What The Intern Wishes You Knew About Social Media Marketing Trends
It’s no secret that social media platforms have taken over the world, and as you’d expect, businesses have taken notice. Those that have been able to readily navigate social media marketing trends have been able to tap into a whole new world of commercial success. Unfortunately, businesses who have missed the boat, so to speak, are trying their best just to keep up.
Social media has become more than just a place where you reconnect with old friends and keep up with new babies in the family. Political messaging, societal activism, and major generational movements are all par for the course on these platforms. It’s this reach that has intrigued entrepreneurial folks for years, and the most savvy among them have found ways to make a nice living from their research.
So, what’s the secret to tapping into social media business success? Well, there are a lot of answers to this question. Perhaps the best person to ask would be the intern working for you right now.
There’s a good chance that this person is young, part of a generation that has never known a world without social media. They know what’s hot and certainly what’s not. More importantly, they are familiar with a world where careers & personal wealth can be built as a professional social media influencer.
Your intern also knows one thing very well — you likely have no clue what to do with social media in general, let alone from a business standpoint. In fact, your intern may be there specifically to help you in this area, which gives them a prime vantage point to witness your bumbling use of social media (“boomers”, right?).
Their insight on social media & how to utilize the right kind of marketing on these platforms may be the ‘secret sauce’ you’ve been hard-pressed to find. For example:
Likes? Seriously?: One big mistake that companies make on social media is that they chase ‘likes’. Sure, at one time, getting likes meant a lot, but over the years, social media platforms have done away with them. You want interaction with your audience that’s meaningful.
The Right Crowd: Your intern may be honest enough to tell you that your product/service doesn’t appeal to everyone. This is good as it means you need to focus your marketing dollar on an audience that wants/needs what you’ve got to offer.
Staying In One Place: Nothing is more annoying that having to move from a social media app to a company website to browse or make a purchase. Keeping the total customer experience in one place is key.
Words, Schmerds: Video content is king, and a look at some of the most viral social media posts shows that it’s not text that people respond to.There is also inherent value in both short-form, and long-form, content.
User-Generated Content: Creating killer content for social media consumption isn’t as simple as you might think. But rather than create all content yourself, why not invite your customers to tag you on video they make themselves? It not only puts a real face to your product/service, but it also encourages audience engagement that pays off with customer loyalty over time.
Of all the insight you can glean from your intern about social media marketing trends, the biggest thing has to do with knowing social media history. Far too often, businesses focus too much on the ‘now’, but social media is constantly changing. There are plenty of platforms that currently lay dormant, serving as relics of the past, and if you’re not careful, your business could join them. Interns tend to be thought of as inexpensive/free labor perfect for coffee runs & making copies. That said, they’ve got a perspective with some serious value, so it might be time to sit down with them & rap a little. Just be sure you don’t say it that way.
What do social media marketing trends in Austin have to do with you? More than you think. See why today.