Social Media Archives - The Found Gen

January 10, 2023 by James Schulman

What to Expect in the World of Marketing in 2023

Change. The theme of marketing in 2023 is going to be change. So, buckle in and be ready to roll with it!

New Social, Who’s This?

Social media is going through some upheaval. Twitter, Meta… we can all see you! Be prepared that there will be some big changes on multiple platforms, and you won’t have any control over any of them. If you put time and effort into those right now you run the risk of losing your time investment when this firestorm causes your engagement and visibility to disappear. Social media might make a comeback, but it’s going to take some time before it is likely to yield the kind of results we’ve seen over the past several years.

Instead of relying heavily on social this year redirect your effort in blogging, email marketing, and more traditional methods. If you’re already creating great content that’s something you won’t need to change. Except that you should be doing more of it! Publish a minimum of four blogs a month. If you really want to make an impact, make it eight blogs. On the other hand, trying some really outside the box strategies is also a good idea. I wouldn’t advice putting a ton of time and effort into carrier pigeons or anything like that but investing a small amount in something no one has ever done before couldn’t hurt! Your future marketing efforts will thank you!

What Even Is Traditional?

Everyone has relied on social media for contacts for so long that “traditional” almost seems alien! That combined with the pandemic keeping people separated so much over the past three years it’s like none of us even knows how to act anymore. Think back, or ask someone older than you, to the time when we did almost all our networking at happy hours or coffee shops. I think going back to having fewer, yet more meaningful and fruitful contacts is what we should all be aiming for in 2023. Realistically even if you have 5000 LinkedIn connections how many of those see your content or feel that they know you well enough to recommend you? Probably not as many as any of us would like to think.

This doesn’t mean you should completely abandon your social media presence. It just means to shift focus so that it is just a minor supporting character, and you are stepping fully into that main character energy. Build actual relationships with other professionals who are natural allies. Maybe going back to a happy hour once a month or so could even be fun again!

While you’re out having a good time and making those connections it’s a great time to think about outsourcing your content creation, so you aren’t having to carve out time to handle that as well. That’s what we’re here for and we love it! Reach out if you’re ready to make some changes of your own!

June 14, 2022 by James Schulman

No, TikTok is Not Important for Your Business. Here’s Why.

While we totally recommend using TikTok for a quick chuckle and evening de-stress sesh, it’s not necessarily our top choice for your business. At The Found Gen, we are huge advocates of using social media platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram to build your brand, but TikTok just doesn’t make the cut. At least, not today.

When You Should Not Incorporate TikTok Into Your Marketing Strategy

It’s Not Reaching Your Target Audience

TikTok is primarily used by younger generations, so if your target audience is older or simply not regularly using TikTok, it just won’t be a good fit for your business. Businesses that are targeting older demographics (and by older, we are talking Millennials on up) may find that TikTok is not as important as platforms such as Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn, which are more popular and have withstood the test of time among adults.

Your Brand Doesn’t Belong

We know this may be hard to hear, but TikTok may not have a place for your brand. People flock to the ‘Tok to get in a good laugh, to detox from their day in a fun, engaging way. If you are a bankruptcy attorney offering ways to overcome debt – well, not many (if any) will head to your account regularly to see what’s new. Consider your offering, your audience before you jump on this bandwagon.

TikTok Requires a Ton of Video Content

TikTok is primarily a video-based platform, so if your business doesn’t produce dedicated high-quality video content, it’s likely not going to work out for you. As a general rule of thumb for using TikTok, you should aim to produce at least one piece of engaging video content per day.

You Need Time and Resources

TikTok marketing requires a significant investment of time and resources (staying on top of TikTok trends, sounds, editing styles, etc.), which may not be feasible for all businesses. Additionally, TikTok’s algorithms may favor certain types of content over others, meaning that businesses may not be able to achieve the same level of visibility on the platform as they could on other social media sites.

While TikTok may not be best for your brand, there are plenty of other platforms that can be utilized to grow your business. We’re more than happy to discuss them with you. Just give us a call – instead of a DM (you know, for the Millennials in the office who do it old school).

May 24, 2022 by James Schulman

Do More Followers Lead to More Business?

The math is simple in theory: more followers = more business. Right? Not so fast.

An equation usually has two or more parts, and we’re missing a few here. It’s something more along the lines of “followers + engagement + brand loyalty = more business.”

Yes, follower numbers are front and center, so it’s easy to get caught up in how big or small your audience is. However, your follower count doesn’t mean much if you don’t have the engagement to back it up. Engagement (such as likes, shares and comments) may be considered the most important metric for evaluating the success of a social media strategy. Nowadays, there are more bots and fake accounts than ever, which don’t contribute to your engagement.

The good news is that, with the right strategy, building trust with social media marketing is not only possible, but a key component of your campaign that dramatically reduces your cost per lead and increases your conversion rate.

When it comes to doing social media marketing right, it’s not about reaching “everyone”, it’s about reaching the right audience and creating engaging content. The goal of your social media marketing strategy should be helping, informing, and listening to your audience, not accumulating the “most” followers.

At The Found Gen, we understand the importance of creating quality content marketing that helps for potential customers to find you, get to know, trust you, and purchase your products. If you are looking for a team to manage your social media presence for your property or business, get in touch today.

May 3, 2022 by James Schulman

The Death of the Social Media Influencer

Influencers and micro-influencers have been taking social media by storm for years. We’ve all seen the videos of an enthusiastic social media icon unboxing toys, reviewing products, or even giving their own take on current events – expertise be damned! Influencers have proven their ability to shower a business in awareness with their audience, but how valuable is it really?

There’s been a shift in the way consumers use social media – namely on Instagram. Now more than ever, people want to dig behind the online facade to see the real people behind the captions, hashtags, and sponsored content. Influencers like Emma Chamberlain have pioneered what’s known as “casual Insta”, which is, well, exactly what it sounds like. Instead of the perfectly framed avocado toast and yoga pics, Instagram users are shifting over to posting more relatable and imperfect content.

After everything that’s happened over the past few years in the digital world, people are tired of being sold to on what they should want and where they should spend their money. For the most part, they are going to social media for entertainment and escape.

So will this spell the death of Influencer Marketing? Yes, in the way it has worked for the past few years.

So, what comes next for Influencer Marketing?

With any luck, we’ll stop seeing videos that start with, “Hey Guys!…”

The truth is no one knows. Relatability is back in style, a new breed of influencer has evolved: the genuinfluencer. Genuinfluencers are sort of like influencers, but their motivations tend to revolve around education, as opposed to engagement.

“Genuinfluencers are less interested in promoting products, and more interested in spreading ideas and truth,” says Evy Lyons, VP of marketing at influencer-marketing platform Traackr.

For brands that have been leaning heavily on Influencer Marketing, expect to see diminishing returns on what has worked in the past. Focus your marketing dollars on reaching your audience still, but center your campaign on showcasing the value your brand provides – how do you make their life better? Educate them.

So, while the era of unboxing videos, ads, disingenuous content may be coming to an end, there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel for education-oriented social media celebs.

#notsponsored

April 26, 2022 by James Schulman

How to Get Your Business Less Reliant on Facebook

Let’s not mince words – Facebook built the world’s largest social media platform, a digital town square with billions of users. Then they built the most powerful ad platform on top of it. Then they broke it.

Over the years, we’ve seen the dramatic rise of Facebook and what now may be its fall. Back in 2011, business owners thought it was a crazy idea to promote your business on Facebook. In 2015, organic reach started to plummet and ads became vital to maintain a presence on the platform – and it worked.

Now, after Apple’s privacy updates (and Google’s that are coming soon to Android), Facebook as that a crossroads. Many businesses that were buying $20,000+ a month in ads have seen revenue plummet. So when it comes to sustaining your business’ lead flow, now may be the time to start seeking out alternatives to Facebook. Here’s our advice:

Build a Brand, Not a Presence

Building a presence on a social media platform creates more value for the platform than it does for your business – at least over the long run.

Instead, focus on using a platform to connect with individuals – build a network of actual human beings instead of a following.

When you connect with people and build a brand, your presence can move platform to platform relatively easily.

Start Blogging

There are only two parts of your online presence that you fully control – your website and your email list. For long term success without platform risk, those are the two components that should get the majority of your resources.

Blogging is an essential component of your website – it gives potential clients immediate access to your expertise and represents your brand, company, and style in exactly the way you want it to. And did we mention it is the crucial component to supporting and driving great SEO?

By having a robust blog strategy, you are able to cultivate a strong presence online where you (bonus!) provide great information to potential clients who are more ready to buy or hire you from the start. If you think you have an SEO strategy in place but aren’t blogging, you don’t have an SEO strategy.

The best part about blogging? You write one post and it lives on forever, continually driving traffic to you for years whereas a Facebook post stops creating impressions (at best) a day or two after you write it.

Consider Hiring Content Marketers

Content marketing often becomes a full-time job that few small businesses can handle on their own. It requires a high level of planning and creating new innovative ideas and ways to share content. If you feel like handling your own content marketing could put a strain on the other work you have to take care of, hiring a content marketing team may be a good idea.

At the end of the day, the decision to reduce your business’ reliance on Facebook is up to you. There are plenty of alternatives to Facebook available, and every social media site has a solid demographic core. Find the site for your best customers and stake a claim there – odds are it’s the one you already have.

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