Monday, January 10, 2022

A Content Creator and Writers guide to putting a social media strategy together for 2022

 



2022 has arrived and it is time to review the past 12 months and take the learnings into the new year

 

Content in the form of authentic story telling remains the pillar of modern PR.  The pandemic highlighted the need for truth and authenticity as we sifted through the clutter to find the correct facts to keep us safe and navigate our way through the Covid experience (which we will continue to do going into 2022)

 

When the world went into lockdown in the first quarter of 2020, digital marketing became the key messenger to reach customers and clients, which resulted in the need for continuous and high volumes of posts.  Not only did Marketers have to be heard above the clutter, but new brands mushroomed as outlets were unable to sell their goods exclusively.

 

This resulted in an ad-hoc and sometimes fragmented approach to content creation and therefore mixed messaging and an element of confusion occurred.  Fortunately the days of learning and pivoting quickly are here, but many companies took time to make amendments in 2021 based on many reasons, including  wheels turning slowly or continuing to flog that dead horse as things just might come right.

 

What the Intune Communications teams foresees in 2022

 

The right strategy - an integrated approach to content!

Every public relations and marketing team knows their market pretty well.  But in times when change is happening so rapidly it gets challenging to keep up, and a more agile strategy is needed to help create those ever increasing posts.  Even more challenging is crafting different strategies for the various target markets, which doubles the number of posts.

 

Reaching GenZ needs to be unique as they have developed a strange sense of humour, thanks to TikTok and the mounds of influencers they follow.  Talking about TikTok, many PR teams and marketers do not have a strategy for this platform as yet, and perhaps it is time to dabble in this unknown and work out a plan.  Every strategy starts with the business objectives and goals then divided into the different LSMs, age groups and of course the social, Behavioural, Demographic, Geographic and psychographic groups.

 

The key point to remember in 2022, is that generating sales from existing customers is up to five times easier than enticing a new one, and a re-engaging strategy is extremely valuable for these loyalists.  It is all about improving brand quality perception.   

 

What content technology to use – this can be confusing!

This is a tough one as new technology is breaking into the market on a continuous basis.  Many content creators and writers are often complaining that so much of each day is spent learning something new that the company has decided needs to be investigated.  Most content creators can choose from a multitude of technology apps to help create a posts.  These will be used based on requirements, speed and visual perceptions.  The workman with the best tools will get the job done quicker and it will look better.  In 2022 it is time to retire the older systems and deploy the new fit-for-purpose solutions aimed at minimising the burden that comes from administration.

 

AI, ROI or Content Intelligence – we cannot do without

No modern public relations department or marketing team can do without analytics, it is the core of what we do and how we progress.  Here as well, 2022 will focus on how we decide to analyse our social media posts.  It is time to ditch the old and introduce the new, of which there are a multitude.  In fact there are so many excellent ones it can create analysis paralysis!

 

Automation – helps to cut down on time

Automation is still in its infancy and we are learning every day, but there is no doubt that this is essential as it can cut through our congestion of posts and it gives us time to breathe, review, evaluate and pivot when necessary.  We will have a little time to look at those posts that are not working and enable us to pull them quicker than we did in 2021!  It will also help alleviate any bottlenecks that constantly crop up and create the block that prevents us moving forward.  

 

Video – is critical and doesn’t necessarily need to be the best quality

The short-form video is trending.  It takes 7 seconds and our customer is onto the next video.  The first 7 seconds has to attract the customer to want to watch further, but not 30 minutes further!  The pandemic normalised authentic ‘real-life’ video with real ordinary people. Brands don’t need to set aside days for shooting and editing to put the best series of videos together.  Low-Cost authentic and real videos are well received by the customer. Examples of their best use include promotions, launches, specials, gift vouchers etc.

 

Influencers – GenZ follow hosts of influencers and nano influencers, all at the same time

Influencers sell!  There is no hiding this fact.  They grow awareness and generate sales.  However, GenZ’s are cynical and hate ‘fake’.  Select influencers strategically and bring them in to help craft posts as they must be authentic to them.  They can sell your brand in their own unique way!

 

Special campaigns– Over the top thinking to generate sales

Many brands deviated from their normal brand strategies in 2021 by putting unique and creative campaigns together that proved unbelievably successful.  Some included the now trending NFT’s, as well as dancing, cooking, singing and music competitions giving away lucrative prizes.  All these were aimed at showing customers that they truly care for their communities that support them.  Brands that sponsor sport, for example the NFL in the USA,  put together campaigns that were far removed from the conventional tried-and-tested strategies to create awareness and ultimately drive sales. 

 

In conclusion, content creating is now a specialised art and it is important to have the RIGHT content creator and writer in place to ensure consistency and success. The time is over to bring in the new-kids-on-the- block to create content just because the person understands technology.  Bring in the experts to take a fresh look at the strategy, technology, AI, automation and craft expert and focused content for all target markets – existing customers and open up to new markets.  Finally, metaverse (not Facebook’s Meta) started trending at the end of 2021 and it is something content creators need to consider when putting plans together.

 

The next 12 months will throw up all sort of new interesting trends.  We are looking forward to the journey.

 

Join is and we will help craft your content plan for 2022

kassey@intunecom.co.za or shawn@intunecom.co.za

 


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