Happy New Year! I hope everybody is as excited to see what 2016 brings us as I am. We all want to start off 2016 by optimizing our marketplace social media in order to get the return on investment your boss is looking for, and it’s not that hard if you use best practices. I strongly suggest you take a close look at how your social media marketing is performing compared to the previous years, evaluate benchmarks and use that information to make recommendations for your future strategy. After evaluating, I suggest you consider integrating the tips below into your social media marketing in order to make your brand stand out online.

1. Content is king, make it count:

Buffer released their marketing manifesto last year and shared some valuable advice “treat every single piece of output as the one that’ll be a breakout hit.” We all want to produce content in quantity, but it will get lost in the social media sea unless you make it stand out. Be sure to evaluate what worked well for you in the past and concentrate more on context. Forbes put together this helpful list of New Year’s content marketing tips.  Find that catchy tune to your writing that will produce your next hit!

2.     Engage, Engage, Engage:

I cannot stress enough the benefits of actively partnering with influencers on social media. Brands and businesses who do so see as much as a 6-to-1 return in their marketing investment. Consumers today trust recommendations from family, friends, and social media influencers more than any type of paid marketing. Make lists of your key target market that has the ability to influence people, then  reach out and ‘ask’ them to promote your business.

3.         Social Media Campaigns:

I blogged about the exciting new Snapchat campaigns last week and the same concept is being echoed on all social media platforms. Lowes'  "Fix in Six" campaign used Vine to share quick, cute, and fun six-second videos on how to solve some everyday household problems. Newcastle Brown Ale used Facebook for its award-winning Super Bowl Band of Brands campaign, ultimately generating 2.3 billion campaign impressions. The list goes on and on. Be creative within your industry and your social media campaigns, and profit margins will reflect that success.

4.          Customer Service:

Despite being one of the best ways to deal directly with consumers, customer support via social media is an area where most brands could still use some help, according to Adweek. You should be utilizing your social media page to interact with your customers. Customers love being able to rely on having good contact with a business. Keep an eye on what your customers want and give it to them. Make a commitment to engage with your customers on a regular basis to highlight your business’s unique value proposition. Social media is one of the best ways to go about that today, so  check in on your social media platforms regularly to give your customers the support they deserve.

5.     Social advertising:

Social media engaging and advertising can absolutely coexist and support each other. Seeing ads on social media is one of the top ways users of social media find out about new products, new brands and new services. The majority of adults in the United States are on social media, so it is a perfect place for advertising. eMarketer, a world leader in research in the digital world, reports that between 20 and 25% of people who see a social ad, will then respond by visiting the store or website on the ad. In addition, they reported that between 14% and 17% went ahead and bought a product or service. With data like that, it’s hard to argue with the benefits of social advertising.

These are just a few of my more immediate ideas about how to improve your social media marketing for the New Year. Be sure to check out our social media strategy, goals, success, engagement, entrepreneur and trends articles for more tips for how to holistically grow your social media. Every industry and business should have a unique approach to their social media marketing, but there is no reason to reinvent the wheel. Social media is all about sharing, educating, learning and having fun. If you are just starting out in social media, don’t be afraid to reach out to the “big dogs” to pick up tips and if your social media is already well established, please share your success stories. I hope this article gave you some ideas for optimizing your social media marketing in the coming year. Happy New Year from all of us here at Near Me, and here’s to a successful 2016!