5 Social Media Resolutions Marketers Can Actually Keep in 2019

It’s officially the new year, a time for reflecting and seeking personal improvement and reinvention. Though your personal resolutions are likely already under way, have you given sufficient thought to what changes you can make to your brand’s social media presence throughout the year? The first quarter is an ideal time for a tune-up on your brand’s social media platforms.

Here are several action-oriented resolutions we recommend making to help advance your brand in 2019:

Engage with your followers

Brands often get caught up in follower count, which is logical…but only to a point. Even though having thousands of followers can be beneficial, it’s important to remember that if those followers don’t ever engage, you aren’t much better off than if you had a minimal following. Even with a coveted number of followers, how do you know these people are actually interested or invested in the brand? The best way to build a following that actually serves to increase engagement (and in the long-term, follower count!) is to focus on building a relationship with your followers. Increase engagement using diverse tactics like:

  1. Mentioning/tagging individuals you reference in social posts.
  2. Replying when your brand is mentioned and when your content is shared.
  3. Commenting on content other than your own to start conversations.
  4. Replying to questions or comments, as relevant, in a timely manner.

Renew imagery

Your social presence deserves a new look for 2019 too! Not that we’ve been stalking your page or anything, but chances are that you still have your holiday cover and header images up from December. Commemorate the opportunity to start fresh by not only updating your profile and cover images, but also by showcasing new recipe and field shot imagery that will inspire engagement from a social media audience who may be looking for fresh, creative, and healthy inspiration this month.

Hashtag it

A new year means brand new opportunities to create clever branded hashtags. Not to worry: this could be something as simple as a twist on a trending topic, or perhaps the creation of a witty hashtag related to your promotion or contest. Your social media audience can then easily adopt these when sharing their experiences with your brand; you can further encourage consumers to use your hashtags by including them on labels and packaging. Remember, hashtags also help you keep track of how your audience is engaging and what they are saying and doing with your products—make sure you take advantage of this tool to measure and adjust your marketing efforts!

Put it in a calendar

Content calendars are crucial for staying on track of how much and what kind of content you are publishing—and when. With the demands of juggling multiple social channels simultaneously, it’s easy for content ideas to slip through the cracks if not strategically organized, assigned, and slated. With the use of a content calendar, you can fine-tune your content for each platform in order to appeal to each target audience. However, before determining a firm strategy, perform an analysis of your posts through your insights or analytics tabs to identify the key posting times and days. With that information, you can schedule content for times that produce optimum results for your brand. Finally, try to resist recycling the same content over and over. Though it can be difficult to post 60 tweets a month, for example, know that simply making small image edits or minor copy tweaks can refresh an old post—get creative!

Use social as a tool to better serve your audience

It is easy to try and sell, sell, sell on social media—after all, it can feel like you have easier-than-usual access to the consumer, as well as a convenient platform for ascertaining what content they gravitate toward. However, instead of selling your products in an obvious manner, adopt a social media approach that seeks to be helpful first. Try to anticipate questions your social audience might have and preemptively compose talking points for those questions. Consider their points of view and likely pain points and work to speak directly to what those might be. Remember, this tactic could potentially help gain loyal followers due to the relevant insight and demonstrated exemplary customer service.

As far as resolutions go, the good news for marketers is these goals are fairly simple to achieve for social media—all it takes is a commitment to creative thinking and planning! Have some of your own resolutions you’d like to share? Leave us a comment below or tweet us at @TheCoreBlog

To learn more about how you can plan to elevate your social media presence in 2019, check out our latest social media calendars.

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