This is where it gets a bit murky. Maybe you find yourself asking:
- How can I “light up” my social posts?
- Are likes a true measure of success?
- Are social ads worth my money?
You might find yourself on autopilot, simply doing what you’ve always done with your social marketing. Sort of like flipping on the light switch and automatically expecting it to be bright.
Let’s explore how you can better evaluate whether what you’re doing on Facebook is really working to meet your goals and electrify your business.
Is posting socially worth the time?
The general consensus is that you have to be using social marketing to survive. If you’re getting a fair number of likes, that’s great. But what else needs to be happening?
For many in the travel industry, a like is simply the starting point. Savvy marketers are looking at the comments and shares of their posts. As long as you’re spending the time and effort, better to get plugged in to what works for your unique audience.
Comments tell all
When someone takes the time to stop scrolling on Facebook and actually type a comment, dig deep to understand what inspired them to write. Your next step is to create similar content in order to encourage more comments and, eventually, click-throughs. Studying the written comments and questions can be inspiration for a blog post, video or even a group tour.
On your Facebook page under the Insights tab, click Posts in the left column to find data showing what content and style of posts are attracting attention with your audience—see what’s lighting up their world. Click on People and you’ll learn about the demographics of your fans.
Insider tip: Inspiring comments is easier with video! (OK, the cat’s out of the bag.) Right now, video is the quickest and easiest way to get fans to stop scrolling and start engaging. When thinking about your video strategy (), consider video slideshows, video you shoot in your office or on the road, and livestream video (). Fans love to see videos of people, to learn and to be entertained.
Bonus insider tip: Set up a new ad audience of people who have viewed your videos or engaged with your page:.
When a reader shares your post, that’s gold. And studying what’s been shared gives you a roadmap to your next new content.
Guess what gets more shares than anything now? Video (again). If you’re ready to jump onboard but fear you lack the gear, find what you need here: .
Is advertising worth the money?
Many people in our industry have told me that ads just aren’t bringing in business and lighting up their bottom line. Do you find that your ads are reaching a high number of people, but that no one is taking any action? Use your Relevance Score to take your ads from mediocre to marvelous.
When an ad finishes you’ll find a Relevance Score on your Ads Manager dashboard. You can use three rankings—quality, engagement rate and conversion rate—to understand how relevant your ads were to the audiences they reached.
If you find that your ad relevance is low, here are some tweaks you can put into play:
- Adjust your audience to better fit your ad. Simple changes to the demographics, interests and even the timing of your ad placement can make a big difference. ()
- Add relevant emoji to make your ad more eye-catching.
- Video captions have been found to attract scrollers who have their the audio off.
- A call-to-action button helps viewers take the desired action. ()
- Split-test your ads and use dynamic ads to learn what appeals to your audience. ()
While we don’t all know the inner secrets of social algorithms or the finer points of electricity, all of us can inspire the right people and build stronger relationships with social media. Using a brighter light to focus on the relevance of our posts and ads, we’re better able to navigate the world of social marketing and reach the people who matter.
Catherine Heeg, an international speaker and trainer, focuses on social media marketing strategies for the tourism and hospitality industry. Connect with her socially and at cmsspeaking.com.
Top photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels
Support for Courier articles provided by:
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Maid of the Mist
North Dakota Tourism Division
Tulalip Tribes/Quil Ceda Village
