Social media is one of the most powerful tools that helps businesses of all sizes grow. Many companies use social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, to widen appeal for their products and services. Procter & Gamble enjoyed huge success with their online “Smell Like a Man, Man” Old Spice campaign that won the hearts and minds of millions of internet users.
It takes more than a charming personality and hunky spokesperson to market your business using social media – success relies greatly on the amount of planning, persistence and analysis you perform on your social media efforts.
Improve your marketing strategy by creating a map that leads towards a successful marketing campaign and exceptional return on investment.
Create a set of objectives
The first step on your path to social media success is to determine what you hope to accomplish there. Establishing the objectives of your social media efforts will help you gauge success, shift the direction of a campaign leading nowhere, and quantify your marketing return on investment.
These goals should reflect your overall marketing strategy and go well beyond simple ‘retweets’ and ‘likes’ in favor of concrete metrics, such as number of leads generated or increased page referrals. Your goals should be specific, quantifiable, realistic and relevant to your business.
Choose your social networks
Social networks have a lot in common, as they are all places on the internet where people gather to exchange information. That is where the similarities end between the various social media outlets.
Participate in the social network platform most appealing to your target demographic. A 2013 study by Pew Research Internet Project shows that Facebook is increasingly popular among older Americans while Twitter is popular among younger adults. About 33 percent of women online use Pinterest while only 8 percent of men use that site.
For best results, find out what industry leaders, competitors and clients are doing. Study their failures and successes online and adjust your social networking plan accordingly.
Create great content
Hire great writers from reputable blog writing services. Provide a list of keywords and instructions specific to writing content for social media posts. Content should be engaging, relevant and keyword rich. Most importantly, it should highlight your product in a favorable way.
Create a content calendar
Create a content plan and calendar that lists the dates and times you intend to post content. Create content well ahead of its intended posting date to give yourself enough time to edit, refine and update your content before posting. Schedule postings and set time aside to answer comments and questions.
Make sure your content calendar reflects your marketing strategy goals. The more you post, the more you will discover which content, platforms, timing and frequency works best for you. Check up on your competitors, experiment with different content strategies and platforms, and conduct regular audits to stay on course for success.
Create a map for your company’s social media engagement and chart your course to a more successful business today. You can even leave out the hunky spokesperson.
In 15 years as a writer and small business owner, Lynn H has helped countless SMBs improve search engine results and increase website visits in a way that really pumps up sales.
