As 2018 approaches, one thing is certain: social media is a vital marketing tool for businesses of all sizes and stages. Now is the perfect time to jump into a social media marketing plan and learn how your business can benefit from one.
Social media marketing is not an easy task. Too many businesses create social media accounts and then give up when they don't see immediate results. Others continue their social media activities because they think it's necessary, even though they don't see any significant results.
In both instances, the key missing piece of the puzzle is having a social media marketing plan that actually works.
Every action your business takes on social networks should be part of a larger social media marketing strategy. Every post, like, and comment should be based on a well-thought-out plan aimed at achieving your business goals. This may sound complicated, but by taking the time and effort to create a comprehensive strategy, the rest of your social media efforts will naturally follow.
Step 1: Before strategizing where you're going, take a quick look at where you are
One of the first steps any business should take is to perform an audit of their current social presence. Areas to consider as part of this step include which networks the business is currently active on, which networks bring them the most value, and how their network profile compares to their competitors.
Step 2: Who are your customers?
When creating your buyer profile, it's important to be as specific as possible. For example, identifying your target market as students may be enough. However, if your business identifies its ideal customers as university students aged 18-25 living in the UK who primarily use Instagram, it will be much more likely to be successful. You should include details about who your target audience is, where they're from, their age, their social media preferences, and more. Understanding these aspects will help you strategically direct your social media marketing plan to attract more customers.
See also: Email marketing still matters, and here's why you should care
Step 3: Create a social media mission statement
Once you know who your ideal customer is, it's important to figure out exactly how you can help them. What need do they have that your product can solve? And what kind of content can you provide that addresses that need?
A mission statement views digital marketing solely from the customer's perspective and shows how your business plays an important role in someone's life, which in turn increases the likelihood that the content you create will appeal to your customers' emotions and build a long-term relationship between the customer and your company, rather than just a short-term sale.
Step 4: Create and curate engaging content
Now that you know who your ideal customer is and have a social media mission statement, it's easy to start creating and curating engaging content. Content is what drives social media, so creating high-quality, engaging content should definitely be your top priority. Such content can be images, videos, blog posts, ebooks, interviews, and more.
It's also a good idea to invest in marketing tools to increase your productivity. This is the secret tool of many marketers. Using these tools gives you many benefits, including the ability to schedule posts in advance.
Compelling content is what drives social media
Step 5: Act on the data
Track, Analyze, Optimize. This is the final step, but perhaps the most important, when it comes to successful social media marketing. This step involves the process of tracking your results, analyzing the data, and making adjustments to optimize. After analyzing your results, it's important to reevaluate the previous steps if necessary. Let your strategy be informed by data. If you find that Facebook video is your most effective platform, consider optimizing for this.
The important thing to understand is that a social media strategy isn’t something that’s set in stone, but rather an ongoing work in progress that changes as needed.
Now that you have the step-by-step guide, it's time to create a social media strategy that will give your business the boost it needs.
