Content creation is often such an overwhelming field to take part in. The overarching social media space is fast-paced and ever-changing with new trends, techniques and individuals rising every single day. Think about, how often do you see a new TikTok dance or a new influencer on any social media platform? I would like to think that many people would argue this takes place every couple of days! There’s so much information to take in at a time and in my experience as a content creator for Binghamton U, it’s so incredibly easy to fall behind on trends or not hit your target audience quite right. While I’m still learning and growing as a content creator, here’s some tips and tricks in finding success in the social media sphere! Social media is often the backbone of a lot of brand success. This broadens your reach and even gives an entirely free platform to market on! This can go for even university-based clubs and events.
- Trends drive engagement and reach
You may be wondering why trends may matter so much? One of the main reasons is because they can increase audience engagement and reach. Trending sounds or topics via TikTok or Instagram reels will be pushed by the algorithm to more people via the “For You” or “Explore” page. This is where people you may not explicitly follow or pay attention to normally will pop-up. This allows for more likes, followers, etc. which in-turn grows brand awareness and presence. Not only that, but their often light-hearted and fun nature allows for the audience to resonate with the brand on a deeper level.
- Learn your target audience!
This may seem a bit self-explanatory to some, but It can be incredibly hard to align current trends with the group you’re trying to appeal to (ie. your target audience.) While this is different for personal content creators and those that may be marketing for an institution, there’s a lot of good that comes out of consistency. While you do want to change and adapt with trends, you want to ensure the trends align with your pre-existing content. This allows for your audience to know what to expect from your content and continually enjoy it. For example, the Binghamton U TikTok (@BinghamtonU) overall wants to display to students and prospective students campus life, promote events, and spread general awareness about the school. This allows for more leeway in our content, however, we
- The 80/20 Rule
One of the most valuable social media and marketing tools I’ve learned is the 80/20 rule. This simply means that 80% of social media content should be entertaining or educational, while 20% should be promotional content. This means a large amount of content from a brand perspective can be purely trend-based and fun! While this does mean the content still needs to be thought-out, you can still adapt to trends in a way that isn’t entirely serious. Consumers generally want to feel engaged in the content in some way and strictly promotional content isn’t able to align with the audience as well as trends.
