Social media depends on technology and connectivity to provide an engaging way to communicate among interdependent communities and individuals, so much so that it’s become a necessity when it comes to marketing.
Strategy matters in social media marketing. A lot of people believe that social media marketing is easy and organic – after all, so many people have access to it – but that’s not often the case, and sometimes it takes an event to catapult you to the next level.
I kind of fell into social media marketing unintentionally. As a creator, I’ve always taken to social media to post the things I craft, particularly because I always had a side hustle and I needed to put myself out there.
Although I always had a positive response to my posts and products, when I baked a cake for my mother in law’s birthday and posted it to Instagram, my inbox and comments were full of encouraging reactions and requests for baked goods. I had been making decorated sugar cookies for a while as well, and the demand for content surrounding baked goods was high.
After five months of baking and improving my craft, I made the strategic decision to change my Instagram handle to @cubanmarthastwart, to reflect a nickname bestowed upon me by my audience, which created buzz leading up to me changing my account to a business profile. I also posted my first cookie decorating video, which reached some virality with 16,885 views, which is a lot for the less than 1,000 followers I had at the time. I also gained nearly 500 followers in the week following the viral post.
Successful Strategy Builds Successful Brands
Why is this important? There’s a couple of things that made my “new year” marketing strategy successful. One of them was timing. I picked a time where people are making resolutions and starting fresh to hit “reset” on my social media profile. This is further evidenced by the high engagement and reach of the subsequent New Year’s themed posts on my page.
I also initiated a soft rebranding with my change of handle and used that opportunity to set the tone for what my page would represent moving forward. This helped to establish my social community and begin developing relationships with my targeted consumers.
You’ve Got to Connect for Success
If you’re hoping to reach any semblance of success in your social media-run business, you need to use your connections meaningfully and strategically. Understanding things like timing, events, and the actions of your followers can help you make critical decisions that dictate your marketing strategy and campaign direction.
While this case study is only an example of something that proved successful for me, your personal strategy will vary based on your needs, goals, and your willingness to participate in the process. I think everyone has the potential leverage their social media – the question is, are you ready to connect for success?