14 ideas for re-grouping, re-strategizing your social media plan

The beginning of the year is a great time to start a new series or hold a giveaway for your followers.

BY ELIZABETH BREEDLOVE

Does the new year have you looking for ways to refresh and improve your social media presence?

Whether you’ve just begun to use social media to promote your invention or business, or you’ve been on Facebook and other platforms for over a decade, there’s no time like the new year to re-group, re-strategize and rethink your social media plan. Consider these 14 ideas for giving your presence a refresh.

Set new goals. You likely set some goals when you started on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram or elsewhere, but have you looked at them lately? Look at goals you’ve set in the past, evaluate your success and set new goals for the new year. Of course, you’ll want to make sure you’re setting SMART goals: goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.

Double-check all the info you’ve provided about your business. If you haven’t looked at the “about” or “bio” sections of your profile recently, now is a good time! Make sure that your business description is accurate and up-to-date, your website URL is correct, your store hours are accurate, your contact information is correct and any other information you’ve provided is updated.

Add a new series to your content calendar. The beginning of the year is a great time to start a new series—whether it’s daily, weekly or monthly. For example, consider posting a behind-the-scenes look at your company at the beginning of each month. If you want a weekly series, try implementing Tip Tuesday, when you give a tip related to your invention each Tuesday. Even if you don’t want to stick to a set schedule, you could start posting a new type of content regularly, such as your favorite quotes from historic inventors.

Fun contest or giveaway. Have you ever held a giveaway for your followers? Consider giving away your invention to one lucky follower! Just come up with a few criteria, such as liking a post or tagging a friend, set an end date, and post about it. However, double-check to make sure you are following any platform rules before implementing your contest.

Share more user-generated content. If you struggle to come up with content to post, sharing more user-generated content is a great idea for the new year. There are many ways to do this. You can look at what other users have tagged you in, or you can ask them to post about your invention or business using a specific hashtag that you can then search to find content to repost.

More video. Video continues to perform exceptionally well on social media, so if you’re looking to rethink your approach to content, consider adding more video. The good news about social media is that it doesn’t always require big budgets and high-end editing. It’s OK to share a behind-the-scenes look at your company, especially on more casual platforms such as Instagram Stories.

Repurpose your content more often. Don’t be afraid to repurpose your content! If you shoot a how-to video for your website, share it on Facebook. If you write a new blog post, pull a few key takeaways from it and share them in multiple LinkedIn posts. Don’t post the same content over and over, but consider repurposing and recycling your existing content.

Post more tutorials or how-tos. On that note, if you aren’t already posting tutorials and how-to videos, there is no time like the present to begin. This is a great way to bolster your social media content strategy, as well as connect with your customers by ensuring they are able to get the most out of your invention.

Try using Instagram Live or Facebook Live. These platforms make it easy to connect with your followers through a live, two-way conversation. Go live to show what you’re working on, answer questions, introduce a new product, give a tour of your space, or anything else. Regardless of the topic, make sure to build in time for questions, as these informal live streams provide a great avenue for a Q&A session with your customers and followers.

Ask people to tag friends. There’s no better way to grow your following than to ask for referrals! Whether you’re running a contest that involves tagging a friend or two or you’re asking your followers to tag someone who would like your invention, there’s nothing shameful about asking for help growing your audience.

Take polls. Polls are an easy way to get your followers more engaged. Most of the major social media platforms have a built-in poll feature that you can use. You can keep things more serious and use polls to get feedback about your next invention, or you can keep things casual with a lighthearted question.

Focus on using social for customer service. Social media makes companies much more easily accessible to their customers. Take advantage of this opportunity to provide great customer service. Make sure you’re checking in regularly (at least once every business day, if possible) to answer questions and respond to comments.

Test paid advertising. If you’ve never used paid social media advertising, why not give it a shot this year? Every major social network has an ad platform, and which one is right for you depends on where you’ll find your audience. Facebook is often a great place to start, though. Set aside a portion of your budget to test Facebook Advertising. If you aren’t sure how it works or you don’t feel confident in your advertising abilities, consider working with a marketing agency that can manage your ads and ensure you’re maxing out your  advertising dollars.

Try out a new social network. Take some time at the beginning of the year to evaluate opportunities on other networks. For example, if you’re only on Facebook, you may want to try Instagram. If you’re a B2B business but aren’t on LinkedIn, consider testing it. Although you don’t want to spread yourself too thin with social media management, you may find another popular social network that is worth testing out in the new year.