Think about how some of your favorite businesses post on social media. How often do they post? What types of content do they create? How do they engage their target audience?
Whether it’s fast-food chains, retail businesses, or B2B companies, these companies didn’t become successful on social media by winging it.
Businesses successfully use social media marketing because they rely on a comprehensive strategy.
This article will discuss the importance of social media marketing strategy and how you can get started.
We can break it down into three basic steps:
- Step One: Establish Your Goals
- Step Two: Create Post Ideas & Content Calendar
- Step Three: Evaluate Progress & Adjust
Note: This article continues our blog series on social media success. Be sure to catch up with these articles below:
Step One: Establish Your Goals
Before calling your business a social media marketing success story, you must determine what measurements indicate success.
Social media strategy goals will vary for every company, but some ideas to get you on the right track may include:
- Increase “Page Likes” or “Page Followers”
- Increase Engagement Rates
- Increase Product Sales
- Drive Increased Traffic to Your Website
- Increase Customer Messages on Social Media
- Attract More Reviews from Customers
Once you establish some clear measurables, it’s time to hone in on your target audience. Imagine your ideal consumer, and target all of your content, decisions, and goals around them. Your target audience may include things like:
- Age
- Location
- Interests
- Hobbies
- Income
- Family
- Education
Step 2: Create Post Ideas, Topics, & Calendar
Now comes the nitty-gritty of social media strategies: content calendars and post ideas.
The last thing you want to do as a business on social media is “wing it” with post schedules and topics. This leads to inconsistent engagement, and eventually, you’ll find yourself months removed from your most recent post, and your followers will wonder where you’ve been.
The frequency of your business social media posts will vary based on your industry and goals. You may want to post bi-weekly, weekly, daily, or several times daily. Your decision here will depend on the types of content you can share and the quality of your posts.
Create a calendar to track when posts should be made to help you stay consistent.
Quantity Versus Quality
While it may be tempting to post excess content and not focus on the quality of the posts, that is not typically a winning strategy.
Most social media users value quality over quantity and want to see authentic and engaging content from brands.
Post Topic Ideas
Depending on the type of business you run, some social media post topics could include:
- New product updates
- Operating hours updates
- Team member highlights
- Seasonal posts
- Local event highlights
- Relevant industry articles
A Note About Cross-Posting on Various Platforms
If you are posting across multiple platforms, be mindful of each social media channel’s various limitations.
For example, users cannot click links in an Instagram post. Instead, they need to visit your biography in your profile to click links. If you copy and paste your post content from Facebook into Instagram (and the post contains a link), your users may be frustrated by seeing an unclickable link. Make sure the post content is catered to a specific platform.
Step 3: Evaluate Results and Adjust
After a few months or quarters since you’ve started implementing your social media strategy, dedicate some time to review your progress towards accomplishing your goals. What types of posts are garnering the most attention? How effective is your strategy in reaching your target audience? What measurables are you evaluating to see if you’re improving?
With this essential data, you can make adjustments to continue growing your social media presence and expanding your brand.
Remember, much of the secret to social media lies in authentic posts and content. Consumers desire more than just product placements and discounts in today’s saturated advertising world. Many seek a genuine connection to a brand, and a social media strategy can help you build that relationship with customers.
How M&R Marketing Can Help You Create a Social Media Strategy
If you want some help creating the best social media strategy for your business, our digital strategists are ready to help!
M&R Marketing can assist you in setting up your social media business profiles, creating insightful strategies, and developing fresh content that resonates with your target audience. With our team guiding your social media presence, you can rest easy knowing that the details are taken care of and that your business is set up for success.
Get in touch with one of our account managers and get started! Call us at 478-621-4491 or send us an email at hey@mandr-group.com.