The best social media marketers are the best experimenters.
“Nobody knows anything.” — William Goldman
When The Princess Bride screenwriter made that statement he was referring to the movie business, but it’s just as perfect a description of social media.
That’s why the only way to develop a successful social media marketing strategy is to be willing to experiment — often.
It’s easy to forget how new social media is.
Nobody truly knows how to use it and the platforms are in a constant state of evolution.
Today’s conventional wisdom would have been considered stupid yesterday and will seem idiotic tomorrow.
Do you know how much experience the average “senior level” social media executive has?
Two years.
(Ok, I admit I heard that stat a couple years ago so now the average may be four years experience, but you get the point — nobody’s calling on hundred of years of research in these gigs.)
Even “seasoned” social pros aren’t that seasoned.
This means the best social media marketers and content creators are the ones who are best at experimenting.
I do this a lot.
I test different post formats, approaches to content, and ways to tweak the norms of each social platform to see what happens.
Sometimes…most times…nothing great happens.
But once in a while, you stumble across something that works.
It’s those discoveries that separate the best social media strategists from all the others who claim to be “gurus.”
With that in mind, take a moment to consider what you’re experimenting with on social media right now.
If you don’t have multiple things you’re trying, curious about, or throwing out there to see what happens, then you’re doing social media wrong.
Try something different with your accounts for a week, a day, or a post.
Something the so-called “experts” swear is the wrong way to do it and see what happens.
It will probably flop.
But it might not.
You might discover what everybody else found was wrong for them is actually right for you, your brand, and your needs.
There’s only one way to find out.
If you need some inspiration, here are some examples of things I learned from recent social media experiments:
How I Improved My Social Media Profiles In 15 Minutes
Five quick changes I made this week.medium.com