How my Social Media Strategy is Changing in 2023

Peacocks are known for their ability to adapt to their environment, whether it’s in the jungle, desert, or the suburbs of Los Angeles. (I was floored to find out peacocks are wild, like pigeons, in California.) Similarly, your social media strategy needs to adapt to changes in the digital landscape, whether it’s algorithms updates, an emerging platform, or your own personal needs. By being flexible and adaptable, you can stay ahead of the curve and remain relevant to your audience.

The last three years have been incredibly challenging for me and my business. I’ve dealt with both my children having health issues during the worst of pandemic lockdowns. I provided so much free training in the beginning that I burned myself out and had to take a six-month hiatus. The combination of family stress, pandemic woes, and burning the candle at both ends, triggered my Depression, which I’d had under control without medications for a decade.

Last year my word of the year was “Recovery”. I knew I couldn’t continue running my own business if I didn’t get my mental health in order. So for six months the only work I did was for my clients: no content creation for Twirp Communications, no networking, no podcast, and very little consulting. Recovering me was very happy that past me had business savings to pay the bills during this time off because there’s no disability support or sick pay when you’re self-employed!

My word of the year for 2023 is actually a phrase “Slow and Steady”. And this is the focus for how I’m changing up my social media strategy for 2023. After all, this is what I coach my clients to do! I’m downsizing my content creation efforts like an empty nester moving into a condo.

Why Changing your Social Media Strategy is a Good Idea

Your social media strategy is like a garden – if you don’t water and tend to it regularly, it will wither and die. Sometimes, even the most dedicated gardener can experience a lack of inspiration or motivation. When this happens, it’s time to pull out the weeds, divide the overgrown, and plant new seeds to revitalize the garden. (Hilarious! I’m using a garden analogy when I absolutely hate gardening!)

Changing up your social media strategy can help you

• create fresh, new content that keeps your audience engaged and interested in what you have to offer;
• keep up with trends, such as new platforms, formats, and algorithms;
• reach new audiences.

How do you Know it’s Time to Change Up your Social Media Strategy?

If you’re thinking “But Anitaaaaaaaaa! I don’t want to change what I’m doing. I JUST got it all running smoothly. Whyyyyyy?” ask yourself these questions:

Are your engagement rates increasing or stagnant?

If things such as likes, comments, shares, and followers have plateaued or decreased over time, it may be a sign that your current strategy isn’t resonating with your audience.

Are you getting business from your social media?

If you’re using social media to drive traffic to your website or to generate leads or sales, but you’re not seeing the desired results, it could be an indication that your strategy needs to be updated or optimized. Of course you also need to be tracking these things to know if this is the answer.

Has your industry or business changed significantly in the last year?

If your business has undergone significant changes, such as a new product launch, a rebranding, or a shift in your target audience it’s time to update your social media strategy to reflect that.

Are your current efforts optimized for today’s popular platforms and current algorithms?

The social media landscape is constantly evolving, with new features, algorithms, and best practices emerging nearly daily. Simply put, if your social media strategy is the same as it was two, three or 10 years ago, you may be missing out on opportunities to reach and engage with your audience.

Are you uninspired to implement your social media strategy?

Finally, if you’re feeling bored, burnt out, or uninspired by your social media strategy, it may be time to shake things up and try something new. Your audience will likely appreciate the fresh perspective and renewed energy.

Things to Consider Before you Change your Social Media Strategy

Now, don’t rush out and start changing your social media strategy just because I said it’s a good idea. It is, but you need to consider several important factors:

Goals

Your social media strategy should align with your overall business goals. Consider what you’re trying to achieve, whether it’s to increase brand awareness, generate leads, drive sales, or build customer relationships. The type of content you make and the way you distribute things changes depending on your goals for social media. There are many ways to use social media that don’t focus on sales.

And don’t tell me it’s “sales”. Social media certainly can help with sales, but if you go into it with the goal of “sales” you’ll probably make really boring, aggressive content that won’t attract buyers.

Target Audience

Your social media strategy should be tailored to your target audience. This is the group of people who are most likely to buy your product or service, not necessarily the audience you currently have. Be sure you understand that!

Consider who they are, what they’re interested in, and how and where they prefer to consume content. This will help you create content that resonates with them and engages them on the platforms they use most.

Your Time and Resources

Consider the resources you have available, including time and budget, to implement a social media strategy. Don’t commit to doing things you don’t have time for. Don’t plan to hire a social media agency or VA if you don’t have the budget to sustain it. It’s much better to downsize your strategy than implement it inconsistently.

Competitors

What platforms are they using? What type of content are they creating? What engagement tactics are they using? Does it look like it’s working? Can you do it better? This will help you identify opportunities to differentiate yourself and stand out in your industry.

Analytics and Data

Use data to inform your strategy. Analyze your current social media performance, including engagement rates, conversion rates, and traffic sources. This will help you identify what’s working and what’s not, and make data-driven decisions about your strategy.

How I’m Changing My Social Media Strategy in 2023

Now that you know my motivation for changing up my own social media strategy (downsizing, ease and flow, slow and steady, keeping up with the changes) here’s what that’s going to look like:

• Blogging and my newsletter will still be a pillar of my content plan. Blogging is how I meet my strategic goal of providing thought leadership, sharing knowledge, and building trust. Also, I am not about to give up more than a decade of working on my SEO, which does bring in 90% or more of my “cold calls” for business. However, I am going to be much more strategic about the topics I choose to blog about, how, and when.
• My priority networks are changing. I am deprioritizing Twitter. I know, I know…Twitter has always been my favourite network, but analytics tell me that’s not where my clients are coming from. I’ll still be there, just not as much and not as a priority network.
• Video first. I am committing to making more video content to keep up with the changes in how people like to consume content and learn, as well as changes to the algorithms. This means you’re going to see more short-form video content from me via Reels and TikTok.
• Fewer static posts. If video is taking priority, that means I’ll be making fewer “feed posts”. Specifically on Instagram where I’m implementing a static, top-nine grid to serve as a funnel for my VIP Social Media Strategy planning services. Believe it or not, IG feed posts were incredibly stressful for me, so this alone is taking the weight of the world off my shoulders. And the feed posts I’m making are going to change in nature. Because I’ll be doing fewer of them they will be little bursts of learning in a post. Mini-blogs almost. But not really. I guess you’ll have to follow me on Facebook and LinkedIn to see.
• Working in campaigns or seasons. One of the reasons I was overwhelmed was not taking my own best advice and trying to be everywhere and do everything all the time. I felt like Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once.I have some big projects I want to work on this year. Projects like Social Media Day Halifax and being lead social media volunteer for the North American Indigenous Games, but also things I haven’t announced yet. In order to make these things happen, I have to work smarter and finish what I’ve started before moving on. So I’m breaking up my year of content into campaigns.I will be publishing on my blog twice a month until Summer. My podcast will air a self-contained season four before Summer as well. My video content will support these campaigns while they’re happening. I’ll take a big break from content creation in the Summer, then come back with new projects in the Fall.

These are the major decisions I’ve made regarding my own social media strategy for the foreseeable future. Of course, there are myriad other changes in tactics and timing, but I can’t give you my entire strategy in a single blog post!

How is your social media strategy changing this year? I’d love to hear from you.