Bridget Willard | SaaS Marketing Agency

Category: Social Media

  • Social Media Success: Adjust and Adapt to Change

    When it comes to technology, you can always expect one thing: change. When it comes to social media, changes happens at a faster pace. Keep up for success.

    Why does social media change so often?

    Why does social media change so often? My answer: welcome to tech.

    In my talks, I always say the tech changes in 20 minutes so you better keep up. Once you post that tutorial on how to add people to a list, Twitter will change the gear icon into the three stacked dots. It happens. It happens frequently. It happens to us all.

    Here are some examples of change:

    • Facebook lists are going away. I know. Many people didn’t even know they existed. I used them. They’re gone. Whatever. Move on. Right?
    • Instagram is no longer in reverse chronological order. Surprise? Not really since Facebook bought them.
    • There used to be “best times to post.” Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram default to a customized feed based upon the user’s behavior. Throw away those best times now.
    • Auto posting from Instagram to Twitter used to be chic. Then Twitter stopped supporting live previews of Instagram links (not surprisingly, after Facebook bought them).
    • Follow Friday (#FF #FollowFriday) was a huge deal on Twitter. Now if you do it, you’re out of touch or have some robot turned on.
    • Twitter changed retweeting — three times — since I signed up in 2007. This is why I prefer the old “RT” way. (Did you know your retweets can be turned off?)
    • It used to be that Instagram’s culture supported 12-20 hashtags per post. This is changing.
    • Instagram used to perform well with short captions. People now accept longer descriptions, stories.
    • SnapChat was copied by Instagram and Facebook with 24 hour “stories.”
    • Avatars used to be 500×500 squares. They’re are now circles within those squares.

    I could go on and on but those are just some of the changes I’ve experienced since doing content marketing and social media management since 2009.

    Tech changes. Adapt.

    This is why it is so important to be a practitioner.

    How do you start a social media campaign from scratch?

    Starting a social media campaign from scratch is easier than you think. When you start from scratch, you don’t have to relearn changes. You just have to learn the right way (until they change it again).

    My advice is to always start small. Use one platform. Use it often and use it well. For example, if you have a new product coming out, decide where your audience is. Pick that social media platform.

    If it’s a WordPress plugin, choose Twitter. Start an account. Write your bio clearly. Use a square logo ensuring the logo is clearly visible in a square. Tweet about your product linking to your website. Pin that tweet to your timeline. Tweet once a day in the morning and once after lunch.

    With Twitter, a campaign’s success is a ratio of volume. Resist the urge to retweet people who talk about you. Instead reply. Say “thank you.” Respond to questions. Build relationships. This is how to be successful.

    How do I create a social media strategy plan?

    The first step to creating a successful social media strategy is to plan with a professional. You should have SMART goals with an overarching strategy and agile tactics.

    Let’s start by differentiating strategy from tactics.

    “Strategy and tactics are both how you will achieve your goals and objectives. Strategy is our path or bridge for going from where we are today to our goal. It’s our general resource allocation plan. It might be to engage industry thought-leaders to become advocates for our product. The tactics then are how specifically or tangibly we will do that. They might include items such direct marketing letters, face-to-face meetings, key talking point scripts and an iPad app.” Rich Horwath

    • What are your goals? Write them down.
    • What do you want out of social media? Write it down.
    • Who is your customer? The answer is not “everyone.” This question takes some introspection and maybe an audit. Who were your last 5 big customers? What do they have in common?
    • Where are your customers? If the answer is Twitter, then start there.

    There is no real way to be super specific in a blog post about tactics, which is why you hire a consultant. This is where I mention that you can also hire me as a consultant to put together a plan of action. 

     

    How do you create a social media marketing strategy factoring in change?

    Any strategy should have flexibility in the tactics to allow for change. It’s the same in social media. Factoring in change in social media means factoring in failure. Social media tactics need room for error and experimentation. Watch the results — but don’t obsess. Look for long-term trends. Ask “what if” often.

    In order to allow for tactical changes, you must experiment. I did it with this blog post, even. For the first time, I used “people also ask” as my outline. I never outline my posts. I just write.

    That means, as a business owner or corporate officer, whether hiring or outsourcing, you must trust your team. Delegate. Let go. Check in monthly or quarterly. Ask questions. Listen to their answers. Assess. Adjust. Continue.

    When it comes to employees, hire someone you trust and then — trust them. Give constructive feedback frequently. It takes time to learn a brand’s voice — or to shape it. Comedians take about four years to find this. It won’t be overnight.

    How can social media strategies be improved?

    Remember that a social media strategy is a strategy. These are overarching goals, to be contrasted with tactics. You can and should always improve your tactics. Strategies can be reassessed quarterly.

    Social media strategies can always be improved but you won’t know how to make the changes unless you monitor trends, assess, and adapt.

    A good social media manager won’t be stuck in 2009. As a practitioner, your vendor or in-house employee will know what is best for your industry and your niche.

    This is why it’s important to outsource to a professional, who could easily qualify as an in-house Marketing Manager. Anything less is risking the reputation of your brand — something not so easily recovered for a growing small business.

    If your social media marketing is stuck in 2009, let’s talk.

     

  • What a Social Media Manager Can’t (or shouldn’t) Do for You

    Updated 3/26/25

    Social Media Managers are awesome. They’re so awesome, in fact, that they get mind-blowing (read: unreasonable) requests.

    My friend Carol Stephen wrote a post called “What Can a Social Media Manager Do For You?” In that post, she includes items such as research, deciding when to post, and choosing hashtags.

    I thought it would be fun to do the opposite.

    10 Things Outside of the Scope of Social Media Management

    A social media manager should not:

    1. Care about your business more than you do.
    2. Be a videographer.
    3. Be a video editor.
    4. Be a professional photographer or editor.
    5. Be an expert in InDesign, Photoshop, et al.
    6. Design logos or creative.
    7. Build your website.
    8. Be a technical SEO expert.
    9. Be an expert in paid advertising.
    10. Be a professional copywriter.

    Even though many social media managers have specialized training in marketing, these requests are way out of the scope of social media management. Especially if you’re underpaying them or (god forbid) are using a VA.

    How Much Should I Pay a Social Media Manager?

    Paying a social media manager what they’re worth is directly correlated with the quality of the postings. I strongly recommend against hiring someone on an hourly basis since social media management isn’t a 9-5 job.

    With that said, ZipRecruiter shows that the average salary of an in-house social media manager is $62,638 (2025) in Corpus Christi, TX. The low is $23,666 a year and the highest is $105,773. What surprises me is that nationally, ZipRecruiter shows that the average is just above Corpus Christi’s, which isn’t an affluent area.

    In contrast, I have flat rates based on the platform and scope. If you want the pro level of Twitter/X, for example, that’s going to cost you $1200/mo. But if you want the low end, it’s just under $400.

    image
    Screenshot from ZipRecruiter

    Who Typically Hires a Social Media Manager in a Large Corporation?

    A Marketing Manager ($85k+/year) will most likely be responsible for the entire list but outsource quite a few marketing tasks to vendors.

    A social media manager who bills for the work, not the time, is easy to get a hold of and has a good account of their own. A Marketing Manager will likely hire a social media manager to work under them.

    Social Media Managers Free Up Your Time

    Have you thought about outsourcing social media? It’s a great way to grow your business and free some of your own time. Having realistic expectations helps you value what a social media manager actually does.

    A good social media manager will represent your brand online and off. They will post content created by your editorial staff (content creation is another job). They will post photos taken by your team (or professionals you hire) and write captions and add hashtags. Your social media manager will interact with your audience (known as engagement) with your best interest in mind.

    Do You Need a Social Media Manager for Your Business?

    What kinds of questions can I help you answer or problems I can solve. Let’s roll up our sleeves and do the work.

  • Yep. Twitter Works if You Work It.

    Twitter works and requires work. Yes, Twitter is more than the POTUS or a Pop star tweeting. Twitter is an equalizer. It makes conversations possible regardless of economic or geographical boundaries. It allows people to express themselves and find others that think the same. It allows us to widen our circle as well — learning from the perspective of others and exercising empathy.

    Sure it takes time (work) to participate on Twitter. Almost everyone who does, sends me a tweet about how well it works. Like any relationship, you have to put in time. It’s a long game not something you can hack.

    Okay my rant is over. Now, what made me write this article is a response to an article by Neil Patel.

    Twitter is the Best B2B Marketing Platform

    Anyone who follows me knows how much I believe in Twitter as a B2B relationship marketing platform. An article by Neil Patel “12 Powerful Twitter Marketing Tips [That Actually Work]” came across my way via Robert Nissenbaum.

    Instead of commenting on his blog, it was suggested that I write my own post. So, here it is.

    Set Up Twitter Right – The First Time

    “Your Twitter handle has to be recognizable, easy-to-remember, and short enough for people to easily tag you.” Neil Patel

    I totally agree with Neil. You need to set up Twitter right the first time. Don’t follow anyone until this is done. And make your bio something that makes sense. If your grandma doesn’t know what your Twitter bio means, then rewrite it. Think of a city sign or slogan that makes sense.

    Well, if you didn’t do it right the first time, there’s no reason why you can’t fix it now. Think generic keywords. A bio is how you are found.

    “Incorporate some personality or humor. Don’t be afraid to tell a few jokes or say something original.” Neil Patel

    Neil recommends using humor but if it’s too inside baseball, people won’t engage. Show personality, but be careful that you’re speaking to your audience.

    Here is my post on how to set up Twitter.

    When do you Tweet?

    So, Neil recommends tweeting during peak hours. Yet, that is a lot of volume to compete with. That said, people usually check Twitter during the times they take breaks. Think about before work (7:30 a.m.), during lunch (noon), and when they’re sick of sitting at their desk (4:30 p.m.).

    “Your peak posting times will depend on your specific audience, so test how your content performs at different times and days to find out what works best for your brand.” Neil Patel

    Tweet when you want. But be responsive when you do. There’s nothing worse than scheduling tweets when you’re away from the keyboard, so to speak. It’s better to not tweet than to tweet and not respond. An audience is a responsibility. It’s your responsibility.

    [bctt tweet=”If you’re going to schedule tweets, then make sure you’re available to respond. Your audience is your responsibility.” username=”BridgetMWillard”]

    Hashtag Use on Twitter

    A hashtag is a word or combination of words preceded by a pound sign. They become clickable and act as a filter. You will see tweets with that hashtag from anyone, not just people you follow.

    On this I completely agree with Neil:

    “It’s important to use the right kind of hashtags without overusing them. Only include hashtags that add some context to your tweets.” Neil Patel

    Use words that make sense. Think about the yellow pages, keywords, generic terms. Don’t hashtag your business name. That makes zero sense. No one knows you so they’re not going to use that hashtag or see it to click on it.

    Using Twitter’s Advanced Search

    “Advanced searches put new leads right in front of you. Reach out to those people and tell them how you can fix their problem or help them out.” Neil Patel

    This is a great idea and I know my friend Carol Stephen talks about how to use Advance Search often.

    You can do this. Or you can use Twitter Lists, read the tweets from your demographics and know exactly how they speak. Whatever works for you, the point is to understand the language your audience uses, not you.

    [bctt tweet=”We are not our audience. Use terms they use, not your industry jargon.” username=”BridgetMWillard”]

    When to Use Images or Video In Tweets

    It’s true that images increase the likelihood that your tweet will be seen. But using an image, for the sake of using an image, isn’t effective. It should be an image that supports the tweet.

    “When you add images to your tweets, you’ll get more shares and clicks than the tweets without images.” Neil Patel

    I use images when it’s a selfie or group photo. Remember, we relate to other humans. We are social animals. It’s wired in our DNA to appreciate faces.

    Secondly, use featured images and a plugin like Yoast SEO that integrates Open Graph data. Then, when you share your blog post on Twitter, better yet if one of your audience members does, it has the image and metadata — because it uses Twitter cards.

    So about video. Let’s talk. Yeah. Twitter video is neat. I’ve used Periscope. A better suggestion is recording on YouTube and sharing that link. Twitter supports live preview of Twitter videos. It’s fine to use Twitter’s native video, but know that it isn’t as an effective in the long term.

    “Twitter video allows Twitter users to record a new video from a device or upload an existing video.” Neil Patel

    [bctt tweet=”Always tweet what is natural. Anything that feels forced doesn’t work — ever. Be the best version of yourself online and off.” username=”BridgetMWillard”]

    What about Twitter Polls?

    “One of the easiest ways to create more activity on your Twitter page is to create a Twitter poll.” Neil Patel

    Yeah. You can. People like choosing. But then what? Doing something just because you can makes no sense. But you can create a poll and then use those results for action — say, choosing which charity to donate to, choosing an image for the next blog post, voting on a product to launch. Then it makes sense.

    Then, follow up. Embed the tweet and the results in a blog post. Use it in a Presentation. My friend Glenn Zucman did this before his Women Who WP presentation.

    Asking a dumb question just to ask is annoying — at best.

    More Advice from Neil

    Call To Actions, AB Testing Headlines, Influencer Reach, and Twitter Ads

    A call to action (CTA) is an ask. Mix them up. Try different things. Every tweet shouldn’t have one. But for sure if you are linking to your web property, you should have an ask. The CTA should also be in your meta description if you’re sharing a blog post.

    “You’re probably already using CTAs asking users to share your posts, which is great. But this isn’t the only CTA that you should be using on your Twitter profile.” Neil Patel

    AB Testing is always a good idea. You can use a plugin to do that, or you can write a few varieties of tweets. It’s up to you. But make sure the headline isn’t too spammy. Write for your audience.

    “Testing headlines on Twitter is a great idea because the visual elements aren’t as prominent on as they are with a platform like Facebook.” Neil Patel

    I’m more dubious about influencer marketing. But that’s me. My philosophy has been to build your own tribe of people. Create affinity which leads to loyalty which leads to sales. Make your influencers.

    “It’s now easier than ever to pitch your ideas to someone with a large following. If they like what you bring to the table, they can change your brand’s world with one simple post.” Neil Patel

    Twitter is a great place to advertise, especially if you geolocate and use hashtags. Jason Knill over at GiveWP did a great job with this for WordCamp-specific ads. We actually found these ads to be much less expensive than Facebook, Google Display Network, or LinkedIn.

    “Twitter Ads can be a bit more expensive than Facebook Ads, but they will boost engagement when you need it most. Promoted tweets are the best option for this purpose.” Neil Patel

    But Wait: There’s More — Using Twitter’s Analytics

    So, I’m a tiny bit surprised this wasn’t included in his post. Twitter has powerful analytics. I have a whole post on this but this is the main thing I pay attention to. Are you ready? Tweets to Profile Visit ratio. I like that to be .20.

    I make a Google Sheet and enter the numbers every month for clients. Profile visits mean they are interested in you, they’re reading your bio, and likely clicking on your website link.

    Final Thoughts

    • Have fun.
    • It’s your business. No one knows it better than you.
    • Outsource social media if it’s overwhelming to you.
    • Always ask questions.
    • Social media is always about being social but the platforms change a bit.
    • Twitter is a long game. First-click leads almost never happen. Give it at least six months to see some results.

    What works for you? Tell me in the comments.

  • Outsourcing Social Media: It’s About Time

    If you don’t have time for social media, outsourcing it is a good solution. But there are caveats. You have to do it wisely.

    Time. Time is money. We’ve heard it all of our lives. In business we also talk about sweat equity. It’s a real thing. Yes, if you don’t have money, you may have time. But at some point you will have to evaluate how you spend your time.

    I wrote extensively about why outsourcing is financially advantageous here. In this post, I’d like to discuss some common misconceptions or thoughts I hear about social.

    “My team would be good at social media if they weren’t busy.”

    There are a few things wrong with this statement.

    Firstly, it presumes that social media is a low-level skill that anyone can learn. In many ways, it can be learned. But more about that later.

    Secondly, social media isn’t a team sport. Not to say you don’t work with a team, but committees are where social posts go to die — or never have a chance at life at all.

    Thirdly, I absolutely believe that your team could be excellent at some parts of social media. In fact, my preference is to teach social media, rather than do it for you. Why? Because no one knows your business like you.

    Great. So now we’ve decided you could be good.

    What now?

    Either you get training for them to do it or you outsource it to an agency like mine.

    If you train your team to do social media, you will be taking them away from their primary duty. Does it make sense for a CEO or Manager to tweet? From a time and cost standpoint, no.

    “Social Media is something everyone feels like they can chime in on.”

    Yeah. No. So much no. A seven-layer bean dip of no. That’s the snark version.

    Seriously, viewing social media as a low-level skill is dismissive at best. It’s not data entry or factory line work. Even those jobs require skills that not everyone can excel at.

    When you don’t view a skill as an area of expertise, you don’t respect it as a profession. Sure, everyone has an iPhone, that’s not a qualifier.

    Social media isn’t just about posting. It’s about the who, what, when, where, why, and how of posting. It’s about timing. It’s about reading the audience. It’s about discernment. It’s about silence sometimes. It’s closer to comedy in many ways.

    [bctt tweet=”Social media is about timing. It’s about reading the audience. It’s about discernment. It’s about silence. It’s closer to comedy in many ways.” username=”BridgetMWillard“]

    Social media requires basic understanding of psychology, tech, marketing, and copyrighting. It’s not for everyone.

    “Social Media is a waste of time. It doesn’t work anyway.”

    This one. I forget about this one all of the time. I could give example after example of how this isn’t true.

    Here are some examples right off the top of my head.

    1. Amy Donohue donated her kidney because of a tweet. That was in 2011.
    2. Because of a video I created for Riggins Construction, they got a net profit of work from a single client in 2015 that paid for my salary for half a year.
    3. In September of 2015, one of our Thought House Franchise Development clients got four (yes, four) first-click leads from Twitter.

    And this doesn’t include the people you meet (human ROI) or the knowledge that you learn from consuming content.

    Social Media works if you work it.

    Relationships are always valuable to business; especially if your business model relies upon referrals.

    Being social in any venue, online or off, pays off if you are a kind, generous person. Your brand has an opportunity to present itself online as that person. Why wouldn’t you take that opportunity?

    If you don’t have time to do it, outsource it. It’s that simple.