It's a new decade and a new chance to revamp your social media strategies.

When it comes to social media, does it feel like you’re throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks?

Brands today are having a harder time getting visibility, engagement and conversions from social media than years prior.

Facebook shows about 1% of your organic posts to your fans. Additionally, once a fan likes your page, you only have 2 weeks to get their attention of they are lost as an organic fan forever.

Luckily, there are strategies you can use to see more results with your social media efforts (and investment).

Read more to learn how you can start the year off strong by making these 4 changes.

Use benchmarks.

Establishing benchmarks to measure growth is a great way to measure the success of your social campaigns. You can set benchmarks based on competition (i.e. “Receive 550 engagements on similar content), or internal benchmarks (i.e. 10% growth in engagement, video views, etc.). This allows you to choose strategies and content targeted to help you meet those benchmarks—and provides easy-to-interpret data.

Pick the right social platforms.

Your brand doesn’t need to make use of every social media platform available—contrary to what you might hear. For example, there may be certain platforms that make more sense for your specific audience. SnapChat and TikTok work with a younger audience, while LinkedIn appeals to a more professional audience. Instagram has a reputation for being a youthful platform, and while it is, our gardening demographic is there and ready to play. Facebook is still Queen (remember, they also own Instagram and plan on going no where.)

Create engaging content.

It’s been said before, but the value of engaging content can’t be underestimated. To make your social content more engaging, don’t be afraid to include calls to action (CTAs). Use brief, concise wording that makes sense for your goal and the CTA’s link. For example, don’t use “Contact us” if what you really want is for people to visit your blog or product page.

Other ways to encourage engagement? Answer questions in a timely manner. Encourage followers to share their experiences on social. Create branded hashtags for followers to use on their posts. Ask for reviews. Share user-generated content in your own posts or stories.

Don’t set it and forget it.

When looking to boost social media ROI, you need to audit your efforts frequently. Look at which posts perform best with your audience (i.e. high engagement or positive comments) and then figure out why. Were the tone and imagery on-brand? Does that time of day seem to be ideal? Is the medium you used “novel” to your audience (a quote graphic, a video or a short text post)? Also, check for a balance between engaging content and promotional content. No one likes a company that’s trying too hard to sell something. And check posting time. Which days of the week and which time of day your fans are most active? What content performs best? Use this information to post the right content at the right time.

Social media can be really frustrating for businesses. That’s why it’s so important to take some time to get clear on who you’re talking to, where they “live” online, and what the data is telling you.

When you do that, and consistently show up with content your audience wants, you’ll see results.

Download our guide to social media today.