When people say they work in social media, it sounds pretty cut and dry, right? Like all they do is post a few pictures here and there and write some funny captions… But if you actually work in (or around) social media, you know how layered and time-consuming it is to do this job right! Between keeping up with all the different platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, etc.), the constant research of rising trends, and perfecting the art of advertising, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. But, don’t worry! The DMA social media team runs into these hurdles each and every day and we’ve rounded up some tips to help you tackle them.

4 Common Social Media Hurdles and How To Clear Them

Keeping Up With All of the Different Platforms

It’s important to decipher what’s an appropriate post for any given platform. Generally, for fresh produce brands, consumer-facing platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. And LinkedIn serves as the primary trade-facing platform. Thinking of your content through these two lenses (consumer vs. trade) will help you determine where your post should be shared. For example, a new recipe would generate more success in reaching consumers on Instagram, whereas a press release announcing the rollout of a new product would find success with your trade contacts on LinkedIn.

Another hurdle with all the different platforms is that they each have their own unique intricacies and challenges regarding the back-end of the platform. For example, if you work in social media, you know that Facebook’s Business Manager experiences many glitches, and can be difficult to receive support in a time of need. This can be frustrating, but just remember to always have a plan B. If ad A was rejected, tweak ad B and try again.

Maintaining Community Growth

In a world where follower count is valued highly and deemed as a level of merit, community growth is worth your attention. For the clients we help manage at DMA, we run monthly community growth ads to constantly boost this metric. Facebook’s Ads Manager specifically has a campaign with the goal of “page likes” in order to help grow your community. Click here for a step-by-step guide on how to set this type of ad up!

Our best tip for increasing followers on Instagram is to host a flash promotion or a social media giveaway. This is a great way to reward consumers with a fun prize in exchange for new followers. For example, your caption could read “follow us, like this post, and tag a friend for a chance to WIN a $50 gift card.”  It’s a simple, effective, and a relatively low-cost strategy to gain followers and engagements.

Producing the Appropriate Amount of New & Engaging Content

Consumers are constantly refreshing their feeds for new content, which is a lot to wrap your head around when creating content. Trust me, I know the time it takes to create new content on a consistent basis, but fortunately, we have tools and resources to help us that we hope are of use to you too:

• Using a marketing automation and scheduling platform is key to helping you plot your content calendar. We use (and have used) several different platforms to create, approve, and schedule our clients’ content ahead of time. Our favorites are Sprout Social and Gain – depending on the price you’re looking to spend.
• Aligning your posts with eating seasons, holidays, important dates, etc. is a great way to get inspired when you’re creating content. Each year, we create a new social media calendar where we list all the fun holidays you can celebrate on social media. Check it out!
• Using some of the design templates on Canva allows you to easily create social media graphics, which will help add variety to your social media feed.

Staying Strategic In An Ever-Changing Social Media Landscape

“Do we need to be present on TikTok?” “Should we give up on Twitter?” “Should we jump on this TikTok trend?” “What if we started posting ____ more?”

If you work in social media, you’ve most likely heard some version of these questions/comments. Since social media is a part of our personal and professional lives, it can be tricky to determine what is a preference vs what is strategic for your brand. While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all “tip” for this sort of hurdle, we do recommend taking a step back and revisiting your brand guidelines or year-end goals to determine what is strategic and in the best interest of your brand before moving forward on a new trend or strategy.

If any of these common hurdles hit home for you, know that you’re not alone! If you have any additional questions on how to best manage your social media marketing efforts, contact us to get started!