Every business today understands the undeniable presence of social media. It’s where your customers are, where conversations happen, and where brands are built. But simply being on social media isn’t enough. The real challenge lies in creating content that genuinely connects and converts.
In a recent episode of the Moxie Creative podcast, “Social Media Success: Creating Content That Converts,” our very own social media manager, Isabella, pulled back the curtain on the strategies and insights that truly drive results. With nearly two years of dedicated experience in the field, including a background in marketing technology, Isabella shared her “aha!” moments and the current best practices for navigating the ever-evolving social media landscape.
This isn’t just a guide to getting more likes; it’s a deep dive into building a robust social media presence that contributes to your overall business goals. At Moxie Creative, we believe in helping businesses not just start strong, but also stand out and stay bold, and understanding social media’s true potential is a cornerstone of that mission.
Why Social Media Matters: Beyond the Sale
The most common reason businesses want to be on social media is, understandably, to drive sales. While sales can be a fantastic “perk,” as Isabella notes, it’s rarely the sole or even primary benefit, especially from organic efforts. The journey to conversion through social media is multi-faceted, requiring a holistic approach that goes far beyond direct selling.
So, why should businesses be posting on social media?
- Staying Relevant: In today’s digital age, if your business isn’t online, it’s virtually invisible to a significant portion of your target market. As Gen Z becomes the largest consumer generation, reaching them early through their preferred platforms is crucial for long-term growth.
- Brand Clarity and Vision: Social media provides a dynamic platform to showcase your brand’s personality, values, and offerings. It’s an extension of your identity, allowing you to tell your story in an engaging way.
- Audience Understanding: By monitoring engagement and conversations, businesses gain invaluable insights into what their audience wants, their pain points, and how they perceive your brand. This feedback loop is essential for refining your products, services, and overall customer experience.
- Improved Customer Care: Social media offers a direct channel for customer interaction, allowing for quicker responses to inquiries, feedback, and support needs.
- Website Traffic: Strategic social media content can drive significant traffic to your website, serving as a vital touchpoint in the customer journey.
- Information Dissemination: During times of crisis (like the pandemic, as Kelly points out), social media became the immediate go-to for customers seeking updates on business operations. Even in normal times, it’s an excellent way to keep your audience informed about promotions, new products, or important announcements.
Kelly, with her extensive marketing background, remembers a time before social media was a “thing.” She observed its rise from a “free way to market your business” on platforms like Facebook in 2009, to a more complex, algorithm-driven environment where “people realized that it takes a long time, it takes a lot of your time. So it’s not free in that sense.” Many businesses initially “bailed on social media” when it became less intuitive, but now those who ignored it are playing catch-up. The truth is, social media must be an integral part of your overall marketing strategy.
The Strategy Behind the Scroll: Building Your Social Media Blueprint
Simply “posting to post” is a waste of time and can even harm your brand. As Isabella emphasized, “You’re wasting time doing that… it can hurt your brand negatively.” The key to success lies in a robust, data-driven strategy.
When Moxie Creative partners with a client for social media management, Isabella typically follows a comprehensive strategy development process:
- SWOT Analysis: This foundational step involves assessing the client’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. This provides a holistic overview of the brand’s internal capabilities and external environment.
- Competitor Research: Understanding what competitors are doing (and not doing) in the social media space is crucial. This helps identify gaps and opportunities for differentiation, informing where the client can truly stand out.
- Audience Analysis: This is “the most important part,” according to Isabella. You must deeply understand your target audience:
- Who are they? (Demographics, personas)
- What do they want? (Content preferences, pain points)
- Why do they buy? (Motivations, values)
- How do they interact with content? (Platform usage, engagement habits) As Kelly noted, businesses often make the mistake of “posting for themselves and not for the audience.” Isabella uses the example of tailoring content to your audience’s interests – a Taylor Swift meme versus an “Office” reference for middle-aged men. Knowing your audience ensures your content “lands” and drives engagement.
- Brand Positioning: Based on the insights from the SWOT, competitor, and audience analyses, this step defines how the brand will be positioned to its audience on social media. What strengths will be highlighted? What kind of culture will be portrayed? What mix of educational and entertainment content will resonate most effectively?
- Content Buckets (Categories): To maintain consistency and endless content ideas, Isabella creates content buckets or categories. These can include:
- Culture: Showcasing company values, team members, behind-the-scenes.
- Education: Providing valuable information, tips, how-tos related to your industry.
- Entertainment: Engaging and humorous content that resonates with your audience.
- Product/Service Promotion: Soft selling and highlighting offerings. This structured approach saves time and ensures that every post aligns with the overall strategy, preventing random or irrelevant content.
The Mechanics of Social Media Management: Beyond the Post
Effective social media management is a labor-intensive process that goes far beyond simply hitting “post.” Isabella broke down the extensive work involved:
- Content Creation: This involves laying out monthly content plans, collaborating with graphic designers for visuals, and crafting compelling captions. Isabella emphasizes that human-centric captions that don’t sound like they’re directly from a marketer perform best, highlighting the limitations of AI in this area.
- Visuals: High-quality photos, videos, and graphics are non-negotiable. Whether shot professionally or using an iPhone, visuals must be strategically planned to capture attention and convey the brand message.
- Engagement & Community Management: “Posting ghosting” – putting out content and never engaging with comments or messages – is a common mistake that damages credibility. Actively responding to comments, thanking followers, and engaging with your community is crucial for building relationships and fostering loyalty. As Kelly pointed out, some agencies only post, neglecting the vital engagement aspect.
- Analytics Review & Refinement: This often overlooked but critical step involves diving deep into post-performance data. Metrics like average watch time for Reels, save rates for educational content, and click-throughs provide invaluable insights. Understanding what these numbers mean, beyond just “likes,” is key to revising your strategy and continuously improving content effectiveness. Isabella notes that while higher “likes” often come from “top-of-funnel” brand awareness content, a balanced strategy needs to include “sales-promoting” content, even if it garners fewer likes.
Case Studies in Conversion: Selling Experiences, Not Just Products
Isabella shared compelling examples of how her strategic approach has driven success for Moxie clients:
- Hops Direct (Education/Value): This hops farm client needed to sell to brewers. Instead of just promoting hops, Isabella created “hop highlights” and content around “brewing with hops” and “hop pairings.” By breaking down complex information in a digestible way and catering to both commercial and home brewers, she built a highly engaged community. The results? Significant follower growth, shares by brewers, high save rates on educational posts, and an industry award for their creative execution.
- White Wolf Custom Apparel and Design (Entertainment/Culture): This client specializes in promotional apparel, a seemingly “boring” industry. However, by focusing on the owners’ fun personalities and the positive experience of working with them, Isabella developed an entertainment-driven strategy. Through humorous skits and original content, she transformed their social media into a platform that makes customers “smile whenever they see them on their page.” This approach has resulted in significant business growth (30-50% in the last year) and strong brand awareness.
These examples underscore a key principle: you’re not selling your services or products; you’re selling the experience or the results. Airlines don’t sell seats; they sell the vacation. Similarly, a promotional apparel company sells the joy and impact of custom-branded items, not just a t-shirt.
When to Outsource: Making a Worthwhile Investment
For many small businesses, the initial thought of paying for social media management can be a mental block, especially given its early “free” reputation. However, as Isabella and Kelly argue, the investment is almost always worthwhile.
Signs it’s time to outsource your social media:
- You desire greater results and brand awareness.
- You’ve tried DIY and it’s not working.
- You need more time back to focus on your core business.
- You’re struggling to stay up-to-date with trends and algorithm changes.
- You lack an outside perspective on your content strategy.
- Your analytics show a lack of engagement or clear direction.
When you outsource to an agency like Moxie Creative, you’re not just getting a social media manager; you’re gaining access to a full team of experts – designers, video editors, strategists – who bring collective experience and cutting-edge knowledge to your brand. This comprehensive support is why social media management, when done well, is a powerful investment in your business’s growth.
Tune In and Get Inspired
If your business is struggling with social media, Isabella’s core advice is this: don’t get bogged down by perfection or polished graphics. Instead, obsess over understanding your audience.
Even if your content isn’t perfectly polished, if it resonates deeply with your audience and provides genuine value, it will perform far better than generic, uninspired posts. Start by actively listening to your audience, crafting messages tailored to their needs and interests, and delivering that content consistently. Whether it’s a simple phone video or a thoughtful caption, focusing on your audience is the most impactful step you can take.
