How to navigate the ever-changing landscape of social media
It’s no secret that social media is a constantly changing landscape.
When I first started working in this industry, the term ‘social media’ basically referred to Facebook as that was the one core platform you’d be creating content for.
However, over time that has all changed and everything has evolved.
We’ve seen a lot more social media channels introduced, like Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Pinterest (although technically speaking…Pinterest isn’t a social media platform but that's a conversation for another time!). And as these platforms have grown, different features have been added and now there are about 100 ways to create content for a whole load of different platforms.
Obviously, that's a lot of content to be creating and unfortunately, we can’t just copy and post the same piece of content onto each platform.
And before you ask ‘but what about repurposing?’ repurposing is not just copying and pasting your content…it’s more about reusing your ideas, not copying and pasting everything.
Because it wouldn’t work!
For example, you wouldn’t put the 30 hashtags you had in your Instagram caption on LinkedIn, or upload a reel to LinkedIn that used features specific to Instagram!
You’ll always have to adapt your content in some way…
So what does this ever-changing social media landscape mean for your business? Do you need to be on every platform? Can you never reuse any content? How does it affect the job of a social media manager?
Well as your marketing magician, I’m about to answer all those questions! And leave a few tips at the end to help you even more!
What this means for your business
As a business owner, you’re probably going to feel a lot of pressure to be on more than one platform.
Now although I’d recommend being on a few, that doesn’t mean you have to be on every single one of them. Especially not at first.
I would start off by picking one or two and using them to their full potential. There's no use in being on multiple platforms halfheartedly as you simply won’t get the results you’re after.
When it comes to picking what channels to start with, you want to be on ones that your target audience hangs out on and that you enjoy using (because let’s face it, if you don’t enjoy it, you won’t spend time on it!).
Don’t be afraid to try new or different ones as you might find a gap in the market on a particular platform that works really well for you. But if you are increasing the number of social channels you’re on, or you really don’t know the best way to utilise them, I’d recommend outsourcing some help!
How I’ve adapted to better support my clients
As a marketing manager, every time a new platform comes out or gets updated, I have to evolve with it so I can best support my clients!
This is a lot of work, but I love it and it’s so worth it to help my clients in the best, most comprehensive way possible!
So now, I work in a much more hands-on way.
When I first started, I would be able to create a content schedule for my clients a month in advance and schedule it knowing that not much would change!
However, with the introduction of things like reels, stories, and trends, I have to take a much more responsive approach and be very reactive in supplying clients with ideas for the day-to-day content as well.
To keep on top of all of this, while making things as easy as possible for my clients, I use Airtable so everyone can have eyes on the plan for the month, what type of content is going out on what platform, and when, as well as what has been scheduled and what needs to be manually published.
That last part is key because sometimes manually publishing posts is a better strategy as it allows you to fully optimise all of the features of the platforms without restrictions. Automation can be handy, but only in certain circumstances and when used in specific ways (you can read more about that here!).
Top tips for dealing with constant social media changes
Repurpose what you can! As I said earlier, this doesn’t mean just copying and pasting the same piece of content so you’ll need to adapt your core content piece to suit different formats, algorithms, content types, and trends! If you want some help with this, check out my Podcast Reuposing Service!
Remember your social media is your social media. That means you can do whatever you want with it! Although we are confined to the features of each individual platform, you don’t have to be afraid to put your own spin on these things!
Choose the platforms that are best suited to your business. You don’t have to be on a platform just because it’s popular. Only be on the platforms you think are going to work for your business!
Choose platforms you enjoy spending the most time on. With any content output, you’re going to be doing some type of engagement as well so you don’t want to hate the site you're on, or else you won’t want to spend time on it!
Always plan your content, but be flexible. I recommend planning your content so you have some idea of where things are going but allow for flexibility so if there's a trend you want to hop on, something interesting happens or you get some great user-generated content, you can use it and go with the flow!
If trying to manage all of your content for the various social media platforms you're on still feels like quite a lot, don’t panic.
You aren’t alone and it is a pretty big task! That’s why I offer content mapping sessions that are designed to help you plan out all of your upcoming content, with the help of a marketing expert. So if you need a helping hand, you can apply for a session here!
