It seems like today algorithms are constantly changing through Instagram, Facebook, Tik-Tok, YouTube and all the social platforms. There is no doubt that this is the case.
We find ourselves constantly chasing the algorithm finding the newest way to gain audience attention while staying on brand with the niche that we are part of.
How would you feel if I told you that there is a timeless way to gain audience attention regardless of the current trends or algorithms?
Drum roll please…
Current events!
Depending on your industry, current events might be a delicate topic due to how polarizing audiences can be.
Especially in today’s society there are so many things going on with social changes that it can be scary to take a stance on a professional setting about some of the topics.
However the best thing about current events is that they will never go away. They will always be there and regardless of how they are shared, they will always be something that people are talking about.
Since it doesn’t seem like social media is going anywhere anytime soon, current events are always going to be spoken about and communicated about through social media platforms.
If you’re trying to grow on social media but not maintain a relevant discussion throughout all the current events taking place, you will most likely be overlooked and ignored for the duration of the time that the current event is popular.
As much value as you might be producing for your specific niche, if you are not at least acknowledging the topics at hand that are trending, the content that you produce will be deemed as irrelevant and not needed during that time.
The last thing you want to do is come across as irrelevant or not necessary given the algorithms on social media. Naturally, social platforms push out content that they deem as relevant to the audience. If you are not in that realm of relevancy you will naturally be neglected through the algorithm, which will lead to less engagement on your platforms.
As previously mentioned, it is understandable that speaking on current events can be nerve-racking as most companies would hate to create a separation in their audience, or be pulled into the dark side of cancel culture.
There are a few ways to acknowledge current events while maintaining a neutral stance on any current event:
1. Utilize story posts:
Story posts are on most social platforms and the great thing about them is that they have become even more popular than feed posts. On a busy day, Many audiences scroll through story posts for the sake of ingesting the most amount of content in a short amount of time. This will allow a lot of the audience to view the acknowledgement of a current event at its peak time. Oftentimes social platforms create ‘stickers’ that you can use on stories to connect the discussion of a particular current event. The very best thing about story posts though, is that they’re only available for 24 hours. Worse comes to worse, either the story can be deleted or it will just disappear soon.
2. Subtlety is key:
The misconception that a lot of companies have about taking a stance on current events on social media, is they believe that they have to partake in one side of the discussion. Naturally this will cause a separation in their audience if there are differences in beliefs. To avoid any of this the best way to approach current event topics on story posts is to be as subtle as possible. Oftentimes the best way to do this is to use a phrase that is popularly used to discuss the current event, or if the current event is a serious topic, Simply stating something like “Adapting social stands with the tragedies of….”. Although this can still be a bit polarizing you have a much better chance to make a good impression on your audience given that you are acknowledging the situation at hand and remaining top of mind on their feed.
3. Engagement on other pages
A great way to begin taking a stance on current events as a company is to engage with others on their opinions of the topic. You will find that many pages on social media will make posts on their feed regarding the topic. This makes it easy for you as all you have to do is create a short, supportive comment that shares your brand’s acknowledgement. When your followers view others pages given that they interact with you they will mostly see your comment first. This again will keep you at top of mind and show that you are an authentic brand that is trustworthy and aware of current events.
For any brand this can be a nerve-wracking approach. However, in order to maintain relevancy and the growth process, it is imperative to start making the move of engaging with current events. This will push the needle for your brand and make strides in the growth of your social media.
