Expert Tips on Navigating Facebook and Instagram

Are you baffled by social media’s constant changes? 
Questioning where it fits in your marketing strategy?
Confused why this reads like a self-help book? 
Me too! Let’s downshift… 

Hi, I am an experienced social media marketer with an emphasis on Facebook and Instagram. For many years I have worked hard to fully understand how Facebook and Instagram, as well as Ads, work.

As the person expected to have all the answers to every social media question, I am painfully aware of how challenging it can be to navigate our ever-evolving ecosystem of platforms and products. In this blog, I will periodically sift through the clutter to highlight best practices, product updates, and principles for a successful social strategy.

But let’s start with broad strokes. 

I’ve seen clients skillfully maneuver the social space, while others routinely run into walls. What separates the former from the latter is an understanding of these three immutable truths:

1. Prepare for things to change… and then change some more… and some more. 

Somewhere in the foggy recesses of our memories is an era where social media didn’t dominate our lives. Crazy to think this was just 10 years ago, but that context is important for understanding our product’s rapid change. 

It’s reflective of social media users’ changing social behavior — be it their massive shift to mobile, endless creation of content, or increased utility in day-to-day life. These advancements require our platforms and advertising products to evolve accordingly. 

Learn to be comfortable in the uncomfortable, and remember no other medium is able to adjust to its audiences’ changes in behavior like social media. 

Is this frustrating to navigate as a marketer? You betcha, but it’s frustration for the right reasons. It’s frustration that, when tackled, allows you to engage your audience in the way most natural to how they use the platform. Ultimately, this yields the best performance.  

Inevitably, users will continue to evolve, so be prepared for social media to evolve along with them. 

2. Nobody cares, except when they do.

It’s ironic that we call it “social” media, because it’s actually quite a passive medium. This creates a natural tension for businesses looking to engage — both figuratively and literally — with people on Facebook and Instagram. It therefore requires that your tactics align with the motivations of your target audience. 

To best position your content to “stop the scroll” and capture an audience’s attention, plan your social campaigns with these questions top of mind:

• What does my audience care about? 
• Where do I fit into this? 
• How can I explain or show that as fast as possible?

There is no commodity hotter than attention. When you get it, you have to do something with it before it’s gone. Quickly give your audience a reason to care. Then prompt them with a call to action.

3. Move fast and do more. 

In the words of Ms. Frizzle, “Take chances. Make mistakes. Get messy.” 

Social media isn’t a one-shot game, so experiment with the best way to tell your story. 

Test and learn your way to the next iteration of your social strategy, using tools like Split Testing, to understand what best accomplishes your goal. Measurement is a mindset, not a campaign’s last step.

More to come, and soon…