It is way too easy to stay in your comfort zone and keep doing things the way you know how to do them best. Marketing, however, likes to keep life exciting.
This area of work is undoubtedly going to keep changing up on you and require you adjust your strategy. Social media marketers know that there is a never-ending supply of platform updates, algorithm changes, and new features to experiment with.
This is nothing to be overwhelmed about. These changes come your way whether you like it or not, so you can take them as they come or stay ahead of the curve before they happen. Here are some extremely practical tips to ensure you’re always informed and ready.
#1. Adjust your notifications
This might sound like a no-brainer to some, but we told you this is a practical guide. Do not underestimate the power of Google Alerts. Sign up for weekly alerts on the industry and you have yourself a selection of reading material and ideas to curate social media posts with. Here are some valuable topics to follow:
-Social media marketing
-Content marketing
-Facebook, Twitter, or other social media platforms you work most on
-Digital marketing
-Marketing developments
-Search engine optimization
Mark update releases on your calendar so that you are ready to follow the opinions that are bound to be posted on social media.
#2. Stay educated
Follow marketing blogs that don’t just give you the basics, but that deliver news and insights on industry changes and new innovations. Follow the people who know about a Facebook algorithm change before it happens and who try out new innovations first. Here are some suggestions:
-The Backcourt Blog (Come on, you knew I was going to do that.)
–MarketingProfs is focused strictly on marketing and all the moving pieces in the industry.
–The Knowledge Bank by Influence and Co. focuses specifically on content marketing.
–Hootsuite for social media updates and how to work around them.
-The Moz Blog for SEO insights.
–Convince and Convert by Jay Baer gives you clear digital marketing advice and maps out how to act upon it.
#3. Know your technology
Marketing has been and will continue trending more towards mobile phones and away from desktops.
We work on our desktops and it becomes easy for us to only think about how things look on the screen in front of us. It is extremely important to make sure everything we create, share, and advertise is mobile-friendly. This shift towards mobile is one of many reasons location-based advertising has become a necessity for so many businesses.
Google recently shifted towards a mobile-focused algorithm, which means your SEO rankings will lean more in favor of smartphones. As technology evolves and consumers start to use certain features more, the powerhouses and platforms that rule our online marketing efforts will adjust to favor the more popular devices. Don’t just think about what you like to use and how you like to find what you’re looking for, but pay attention to the devices your target audience is using.
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