Anyone with an iota of social media knowledge can tell you there’s a vast chasm that exists between merely having an online presence and employing that presence effectively. Far too often, users implement stream of consciousness status-update tactics that amount to little more than virtual word-vomit. No, folks: social media marketing is not just mindless key-plucking and self-promotion, there is a science of sorts to generating and maintaining an audience, and it begins with a strategy focused on creative consistency.
Last week, the film production company Oscilloscope Laboratories demonstrated a superb example of creative social media utilization by releasing its new movie, It’s A Disaster, in six-second segments on Twitter’s fledgling video-app, Vine. That’s right: an entire film, in six-second increments. I’m sure many would rather construct a scale model of the Petronas Towers out of toothpicks than watch a ninety-minute movie chopped into 900 clips, but the stunt isn’t about efficiency: it’s about creativity, and that’s why it’s circulating in the news.
Crafting a unique blueprint for your online campaign that attracts and sustains followers is half the battle in fruitful social media marketing. This is where many novices often stumble: they often make the mistake of creating content that they find valuable, and not what their audiences deem follow-worthy. From the outset, you should be enacting a strategy that aligns with the message your audience expects from you, be it witty and humorous or informative and educational. But above all else, your posts should contain original, fresh content.
Some social media users have found their creative niche by applying themes to certain days of the week that they plan on posting. For instance, Fridays may be light-hearted and contain weekly ‘roundups,’ while Mondays involve content related to their specific field of expertise. Keep your updates confined to a set amount of days to build audience-anticipation, and maintain consistency across all your social media platforms in regards to your message and post-dates.
Creatively (and effectively) using your social media outlets to instill brand awareness and visibility is definitely a skill that requires practice to refine and perfect. The worst mistake you can make is leaving your sites to fall dormant, or worse, abandoning your messaging strategy after a few sips of schnapps and sporadically updating about nonsensical topics. Your online persona is more than just an extension of your identity: in the Internet Age, it is your identity.
-Carter Breazeale
Leave a Reply