In the world of social media marketing, there are no practice sessions or drills before you enter the arena to compete. Campaigns all run in real time and force marketers to adapt in real time or face the consequences. It is a harsh way to gain experience and can often feel daunting.
However, there are ways to sharpen your social media marketing skills without having to test them live. So put on your mental boxing gloves and step into the ring. Here are five of the best exercises to get your social media marketing skills into tip-top shape!
Train With Your Competitors
As the famous saying goes: “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer”.One of the best ways you can improve your skills is by analyzing what your competitors are doing. Set aside time each week to through your competitors’ social media.
Make a list of what you like and what you do not. Look at the engagement they are getting on their posts. Which updates are getting the highest number of shares, retweets, and comments? Ask yourself why these posts are resonating with their audience.
This simple mental exercise can help you craft better social media messages that will engage your target audience and produce better results for your brand.
Tag In A Partner
You cannot grow your brand’s social media by yourself – you need help. You need to build relationships with your audience as well as influencers. Through flexing your social skills, you should start building meaningful relationships with people who can help your business grow.
The next time you have a social media campaign going out, you will have put in the sweat and time to build a solid foundation and guarantee its success. However, remember a relationship works two ways, reaching out to influencers is not about asking for favors, it is about adding value to each other.
Stretch Your Imagination
An essential skill in social media marketing is discovering what is appropriate for your brand voice and what isn’t. A simple exercise you can do to figure this out is to write out updates in many different styles, voices, and angles.
Experimenting with these different options will help you find that unique brand voice, highlight what to avoid and keep your message clear across all channels.
Get Into The Ring
Sometimes the best way to learn how to handle a disaster is to prepare for it. It is time to get into the ring with the worst possible scenario and figure out an action plan. Whether you are dealing with a disgruntled customer on Twitter or a staff member going rogue with sensitive information, having an action plan in place will help alleviate stress.
After you have created these action plans, it is a good idea to have dry runs with your team to uncover any weak points you might have missed.
