Social media strategy in an ever-changing landscape

Two Rivers Marketing
Sep 13, 2023

When it comes to social media, one thing is certain: change. Whether it’s an algorithm update like Instagram prioritizing Reels or an entirely new platform like Threads, social media and user behaviors constantly evolve. During these periods, it becomes increasingly important to stick to your core truths as a brand while remaining flexible when social media platforms do change.

The best way to do this is by creating and maintaining a social media strategy encompassing a plan for each platform. From content plans to channel best practices, an all-encompassing strategy is your source of truth as you pivot to the changes happening in the social media landscape.

WHY SHOULD I HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY?

You might be thinking, “If social media is always changing, what’s the point of having a strategy?” A social media strategy is key because it outlines your core goals as a brand on social media. Each channel has nuances that users and brands adhere to in order to reach their audience while remaining authentic. The more platforms you add to your mix, the more important it is to keep this information organized for your internal stakeholders and anyone who may need to onboard to your brand communications strategy.

A social strategy can contain an abundance of information that can be useful to your teams as you promote your brand on social media. The core things we recommend adding to your strategy are:

Goals and objectives for the year
Metrics that you will use to measure performance
Content plan, tone, voice, and best practices for each channel

These items will assist in planning yearly content, provide goals to work toward over the year, and help ensure that brand standards are followed while engaging with audiences.

Because platforms and algorithms are moving targets, it’s important to update your social strategy each year to account for new features and new and outdated platforms as well as to follow your audience to where they engage with your brand.

THE FALL OF TWITTER, THE RISE OF THREADS

Since the end of 2022, we’ve seen some of the biggest changes to the social media landscape since the introduction of TikTok in 2016. During Elon Musk’s tenure leading Twitter, there have been massive changes to the platform from a paid and organic perspective. The most notable of these changes are:

Rebranding the platform to X.
Requiring that brands be Verified Organizations or spend a minimum of $1,000 a month to advertise on the platform.
Removing blue check verification and adding an $8 monthly charge and reduced restrictions to getting the checkmark next to your name.

Because of these drastic changes, Meta released their rival app, Threads, in July 2023 as a direct competitor and hopeful alternative to X. Threads functions similarly to the way X does; it’s a text-first platform connected to a user’s Instagram account where they can share updates and group-related posts together. Here are some interesting facts about Threads:

It has 120 million users as of August 2023.
In the first four days of launch, the app had 100 million users, making it the fastest-growing app of all time.
Due to app privacy concerns, Threads hasn’t yet rolled out in Europe.
There is currently no analytics section to the app, so as a brand there is no way to gauge performance without manually pulling data from each post.

There are still frequent updates happening to Threads as its development teams eagerly incorporate user feedback to provide the best experience possible on the app.

HOW WE EVALUATE NEW PLATFORMS

The quick early adoption of this platform prompted the Two Rivers Marketing Digital Marketing Solutions team to discuss our approach to client accounts and how we integrate the platform into their current strategies. Regarding new platforms, our team proactively evaluates their viability for our clients and our own brand.

To provide the best guidance to our clients, the 2RM social team has taken an active approach, creating a six-week pilot program to test Threads. It entails using the app in all facets: posting text-only posts, images, gifs, links and threaded posts, as well as engaging with other accounts and brands. In addition to any insights gleaned from engaging with and monitoring other accounts and brands, we are tracking post performance to understand the engagement potential of the platform.

Once our pilot is complete, we will develop insights and recommendations and then provide formal recommendations to clients. If the app's growth continues, we’ll explore new ways to add Threads to our formal social media strategies for clients.

PRIORITIZING SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY

As we know, social media is a moving target. With platforms and user preferences constantly changing, it’s important to keep strategy top of mind when posting as a brand on social media. As platforms evolve and new ones sprout up, it’s imperative to evaluate each platform and audience nuance before creating brand accounts and adding them to your strategies.

Need help getting started on your brand’s social media strategy? We can help! Reach out to us today. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Threads.