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Ask SCORE by Dean Swanson

This column is my fourth in a series dedicated to provide some suggestions on how the small business CEO can best utilize social media marketing and get better results. Most CEOs tell me that they are using social media for marketing purposes. However, most CEOs are not satisfied with their results. Here are a couple of final suggestions.

Be consistent with your messaging. Most have heard that how often you post affects your distribution across social media platforms. There is definitely a connection between the two. Simply put, posting more and posting consistently gives you more chances to be seen than other accounts that might post few and far between.

How often should you post on social media? The truth is it really depends on several factors. The important thing is that consistently posting content will provide value to your audience at a rhythm that you can maintain. If you try to post daily but in order to do so, your content is thrown together hastily, and no one finds it valuable, the daily posts won’t do much for you. Instead, if you post on a certain platform once a week every Thursday, and it’s packed with valuable information for your customers, they will show up to check that out regularly. Consistency is important, but not at the expense of quality.

One trend that’s been increasing and can be expected to continue to gain popularity in 2023 is serialized content. Serialized content is when your content is part of a series. It may be multiple videos on one topic, broken up into smaller parts, or static posts on Instagram that each gives you a little more information on something. On TikTok and on YouTube, you can find lots of companies and creators alike with serialized content. It’s telling an entertaining story, it’s following the daily progress of something interesting and inspiring, or it’s a mini-course on a topic that people want to hear more about. This not only ensures that you have consistent content, but it keeps bringing people back for more. Serialized content is a win-win and, moving forward, you should try it out with your company’s social media marketing.

Try to go live. In 2023, social media live streaming is going to continue to be a great marketing strategy for brands. Nearly all social media platforms now have live streaming capabilities including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok. Customers love to tune in to live streams because they don’t want to miss out on something exciting that might be happening, or they might want to use that opportunity to ask questions. For businesses, this is a great real-time feedback system and customer touchpoint.

Live streaming is also great for brand reputation. By going live, you are building trust with your customers. You are also humanizing your brand and showing how authentic you can be. This kind of brand reputation building is hard to come by any other way. You can connect with your existing customers and expand your reach at the same time.

Go for the soft sell. As you plan out your content for 2023, one of the most important things you can remember is to opt for a soft sell. Consumers are tired of being inundated with ads, and it’s no wonder they feel fatigued when the average American is exposed to anywhere between 4,000 to 10,000 ads per day.

Being straightforward with a soft sell is the most effective way of getting the information out there about your business. People will respect the genuine approach and will appreciate not being hit over the head with your call to action. Focus on using your social media to build your brand awareness, create community among your customers and provide useful information. It’s a slower pipeline to sales, but it’s one that will make loyal repeat customers. In 2023, brands that connect with their customers on an authentic level will truly see success, and social media marketing is the perfect way in which to do so.

Dean L. Swanson is a volunteer certified SCORE mentor and former SCORE chapter chair, district director and regional vice president for the northwest region.