Maximizing Social Media Management for Small Local Businesses
Social media management is fundamental in setting up and growing small local businesses online.
In this blog post, we will explore the key aspects of optimizing your social media management service, focusing on frequency, content formats, and insights into Instagram algorithms.
By implementing these strategies, you can enhance brand recall, resonate with your target audience, and drive customer engagement in your niche.
Frequency and content formats: Impacting the Customer Journey
According to a Facebook article, creating a frequency of two impacts per week or eight to ten impacts per month can significantly increase customers' purchase intent.
This frequency captures up to ninety-five per cent of the brand lift potential, improving brand recall. However, it's important to note that repeated exposure doesn't guarantee immediate purchases.
Another study suggests that exposure to a post or digital advertisement five to nine times is the ideal frequency to increase brand resonance, including brand recall and purchase intent, by an average of fifty per cent.
Therefore, finding the right balance between frequency and content relevance is key to success.
Instagram Formats and Objectives: Leveraging the Power of Visual Content
Understanding the purpose of each content delivery format and the logic behind the four Instagram algorithms can help you optimize your social media management strategy.
Here's a breakdown of the key Instagram formats and their objectives:
Reels: This format has a better reach and allows you to showcase engaging short videos.
Carousel: Ideal for bringing in more followers and encouraging users to save your content.
Live: Going live generates trust and authority among your audience.
Stories: Stories create a connection with your audience and offer interactive features.
Direct: Leveraging direct messages can help build relationships and networking opportunities.
Static: Static image posts generate more likes and shares, maximizing visibility.
Additionally, within your saved audience, you can create lists of customers and best friends based on their niche to deliver targeted advertisements.
Delivery Logic of the 4 Instagram Algorithms: Maximizing Reach and Engagement
Understanding how Instagram's four algorithms work can help to tailor content to reach your desired audience.
Here's a breakdown of the delivery logic for each algorithm:
Feed Home: Content displayed on a larger scale to followers.
Reels: Designed to deliver content to users who don't follow you, expanding your reach.
Story: With ads, stories can reach new people; otherwise, they are primarily shown to followers.
Explore: The Explore section is where users actively search for new content, providing an opportunity to attract new audiences.
Aligning your content strategy with these insights will maximize your reach and engagement on Instagram.
Practical Example: Biweekly Instagram Campaign
Let's explore a practical example of Instagram posts for a biweekly campaign targeting the stages of the customer journey.
We will outline the number of posts, objectives, editorial categories, and content formats for each stage:
Stage 1 – Discovery:
Number of Posts: 3 (or 30% of the total, if necessary)
Stage Objective: Attract
Content Objective: Infotainment
Brand Experience: Identification
Editorial Categories: Trending, DIY, Tutorial, Identification, Popular
Content Formats: Reels/Ads, Explore/Ads, Story/Ads
Stage 2 – Consideration:
Number of Posts: 4 (or 35% of the total, if necessary)
Stage Objective: Convert/Sell
Content Objective: Education
Brand Experience: Enchantment
Editorial Categories: Tips, News, Reviews, Blog
Content Formats: Feed, Stories, Carousel, 1-minute Video, Guides, Collabs
Stage 3 – Conversion/Purchase:
Number of Posts: 3 (or 20% of the total, if necessary)
Stage Objective: Convert/Sell
Content Objective: Persuasion
Brand Experience: Validation
Editorial Categories: Case Studies, Testimonials, Product/Service, Launches
Content Formats: Feed, Stories, Carousel, Shop, 3-minute Video, Live Shopping, Conversion Ads
Stage 4 – Own Experience:
Number of Posts: 2 (or 10% of the total, if necessary)
Stage Objective: Engage
Content Objective: Education
Brand Experience: Impression
Editorial Categories: Culture, Behind the Scenes, Own Studies, Community
Content Formats: Stories, Direct Messages, Comments, Feed, Live Q&A, Reels Ads, Engagement Ads
Stage 5 – Shared Experience:
Number of Posts: 2 (or 5% of the total, if necessary)
Stage Objective: Engage
Content Objective: Inspiration
Brand Experience: Expression
Editorial Categories: UGC, Customer Tips, Challenges
Content Formats: Feed/Stories (UGC), Stories (using your hashtag), Reels (#challenge – use the same example from Stories), Comments, Feed (collabs), Engagement Ads
Conclusion
Optimizing Impact and Customer Journey
Controlling the number of impacts on the same person through targeted audiences and paid advertising is crucial.
After a customer makes a purchase, you can export their information and create saved audiences on platforms like Facebook and Google.
This way, you can exclusively target your customers during the last two stages of their journey.
Additionally, creating lookalike audiences based on your existing customers can help attract new prospects during the discovery stage.
Remember that the ideal purchase decision period and the number of impacts vary, taking approximately a month before customers decide to purchase from you.
Therefore, focus on delivering eight to nine impacts within the first two stages of the customer journey. It's essential to understand that not all individuals progress through every stage, so your audience size may vary at each phase of the Consumer Journey.
By implementing these strategies and understanding the dynamics of frequency, content formats, and Instagram algorithms, you can optimize your social media management service and drive growth for your businesses online.