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December 5, 2022 Content Chat Recap: How Social Media Can Improve Your Content Marketing Strategy

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A Content Chat header image that says today's topic is How Social Media Can Improve Your Content Marketing Strategy with guest Brandie McCallum, who is @LttleWys on Twitter.

Social media budgets are on the line in 2023 as executives demand results, according to new research from Hootsuite. But after yet another turbulent year for brand communities, what does success look like on social media? And how can marketers use social in new ways to drive meaningful results?

In this #ContentChat recap, Brandie McCallum (@LttleWys), a writer and digital marketer, and the community discuss how social media can improve your content marketing strategy, including lessons from the past three years to help you use social to your fullest advantage. Read the full recap below to learn:

  • Ways to stand out on social with video
  • How to measure your results on social media
  • Tips for identifying your opportunities on social

Q1: Given the turbulence of 2022, what are you recommending your clients do with social media in 2023?

Excluding Twitter, Brandie is recommending that her clients stay their course and use social media to collect emails, drive traffic, and engage their communities.

Review your 2022 social media data to understand what kind of content and which topics you should prioritize in 2023.

Conduct social listening—here are eight steps to do so—to identify new communities and platforms that you should explore.

Remember: The new year is a chance for new beginnings. Be authentic, and use data to guide your strategy.

Q2: Many marketers predicted that video content would be increasingly popular on social media—are videos top content?

Videos are great for distilling key concepts or adding a personal touch to build relationships.

Instagram Reels can be especially powerful, but video content on other channels varies in effectiveness.

Remember that micro-communities can be impactful, too.

Much like written content, your video content needs a clear purpose and to provide value for your community.

Q3: How do you find the channels that resonate and connect with your community?

Test a few channels to see how your community responds to your content. Budget for this experimentation so that your strategy can continually evolve.

Demographic data can help you understand who you are reaching on each site.

Directly ask your community what channel(s) they prefer through surveys or focus groups. Supplement this direct feedback with social listening and market research.

Q4: How do you measure your social media success?

Link clicks and site traffic are valuable ways to measure if you’re successful on social media.

Measure your social media results against your objectives to ensure you’re measuring meaningful things.

Focus on the quality of interaction given your community size. A brand with 200 followers that gets 3-10 reactions on average per post is much more successful than a brand with 200,000 followers that gets 3-10 reactions per post.

Q5: What are the critical metrics or KPIs you’re tracking?

Your metrics should ladder back to your social media goals, which ideally map to your business goals. In general, site traffic, link clicks, and community growth can be valuable metrics to track.

If you’re hosting live conversations, look at your attendee numbers and find a time that most people can join and are active.

How has your content performed over time? Look at your most and least popular content. What can you learn from each?

Engagement is a major metric to track. Do people like, share, or comment on your content? Each of these actions is often the first step toward building trust with your brand (which is essential for eventually driving a sale).

Q6: What advice would you share with someone who is new to creating a social media strategy?

Join peer groups to chat strategy and seek help when you need it. Be ready to adjust your methods based on your data—experimenting is the best way to optimize your strategy.

Pay attention to how the algorithms prioritize and serve content across channels.

When you’re first getting started, it’s best to focus on just one or two channels. This helps you give your best effort in a couple of places, giving you the necessary time to learn your community’s needs and find how to engage them with content.

Conduct a competitor social media audit to see what’s working and where you can stand out.

Loop in other teams to help you source content. Public relations teams, for example, can share relevant industry news articles, thought leadership content from your executives, or coverage of your brand that you can curate on social.

Selectively jump on trends, as long as they’re relevant to your brand or identity.

Q7: What are your favorite resources to recommend for community & content?

Check out the below resources to learn more about social media and content marketing. Who or what is missing from this list? Let us know using #ContentChat on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Q8: What do you predict will happen with social media in 2023? Are there any new platforms we should check out?

Many of us will explore new social media channels in 2023, especially private channels like Discord and Slack.

Mastodon may rise in popularity, but some of our community members haven’t loved the Mastodon experience.

One thing’s certain: social media will be critical for customer care and branding.

About Alek Irvin

Alek Irvin is a content marketing professional with a rich history in social media management, executive thought leadership development, and media relations. As a consultant at Erika Heald Marketing Consulting, he creates human-focused content and thought leadership platforms that help brand leaders connect and engage with their communities. Alek has worked with a range of startups and Fortune 500 companies across the B2B technology and consumer spaces, including IBM, Dell Technologies, Hitch Works, Emtrain, Integrate, and Frameable. Connect with him on Twitter @AlekIrvin.

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