Do you put real thought and effort into your social media updates? Or do you find that you just schedule posts at random? Posting any old update is not a social media strategy. What you post on social media should serve a purpose and help you meet your goals. You need to have a plan in place to make it work for you.
WHY YOU NEED A SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
Social media is an essential tool for building your online presence. It allows you to gain more exposure for your business, attract new customers and clients, and send traffic to your website. In fact, when you have a following of the right people, your social media platforms could be the biggest traffic referral for your website. After all, it is for me! And you could use some more traffic to your site, right?
The social media platforms you use are also a great way to get to share your expertise so you can be seen as an authority figure in your niche. Just like you would focus on providing valuable material on your blog, you should do the same on social media. Your followers will love you for it! Make the time to engage with your audience so you can develop a relationship with them and build a level of trust. (People who trust you are more likely to buy from you!)
Having a social media strategy is key to using platforms effectively. You don’t want to just post updates without thinking first. You need to have a plan in place.
HOW TO CREATE A SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
Get to know your audience first.
In order to be successful on social media, you need to know who your audience is. Without knowing who you’re targeting with your posts, how can you expect to reach them? So, who are you targeting? What is the solution you’re providing to their problems? Knowing this information will help you create updates they’ll love. They’ll want to follow you and stick around for more.
Your audience can also determine which platforms you use. The truth is, you don’t need to be everywhere online. You only need to be on the platforms your audience is using. Are they on Facebook, but not on Twitter? Invest your time into creating a killer Facebook strategy and forget about Twitter. Be where they are so you can find them and reach them with your content.
Set measurable goals.
I firmly believe in setting goals that are measurable so you can track your progress along the way. What do you want to achieve by using social media? Are you looking for a boost in traffic, more engagement, or a certain number of sales? When you know exactly what you want, you can create a social media strategy that will help you get there.
You don’t have to focus on gaining a certain number of followers because there are other things you can measure on social media. Keep in mind that having a smaller number of followers who are engaged is much better than a large following of people who aren’t listening at all.
Create a content plan.
Once you know who your audience is and what you hope to achieve from social media, you can start creating content that will attract the right people and help you reach all of your goals. Focus on creating high-quality, valuable content for a social media strategy that works.
The updates you post should be a mix of your own content and content from other people. You want to promote your own blog posts, products, and services because that’s what will help you grow your business. However, if you’re only focused on you and your business, you’re going to turn-off a lot of people. Add in updates that contain content from other sites as well. Become a hub of valuable information for your audience and they’ll see you as an authority figure.
Try to think beyond the standard social media updates. Use eye-catching graphics, infographics that provide value, videos, etc. to get noticed by your audience.
I highly recommend creating an editorial calendar for your social media content as well. Just like you would create one for your blog posts, do the same to help you master your social media strategy. You can plan your updates in advance to help keep you on track and ensure you never forget to post great content.
Focus on engagement.
Don’t forget that you cannot just post updates and have zero other interaction on social media. One of the most important factors of a successful social media strategy is engagement. You need to actually be present on the platforms you use in order to reap the benefits.
Check in on the platforms you use to see what others are posting. Do this on a daily basis for the best results. Interact with them. Start your own conversations by asking questions. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. You need to connect with people in order to start a relationship and build a level of trust. As I mentioned above, a social media follower who trusts you is more likely to turn into a client or customer.
Test and tweak your social media strategy as needed.
Creating a social media strategy that works will take some time. You won’t immediately get it right. You have to test your strategy to see what your audience is responding to and what they’re not. You can get to know your audience all you want (which is important), but in the end, you still aren’t a mind reader. You have to test certain things to see what they’re truly engaging with. This is why it’s so important to track your progress so you can see how well you’re doing.
DO YOU HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY IN PLACE?
