The way we engage with social media has changed in the past few years but our business marketing strategy has remained the same. Just having a profile and randomly posting once a week isn’t going to do the job anymore. Brands must fully embrace these platforms as part of their advertising efforts or else they will be left behind. Below are a few steps everyone should start with when trying to approach social today. So let’s just jump right into our checklist:
Set Targets
Baby steps to success. Creating a set of smaller attainable goals that lead towards the bigger picture is much easier. This way you won’t have to tackle all your challenges at once but instead sort them out by importance. Creating realistic, attainable goals is what you should aim for. For example wanting a million twitter followers is not something that can happen overnight, if at all. With achievable targets you can navigate easier the troubled waters and better overcome any problems that might arise. Plus you are most likely not to deviate from your original arrangement, which should be focusing on building brand awareness, improving your ROI and getting higher quality leads.
Be Purpose Driven
Having a purpose motivates users far more than a discount. A brand without purpose just manages to get by while the ones with it will take home the gold. Having a clear company mission with a powerful narrative is what adds value. The meaning of purpose is about giving not taking and about serving not avoiding.
Find Your Audience
Identify and create what your client should look like (avatar) and then go find him. Analyze your channels and see what is trending so you can build on it. Don’t be afraid to ask and always use visuals in your posts. The more accurate your avatar is the better results you will see. Go into details like age, occupation, hobbies, likes, etc. Be specific and accurate in your targeting.
Market Research
Looking around and observing what others in your industry are doing is also a good idea. You can learn from their ups and downs and apply that to your plan. Make a list of 2-3 accounts in your area and see what social networks businesses similar to yours use and types of content they post. We are not in any way encouraging you to copy them but just to see what simply works so you can try something similar to grow your business. In other words, find out what drives engagement for your product or service and create more of it. Comments, likes, shares and reviews are a good indication.
Right Platform
Business owners sometimes create profiles on many social networks and then never use them. We can’t stress this enough. It is essential that you are on the same platform as your clients are on. You can determine this from your existing clients, your prospects or your competitors. If your clients are mostly active on Facebook that’s where you need to post and not Snapchat. What and how you post depends on your conversion goals as well as the channel you are on. Don’t spread yourself too thin by trying to be everywhere at once. It’s a waste of time and money.
