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W<\/span>hile many of us are in the midst of our busiest season of the year, it\u2019s natural to look ahead to 2023 and think of all the things we want to change or improve. Start taking down notes as you think of them throughout the coming months. That way, once January comes around, you can flesh out the plan you want to execute over the following year.<\/p>\n Many independent retailers and manufacturers want to better use social and digital media tools to connect with customers. They want to remind customers to shop local or independent, showcase new products and services or give them a sneak peek of things to come.<\/p>\n Ready to improve your social media game next year? Here\u2019s a primer on how to make 2023 your best year when it comes to maximizing your social media engagement.<\/p>\n For any business or marketing plan to work, you want to have a plan in place. Not an overall arching idea but an actual plan, broken down by month and, ideally, by week. Jot down major events or holidays or seasons you want to highlight each month. Does your community have a huge event happening in the month of April or October? Write it down. Do you normally travel to a market in July? Note your market travel so you can consider posting live takes from market.<\/p>\n So you don\u2019t know how to use TikTok (or some other platform) yet but feel like this is a good way to reach your target market? Add it to your calendar! Professional development is one of those things that people talk about but rarely have time to do because they don\u2019t plan for it. Learning anything new takes time and the more you practice, the better you get. If it\u2019s learning a new social media platform and you feel overwhelmed, break it down into actionable steps. For example:<\/p>\n January \u2014 Learn TikTok\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n February \u2014 Continue with TikTok<\/em><\/p>\n You get the idea. You don\u2019t need to break down each week right now, but you do want to start building out your plan by identifying what you want to tackle in 2023. Again, if you don\u2019t planyour work, you cannot work your plan.<\/p>\n Video is no longer a nice to have in your social media posts. Today\u2019s audience relies on videos daily and it\u2019s not just TikTok. It\u2019s also Instagram Reels and YouTube. According to\u00a0Social<\/em> Media<\/em> Today<\/em>,\u00a0<\/em>video is the most engaging content type online and thanks to better mobile device functionality, it\u2019s easier than ever for people to stream content on the go. It\u2019s changing the way we communicate, engage and interact.<\/p>\n And don\u2019t think it\u2019s just younger generations using these video-heavy platforms. In the United States, almost 20% of TikTok users are 40-49 and 10% are 50 and better. On YouTube, 70% are users aged 40-49 and more than 65% are age 50 and better. Each month, users spend on average of almost 20 hours on TikTok and almost 24 hours on YouTube.<\/p>\n You do not need any fancy technology to create videos. Your smartphone works just fine. The goal isn\u2019t to produce documentary-style videos to post. Rather, it\u2019s to create content your audience would love to engage with, share with their friends or use to communicate with you.<\/p>\n Learning something new can be exciting and fun even if it\u2019s challenging. The new year is always a good time for reflection and turning a new chapter. Let this be the year you try something new and reap all the benefits of your new insights.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nCreate a Plan and Work Your Plan<\/h3>\n
Invest In Social and Digital Media<\/h3>\n
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Invest In Video<\/h3>\n