Ask Jupiter No. 5 - ‘How do I show up on social media while it's constantly changing?
Don’t let Shiny Object Syndrome distract you from what really matters, a brand voice even ChatGPT cannot copy. PLUS a Gay Friday special.
Before we dive into today’s letter, I wanted to let you know I’m running an extra special deal for Black Friday/Small Biz Saturday/Cyber Monday Gay Friday 🎉
1-hr sessions with moi are available for a cool $75 because accessibility matters and everyone deserves a strategy that works for them.
Hey Jupiter!
Social media marketing can be challenging because the platforms are constantly changing and changing relevance.
Do you have advice on keeping your brand relevant? Social platforms seem unlikely to stay the way they are for good.
I used to use X as a major platform, but since the handover to Elon, it's become less relevant.
Right now, Instagram and Threads are my most used platforms - but I fear what might happen if/when Instagram changes and the algorithm becomes harder to break through. I also worry about the launch of new platforms and the old ones becoming irrelevant.
— Algorithmic Wave Rider
Hiii Wave Rider!
“I fear what might happen if/when Instagram changes and the algorithm becomes harder to break through.” - Put this on my MFin’ tombstone.
It’s kinda bonkers to think that our jobs as marketers/strategists/creators are in a constant state of change. Like every day we wake up and there is some new wild goose to chase.
Imagine if the Eagles woke up to an inflatable obstacle course from your elementary school’s field day added to the end zone. (I don't know what happens in football but I’m p sure not that).
With social media platforms addicted to proving value to their shareholders, they are always looking for the Next Best Thing to keep the masses engaged (and therefore looking at ads and making them money).
What that means for us, as professionals, is that social media is kinda a crapshoot.
But we still gotta participate (if you so choose).
Here’s how you can leverage whatever social media is up to this week:
Build a strong brand voice AND actually use it
Brand voice? For content strategy? Groundbreaking.
But really, jokes aside, developing a strong brand voice means you can show up on any platform or with any trend and your audience will know it’s you!
You can tweak tone for each platform accordingly but a strong brand voice should be able to write everything from IG captions to a Craigslist missed connection. More on this in Ask Jupiter No. 2 - 'SOS! How do I talk to multiple target audiences?’
A developed brand voice also makes it easy to say a quick yes or a hard no to participating in trends. If you run the social media account of a nonprofit helping folks in jail, you’ll see the “suspect says…” trend and know to pass on it immediately.
If you need help building a brand voice, might I suggest a 1-hr strategy session to discuss.
✋ Halt, Vibe Check ✋
New platform or old platform relevant again? It’s time to catch a vibe.
When Threads first hit the scene, everyone swore up and down that it would replace Twitter.
Your Instagram followers joined like hotcakes and we all got the enticing notifications of “you have 47 people requesting to follow you on Threads” or whatever. They created the option to automatically follow whomstever you already followed IG., which feels decidedly Not Twitter. Personally, my oomfies and my high school chemistry teacher should not be able to follow me in the same place.
Now a year and change into it, Threads has not replaced Twitter as much as it’s become its own ~thing~ entirely.
Brands and civilians alike flock to threads to crack jokes, share earnest stories about their lives, and connect with others. Threads has yet to produce an internet main character and can’t handle breaking news.
If you copied and pasted your Twitter strategy to Threads, you wouldn’t see the same success. Because Threads has its own life force now.
When a new platform launches or an old one finds its revival (Snapchat??), keep an eye on it. Whether you make your own burner account or just ask pals that use it anecdotally, wait to see how things shake out before you craft a brand new platform specific.
And because I am ADDICTED to nuance, I must note that platforms often reward their early adopters. If your gut tells you that this platform or new trend could be Perfect for your brand, test the waters.
Beyond Meat is the perfect example of a brand that quickly embraced the Threads vibe and has been rewarded for it (most posts get more likes than their instagram content with a fraction of the follower count).
When it comes to trends, you have to rely on the brand voice you’ve crafted and go with your gut.
In Ask Jupiter No. 3, I discussed whether your brand should speak out on a certain topic. You can kinda apply the same line of thinking to whether or not to hop on a trend. Instead of discussing Mission and Vision, I think you can ask yourself…
Is the trend relevant to the brand? Can I make it relevant?
Does the tone match the brand?
Does our audience expect something like this from us?
If all of these things are a yes, trend on. If some, trend lightly.
Take a good look in the mirror and ask yourself: do I really need to participate?
Is the platform/trend relevant to what your brand does?
Do you have the time to create a whole new thing?
Are you creating more work for yourself that won’t necessarily move the needle?
If no, reconsider taking part. You don’t want to get stuck in the cycle of Shiny Object Syndrome.
Want to surf the algorithm? Work smarter not harder.
Assuming your brand wasn’t born yesterday, you already have content and likely have data on the performance of that content.
Take what consistently performs best and rework it for the new trend/feature/algorithm tweak.
Last year, Pinterest launched Reel-style videos and were heavily boosting anyone that used the new capability. Instead of scrambling to create video content, I just created a video with some of my client’s most popular pins, adding in graphics to try to tell a story.
Was it perfect? No. Did it still get a ton of engagement, an increase in reach, and an increase the click-through rate? Yes.
Once Pinterest made the feature permanent, I incorporated video content regularly into the content calendar.
Turn your blog posts into infographics, your podcast scripts into talking head reels, your website copy into shitposts. With a strong foundation, its easy to get creative with format.
Play around with it! As everybody’s favorite lesbian witch and bus driving teacher says, “Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!”
If you screw up, we aren’t brain surgeons. It ain’t that deep!
💌,
KP @ Jupiter Content Co.
If you have made it this far, I have a gift for u 🤲 🎁
