Hootsuite recently released an article about the most recent trends for 2015. With social media and content management ever-changing, it’s important to be aware of the coming round of shifts on the horizon. However, for those who are trying to market to the faith-based audience, the changes have to be tweaked a little more to fit our needs. Here are the things we think will be important for faith-based marketers in 2015 in the changing climate of social media:
-Creating cohesive relationships between your digital mediums: Though some companies are recommending using the same person or the same team to handle both social media and blogging, there actually is another option; to have a team that works together, even as separate entities. No matter which route you choose, be sure that your people are working together to achieve the results you want to see on your various mediums. According to the recent research, Google is using cues from social media to affect the rankings. As faith-based marketers, posting Bible verses, scriptures and inspiration on your Facebook page can be a great way to engage your readers, but you want to make sure your digital strategists know the schedule ahead of time, so that they can piggy-back and help boost that content.
-The Facebook changes mean your content needs a strategy: (You can read more about Facebook’s recent changes here). Remember that words like “Buy now” and “shop now” will cause your post to be filtered out by Facebook’s more stringent rules regarding what appears in the news feed. For faith-based marketers, this actually works in your favor; inspirational material usually doesn’t contain words that will be flagged, and those types of posts do best with your audiences. If you don’t already have a content calendar, consider making one to better visually see what’s ahead.
–Remember that your social media and digital marketing is about “the human experience”. Trends show that audiences are are seeking experiences, rather than products. Just as Facebook moved away from advertisements on the News Feed, social media platforms like Instagram also are seeing that consumers shy away from advertisements and seek more organic posts. Real-life photos, products in use, and quotes in creative formats perform very well across all social networks. If you’re promoting a film or book, consider having your readers hashtag photos of them at a film screening or of them reading your book. These types of “experience” based posts will connect and engage even your most resistant target audience.
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