In 2015 the number of global active internet users surpassed 3.175 billion – nearly half the world’s population. 30% of the globe are also active on social networks. These statistics show the great opportunity that marketers have to reach their audiences through tailoring an effective social media strategy.

It has been estimated that marketers in 2015 will have spent $8.3 billion on social media advertising in 2015. Social media business accounts that share content with followers have the power to engage an audience that has had shown interest in their product.

This is candy for the marketers of today. Furthermore, paid advertising options exist to compliment these efforts – targeting specific demographic and behavioral groups can increase business exposure, and acquire a whole new set of followers.

Whilst social media formats have traditionally centered on snippets of text, designed to hook the audience, that 140 character limit we all know and love – today’s platforms are growing. Video offerings, a focus on engaging images and new formats also means that managing multiple platforms, juggling various forms of content can easily spin out of control.

Social media success relies on tailoring a strategy for maximum reach, with relevant content targeted to a specific audience. Different sites will work best depending on the type of content you will be sharing – whilst Facebook has the largest reach (boasting 1.55 billion users), other visually-orientated sites like Instagram or Pinterest may work better for sharing tailored content with niches audiences.

78% of companies have dedicated social media teams – for a startup with limited resources this luxury is unlikely to be feasible. We take a look at the top pieces of advice from startup founders in customizing a powerful social media approach, and avoiding burning out on these platforms.

Here’s how startups avoid social media burnout.

One Dedicated Person

“Whilst startups may not have the resources to dedicate an entire team to tailoring their social strategy we believe having one key figure responsible for managing efforts is invaluable. It is important that businesses remain consistent. Having a central figure that can apply learned judgement and identify trends across various platforms enables this. This individual can easily identify popular trends, posting schedules and accounts to follow through consolidating this knowledge. Reach out to influencers and understand your audience in order to continue to refine and tailor a powerful approach, one that incites actions.”

– James Patrick, Unreel Entertainment

Focused Efforts, Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin

“I avoid social media burnout by restricting the amount of time I spend on it, both personally and professionally. I focus my marketing efforts on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. I stay up-to-date on social media trends by reading Buffer’s blog and Social Media Examiner.”

– Rasheen Carbin, nspHire

Understand Your Industry

“We avoid social media burnout by focusing on a select few networks. We’ve found the most cost-effective platforms to be LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. We keep up to date on current trends by reading publications such as TechCrunch and BusinessInsider, and by following social sites such as Hacker News.

– Conrad Egusa, Publicize

Quality Over Quantity

“The popular approach is to pump out content as constantly as possible. But if you don’t have anything compelling to say, who’s going to read it? We’re light on Twitter and Facebook, but take great care with our blog and email blast. We strive to be thought leaders and not just echo what others have said better. If we don’t have an informed and unique perspective, we wait until we develop one to let our voice be heard.”

– Jordan Wills, Cloud9 Smarthome

Fresh Regular Content

“In order to keep your social media audience engaged, you need to publish fresh content on a consistent basis. A brand must be clear about the tone and type of content your customers will be interested in to stay relevant and engaging.”

– Sergio Torres, Blackartel

Interact With Your Audience

“At Mailbird we publish at least three Tweets, Facebook and G+ posts each day. We focus on interacting with the people that engaged with these posts. We also publish at least one post on LinkedIn and make sure to interact and connect with professional related groups. This means we are always on top of the most recent trends and poised to spark interesting debates on these topics.”

– Christin Baumgarten, Mailbird

About the author:

Emma Rosser is a Staff Writer at Publicize, which is a startup aiming to change the way companies approach PR.  Publicize has worked with a dozen+ Y Combinator startups and leading brands such as Hallmark Cards.