Media Manager?

If you want to grow your social media presence and make the platforms work for you, you can totally do it yourself. 

But the time commitment necessary might be more than you’re willing to give. And social media might not be in your wheelhouse. I definitely can’t run a foundation, bake a wedding cake, or any number of things that our clients are amazing at!

If you find yourself overwhelmed and unsure about what to do with your social media, check out our Social Media Strategy Session! We’d love to help you figure out what your next steps should be.

Follow us on Instagram for more social media info and tips.

(Just About) Everyone is Online Now

Once upon a time, online-only entrepreneurs were more exceptions than rule. In the wake of major changes in our economic landscape, more businesses have shifted to an online-heavy or online-only footprint.

According to the Census Bureau, over 4 million Americans filed paperwork to start new businesses in 2021. While this statistic does not necessarily translate to 4 million new online-only businesses, the rise of platforms like Patreon and OnlyFans does indicate rapid growth in the “Creator” sector.

That rapid growth also means more competition in the digital sphere. Which means your offering has to show up and stand out online.

Getting Anti-Social (Media)

Of course we’ll see exceptions to how businesses show up in the online space.

Remember the great Facebook outage of 2021? While it wasn’t connected to an increased number of users, we can say with certainty that more than a few small business owners felt the pinch of lost exposure, engagement, and sales.

We’ve talked before about ensuring you have more control over your digital audience. With concerns about security, privacy, and misinformation, there’s no time like the present to consider changing how you show up online.

Blogs, email newsletters, videos, and podcasts are all viable digital tools to introduce you to new audiences and keep you in touch with your tried-and-trues – all while allowing you greater control of how you engage with these folks.

If you can’t imagine doing business today without Instagram, remember that companies like Lush have already cut the social media cord! That could give you the nudge you need to rethink how you show up online.

Less Work, More Life

Let’s think about those 4 million-plus new businesses. You likely recall the myriad changes in our work worlds that gave rise to this influx of entrepreneurship. Mass layoffs and furloughs, as well as shifts away from in-person business, had many of us rethinking our notions of work-life balance.

Nowadays it’s not enough to pay lip service to ideas like family-friendly work policies and unlimited PTO. Workers want to know they’re being legitimately respected and cared for by their employers. If that isn’t the case… well, we clearly see they’re unafraid of striking out on their own.

If you manage a staff, there’s no time like the present to establish – and practice – workplace values that will help your business stand out. (Shameless plug: we actually know a pretty rad agency hiring right now!)

Before you get too stressed about adapting to all of the new trends on the horizon, keep in mind that not every trend will be as impactful or lasting as predicted. Some of those trends may not make much sense with how you do business, either!

We’ve said it before: it’s better to pick and choose what works for you than to try to be everywhere and do everything–and if you could make it work for you with some outside help, start exploring what that support could look like.

Prime Time Is All The Time

Folks are spending more time online, for both professional and personal reasons. Knowing this, it’s worth taking a look at insights to double-check when your people are logged in, and whether your current posting and engagement schedules line up.

On a related note: also consider that some members of your audience might be trying to adjust how much time they’re spending online. With an increase in screen time might come an awareness of burnout or a need to be more mindful about engagement. Again, taking closer looks at insight details can help you plan content and posting times more effectively.

Create Connection Online

In our opinion, this is standard practice even in the very best of times. Right now, though, as our ability to socialize in person has become extremely limited (or even impossible), the virtual connections we make and foster work double-time to make up for more direct contact.

Just over half of online consumers (53%, if you’re looking for specifics) spend some of their time participating in interest-based communities (cat meme Facebook group, anyone?). People want to connect with others who share their interests. If you haven’t taken advantage of groups connected to your offerings, now is the time to do it!

Can you craft a communal experience with your audience online? Be creative here! Use live video to help replicate the experience of working with you in person. Follow up with relevant calls to action so folks know how they can continue to engage with and support you.

Let Your Values Flag Fly

We’ve also spoken at length in the past about how important it is to be clear about the values connected with your business. 2020 has been (and continues to be) a banner year for stating this importance. According to Facebook’s reporting, 65% of US-based consumers take a brand’s values into consideration when deciding to make a purchase. Don’t shy away from creating content that explicitly states your values, and where you stand in relation to the topics and concerns of the day. Being clear about your values can help elevate your business’s reputation and also increase engagement with like-minded customers.

While these trends may not be much of a surprise, having data to back up what feels right can help you feel more confident when creating content and reaching out to your audience. And of course, as always, we’re here to help!

Oh, what we wouldn’t give to go back to those seemingly simpler times! 

In all seriousness, though: adaptability in the face of changing circumstances is crucial to keeping your social media presence effective and successful. How can you learn from the unexpected? We’ve got a few ideas for you.

You Don’t Need To Start From Scratch Again

Even without a global pandemic, the life of your business can take wild, unpredictable turns. Your social media strategy needs to respond to these turns no matter what. There’s also no guarantee your best-laid plans will land with your audience as you hope. Having a framework already in place gives you an idea of what content is still usable and what might need to be shelved.

Folks who follow Upswept on social media know how much we love our animal friends. While we felt it important to shift our professional focus towards helping people get service-oriented businesses online and make their social media feeds more agile, we also didn’t want to completely abandon our light-hearted side. Sarah took our #FurryFriendsFriday hashtag from weekly photos to a weekly live video, giving our followers a closer look at her handsome kitty, Zergling, while also continuing to share business-relevant content (and hyping some of her favorite local makers!).

Talk Less, Listen More

What are your followers saying? How are they engaging with your content? What else is competing for their attention? Your strategy should be customer-focused at all times; what you share should add value while also respecting their experience. Continue to remain engaged by paying attention not only to interactions they have with you, but also to the cultural conversations happening at large. Make sure your contributions to these conversations don’t come across as insensitive or tactless.

Be Real, Be Relevant… Or Be Reserved

This suggestion might frighten you for a brief second. Consider letting down your professional guard, and giving your followers a glimpse of your side of the struggle. By now, you know well how Team Upswept bristles at the overuse of words like “authenticity.” (If we had a nickel for every time it was used insincerely…) Right now many of us feel unsure about our futures, regardless of our work situations or our experiences in isolation. Acting like you can operate business-as-usual will likely ring false with your fans and friends.

As circumstances continue to shift, you may find new best practices for serving your community. You may also find that your voice isn’t the one that needs to be loudest right now. That is also okay. Don’t drop off the face of the social media planet, though. A heartfelt message of empathy and concern goes a long way. Make sure you pause any planned campaigns or posts that don’t match this tone.

Reduce Stress and “Recycle”

Let’s be honest: trying to stay on top of the 24-hour social media cycle can be draining. Resist the unspoken obligation to create brand new content if you’re spending more time online. Take a moment to dig through your own archives for content you can reintroduce with a new perspective. Also, don’t be afraid to tap into your own social connections! Are there others in your field telling great stories? Give them a boost and re-share. This is also an excellent time to consider user-generated content. As you pay attention to what your followers say, ask them to contribute to your conversations with their experiences.

Your focus should always be on your community and how you can best serve them, global crisis or not. Let this experience remind you of the importance of engagement, honesty, planning, and flexibility. Our team is always here to help you adapt your social media strategy or any aspect of your business; we’d love to hear from you!

OKAY terrible jokes aside: what exactly is the algorithm, and why does it matter?

I appreciate the simplicity of this definition from Pedro Domingos’s The Master Algorithm: “a sequence of instructions telling a computer what to do.” Really, friends: that’s it. As you engage with social media on various platforms, they get hip to your patterns of engagement and the magical algorithm kicks in, reprioritizing content to deliver what it deems most interesting to you. 

Let’s say you follow an account or page highlighting adorable puppies. Next thing you know, you might start seeing more puppies in your feed. You engage with one of these accounts, and before you know it: the platform shifts your feed so that account’s newest content pops up first, maybe even before your aunt Alice’s vacation photos.

That’s it! That’s the magic of our good pal Al. Now the question is: how do we make Al work for you?

As I hinted at in the previous paragraph, the algorithm is powered by two factors: interest and relationship. By following an account, you indicate interest and create a “relationship”, and that triggers the sequence. What you see on your feeds will likely be a collection of the friends with whom you interact most, the stories or videos you watch most, and the content you “like.” The best and most efficient way to make the algorithm work for you is to engage with the accounts you love/trust/endorse, and to share content regularly that makes your feed lovable/trustworthy/endorsable.

Tips for helping the algorithm to work for you:

1. Create a consistent posting schedule. To be crystal clear: this does not mean you need to post every day or several times daily. Find a rhythm that works for you, your business, and your goals, and stick to it. The best posting schedule for you is the one you can maintain with relative ease. This also means learning a bit about when your followers and fans are likely to be on the platform, and scheduling posts accordingly.
2. Engage with consistency. A tip within a tip here: all engagement is good engagement (okay… trolling notwithstanding). Comments, likes/reactions, reshares, and video views all count as engagement. Comments need not be novellas, either! Al views simple emoji responses the same as lengthier screeds. Make sure you’re as active with your friends and fans as they are with you, and you’ll stay top of feed and top of mind.
3. Analyze as you strategize. Another sneaky tip within a tip: the type of content you share won’t necessarily trigger the algorithm differently. Photos and videos hold equal weight to start. It is, however, worth your time and effort to pay attention to which of those options gets a better response. If more folks engage with your video content, future videos will get ranked higher. Keep an eye on your feeds’ insights and analytics to help inform future content decisions. 

We hope this brief glimpse into our pal Al Gorithm’s personality gives you some encouragement and insight into what can help you social media feeds stand out. Want to know even more about him and how we can make him work for you? Reach out and let’s strategize!

If you haven’t heard this industry tidbit – or if you’re scratching your head wondering what this all means – let me explain.

Instagram’s test involved removing the total number of likes on photos and videos a user views in their feed. The creator of the post still has the ability to view the number of likes on their content, but that number won’t be displayed to the account’s followers.

But, Like… Why?

Instagram understands the strong influence its platform has, especially with younger users. “The idea is to… ‘de-pressurize’ Instagram, make it less of a competition” CEO Adam Mosseri offered at the WIRED25 Conference this past November. This isn’t a wild idea, if you think about it: one 2013 study suggests the wealth of information available to Facebook users can exacerbate feelings of envy and diminished personal satisfaction. While the study did not include Instagram, it’s not much of a reach to consider how repeated exposure to curated photo content might have similar effects.

What Could It Mean For Your Business?

Whether you are an influencer or rely on one (or more), the idea of hiding the relative success of an Instagram post can feel a bit unsettling at first. That number can certainly feel like a badge of success! First things first: your content will still be seen! Followers liking and engaging with your content will still influence Instagram’s algorithms and ensure it stays visible and prominent. The key word in that previous sentence: engaging. In 2019 and beyond, those double taps are not enough to keep your account at the top of folks’ feeds. Creating content that your customers want to engage with regularly – in the form of comments and sharing with others – is key.

Stop Worrying About Likes and Start Getting Real

You’ve likely heard us lament the overuse of “authenticity” as a marketing term. While we haven’t found the perfect alternative in our thesaurus yet, the concept still stands: your customers want to see the real you, and know about the real skills and gifts you have to offer. Letting go of the need to create content that “performs” gives you the freedom to be as authentic as you want to be… which ideally leads to more genuine connection with the folks who like what they see. 

Of course, all of this is speculation right now, since Instagram is only testing this new feature with a limited number of its accounts (if you happen to be one of those accounts, let me know!). That said: don’t be afraid to run some tests of your own! Free yourself from the notion that your content has to perform like your competitors or your peers, and see what happens. You can always reach out to me for help, or for ways to measure its success.

According to the Pew Research Center, seven out of ten American adults use Facebook. Among those users, about 74% of them visit the site at least once a day. The average American spends close to 38 minutes a day on Facebook alone. In one of those minutes, Facebook visitors “like” approximately 4.1 million posts, status updates, photos, and comments.

That’s a whole lot of eyes you can get on your business, no?

The tricky part: Facebook has also been reducing exposure for business pages, rendering organic reach (defined as the number of folks who see and engage with unpaid content) nearly non-existent. While this certainly poses a challenge for those of us who want to share content on the platform, it does not mean it’s time to relegate Facebook to the dustbin of history. It does, however, mean that it’s way past time for you to have a strategy around targeted paid advertising.

Who Are You, Really?

First things first: be very, very clear about your business. This seems like an obvious statement, but often our excitement about our project or product clouds our better judgment about branding and clarity of message. Pinpoint what makes you unique and the most qualified to deliver your services, and craft content and offers to spotlight your skills.

This is also a great time to be clear about why you’re using social media in the first place. Are you after brand awareness, driving traffic to your site, getting folks into your brick and mortar shop, or subscribing to your newsletter? That excitement might make you answer, “ALL OF THE ABOVE!” That’s fantastic!… as long as you acknowledge that each of those objectives will require different tactics.

Where Are Your People?

Once you have a clear message and content that backs it up, it’s time to find your people in the sea that is Facebook! This means getting smart about targeting your audience. The options for targeted promotions are almost limitless – from demographic basics like age, gender, and location, to more specific actions like life events and recent purchasing behavior.

If At First You Don’t Succeed…

You have your skills, your crystal clear message, and your dream clients all mapped out. Hitting the first run right out of the ballpark is a given, yes? Not so fast, my friend. Tracking your campaign’s performance is a crucial part of the process, and can help you garner insights towards refining messaging and targeting. Don’t be afraid to test, tweak, and test again! 

Facebook is one of many valuable tools at the disposal of the small business owner. Like any tool, it can be powerful when wielded properly. If you’re ready to make Facebook work for you, let me know! I’m happy to help!

New Tech = New Trends

Technology evolves rapidly, and the tech companies that run social media platforms need to implement and cater to them in order to stay relevant. Digital hangout platforms like Houseparty became hugely popular with young people in 2017. This is a good indicator that larger social media platforms will eventually incorporate some of the key functions of hangout apps into their own platform. Facebook tends to do this by purchasing an up-and-coming app, and folding that app’s functionality into their own system updates.

While new functionality can be intimidating, I think of instances like this as an opportunity. Many brands will be experimenting with new ideas. Nothing is set in stone. Explore the new technologies as they appear, and take the chance to do some experimenting yourself. You may end up setting the standard for how brands use that function to market!

Rearranging Chairs in the Twitterverse

Believe it or not, Twitter is starting to show signs of decline. For the first time, Twitter failed to increase it’s active users for the entire second half of 2017. The first sign of a dying platform is seeing a halt in active user growth. While it won’t happen as fast or be as dramatic as the sinking of the Titanic, this slowdown is worth keeping an eye on in 2018.

We can expect Twitter to throw some curveballs this year, similar to their decision to increase the character count of tweets near the end of last year. They might even try some outlandish things to stay afloat, which will affect existing marketing strategies. Keep an eye out for changes so you, too, can adapt and keep your market efforts effective.

The (Facebook) Sky is Falling!

One of the most dramatic changes in the social media marketing landscape happened at the end of 2017: Facebook changed the algorithm that determines how a user’s feed is populated. The changes are intended to prioritize posts from family and friends, and reduce “spam” from business pages. While this change has been live since November 2017, social media marketers are still adjusting.

So far, we’ve learned that the new algorithm punishes pages that use “baiting” strategies to boost engagement. This blog post goes into detail on what the algorithm will flag as bait, and how using those strategies will actually hurt the reach and engagement for future posts. As we approach the end of Q1 with these changes, updated strategies that take the new algorithm into account will solidify. Experiment yourself, and pay attention to what other brands in your field are doing differently.

Change is Scary, but We Got This!

The ever-changing landscape of social media makes marketing in these spaces a unique challenge. But if you stay engaged and up-to-date, you will be better prepared to make the necessary adjustments, and keep your online marketing relevant, engaging, and successful.

Of course, your real challenge may simply be that you don’t have enough time to stay on the cutting edge of social media marketing. That’s where we come in. Upswept Creative offers social media management packages designed specifically for each client. We will meet you where you’re at in terms of expertise, budget, and brand voice. Reach out to our Social Media Maven today to schedule your free consultation.

From making the most of your social media to stoking the fire under your online sales, now is the time to dust things off! Every week in December, we’ll showcase a new aspect of keeping your brand fresh and alive in 2015. This first week, we’ll show you some tips and tricks to get your social networks revving during the holiday season and new year.

1.) It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas – all over the internet.

Google are not the only people to change their “doodles” for special events and seasons. Many websites change up their icons, colours, or headers to make things look seasonally appropriate, or just to provide some visual stimulus and keep things looking fresh.

Consider updating your Facebook cover image or profile picture, Twitter background or YouTube channel art with something fun, whimsical, and holiday-related. This is a great opportunity to do something humorous and a little different than your usual styling. Do you have some fun holiday-themed infographic you’ve been dying to create? Let us do it for you! Now is the time.

2.) Tis’ the Season… to be giving!

Thanksgiving may be over, but that doesn’t mean that it’s too late to show your feel connected. As the weather gets colder and resources wear thin, many people struggle to make ends meet. Do you have cause you feel especially passionate about? (For us, it’s our Bowlful of Heart pet food drive!)

Combine it with your social media, and get two for the price of one. Some examples include donating food to a charity for every Like you receive on Facebook, organizing a toy drive and then tweeting about it, teaming up with others to do a charity event of some kind, or even just collecting gift cards to donate to charities at your Christmas event. Be sure to mention on social what you’re doing, how you’re doing it, and how people can support you reach your goals!

3.) Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa and New Year’s are particularly photogenic times of the year.

Leaves, snow and ice, lights, candles, gifts, meals, ugly sweaters, fireworks…the perfect time to take some photos of your business, or even set up an Instagram contest. Get your followers to tag you in their holiday photos, compile a jury or judge the entries yourself, and reward the best photos with some prizes of your choice. You can even combine a photo contest with some charitable giving – the best photos could be rewarded with a donation to the winner’s favourite cause.

If Instagram is not part of your business repertoire, you can tweak the holiday competition idea to work on Facebook or Twitter. Asking your audience to participate, by sharing stories, tips, recipes and gift ideas helps create the sense of community and buy-in that strengthens your social media presence.

4.) Take advantage of the end of the year’s atmosphere of renewal to launch a new product line, pricing strategy, package deal or service.

Create some buzz around these new offerings by talking about them on social media first, before you create a big reveal on your website! Create a special sale, a coupon, or limited-time only deal, and make sure your social networks know about them.

Do you have any ideas about how to make your brand shine on social this time of year? Are you thinking you could use some handy internet elves to help out with whimsical Facebook headers, Christmasifying your blog, or running an Instagram contest featuring dogs in sweaters? Get in touch, we’re here for you!