Success on social media is a multifaceted concept that can be influenced by a variety of factors. One of those factors is that those who work in social media usually wear many hats. Ask any of these people what their job is and you’ll likely hear that they are a content creator, writer, an analyst, marketing and public relations and the list goes on. Social media professionals have a multitude of responsibilities so sometimes it is hard to define what is a success on social media and what is not because they are looking at it from a variety of angles. Let’s discuss some of the ways success can be measured on social media and why that can mean it is successful.
Create Your Own Measurement of Success
Creating a successful social media content strategy involves understanding your target audience and consistently delivering valuable content that resonates with them. It’s not enough to simply deliver good content.
To create your own measurement of success, start by identifying your most engaged audience. Look at the analytics of your website, social media accounts, and email list to understand who your most loyal readers are. Once you know who they are, take the time to understand what motivates them and what they’re interested in. Then, focus on creating content that speaks to their needs and interests. If you are in front of those audiences, and they are listening and engaging, chalk that up as a success.
The numbers don’t tell the whole story all of the time. Judge your social media success on a multitude of metrics. This goes back to when we said that social media professionals wear many hats. Look at each social media post from a sales perspective, a marketing perspective, a public relations perspective and so on to define its success. And remember, social media is about being social!
The Algorithm Isn’t King, Conversations Are
While algorithms, data and numbers certainly have their place, it’s important to remember that they are not the be-all and end-all of social media success. In fact, many argue that social conversations are actually more important than algorithms because the algorithms are almost like a game. We are all human, but our newsfeeds don’t define our ultimate likes and what we truly want to see. This is why producing content that generates conversations is important.
Why is this the case? For one, conversations allow for a level of nuance and complexity that algorithms simply can’t replicate. When you’re interacting with a customer or a potential customer on social media, you can pick up on subtle cues and adjust your social media approach accordingly. Additionally, these conversations allow for a level of personalization that algorithms can’t match. By taking the time to truly listen to someone, you can tailor your responses and recommendations to their specific needs and desires, plus create even more personalized and creative content that can benefit others as well.
Of course, this isn’t to say that algorithms don’t have their place. They can be incredibly useful in certain situations. For content creators, understanding social media algorithms is crucial to ensuring their content reaches their target audience. By creating content that aligns with the platform’s algorithm, creators can increase their visibility, reach, and engagement. This can ultimately lead to increased brand awareness, website traffic, and sales.
By focusing on conversations and building strong relationships with customers and potential customers, you can set yourself apart from the competition and achieve long-term social media success.
There is Not a Right or Wrong Way to Define Success
It’s true, social media has come a long way since its inception, and with that, the rules of the game have also changed. What started as a platform for people to connect with one another has now turned into something far more complex with businesses in the game.
What was once considered a successful social media post because it garnered 1+ million likes is not necessarily looked at the same as before. People will question the value of the post. Is it authentic? Are the likes real people or bots? What makes this post so special? Sometimes posts with only 1,000 likes actually have a larger reach than those with 1 million likes. It doesn’t make much sense, but it happens! Just because someone doesn’t hit the thumbs up doesn’t mean they didn’t see the post. That is why looking at all of the data really matters the most instead of how many likes a post receives.
Our Secret to Successful Social Posts – User-Generated Content (UGC)
User-generated content on social media refers to any form of content that is created and shared by the users of a particular social media platform. This content can take many forms, including text, images, videos, and audio recordings.
One of the defining features of user-generated content is that it is created by individuals for other individuals rather than by companies or institutions for mass consumption. This means that user-generated content is often more authentic, interesting, and engaging than content that is created by professional marketers or advertisers.
Examples of user-generated content on social media include posts, comments, reviews, ratings, and testimonials. The best way to describe this is when someone posts a photo of their meal at a restaurant. They tag the restaurant, tell what they ordered, give feedback and then ta-da! Their friends are all seeing the post. The restaurant can then share the same post and generate even more feedback from their own followers thanks to just sharing. The user did the work for the restaurant on social media.
Overall, user-generated content plays a vital role in shaping the culture and conversation on social media platforms, and it provides valuable insights into the interests, opinions, and behaviors of social media users.
The Bottom Line
Social media success can be described in many ways, depending on the goals and objectives of the individual or organization using it. However, in general, social media success can be defined as achieving the desired outcomes or results through the use of social media platforms. These outcomes could be increased brand awareness, engagement with customers, increased website traffic, higher lead generation, more sales conversions, or greater social influence.
The key to achieving social media success is to have a clear understanding of your target audience and the platforms they use. This allows you to create and share content that resonates with them, and engage with them in a way that builds relationships and trust. It’s important to have a strategy in place that outlines your goals, the tactics you’ll use to achieve them, and how you’ll measure success.
