People often forget that social media is a powerful tool in our current marketing world. In the sea of baby pictures, grumpy cats, or funny updates, we forget that social media can be used to help our business grow. The question is how?
Developing a social media strategy is very important for your online success. If you want to get results, you need a plan! Treat your social media the same as your other marketing endeavors. Here’s a simple guide to help you develop a social media strategy that is right for you.
Set your goal(s)
Every strategy should have a goal! What do you want your Facebook Page or Twitter Feed to accomplish? Is it brand awareness, customer education, or to help lower your loss ratio? Pinpoint what your main goal is and select a tactic that can help you achieve that goal. For example, if your goal is to increase website traffic, one way to accomplish this would be by promoting blog content published through your website on your social media channels.
Conduct an Audit
Listen to your customers, fans, and competitors. Looking at what your competitors are doing will give you an idea of what you should be doing (or not doing). Discover what works for them and determine how you can use that information to improve your strategy. You can try to emulate your competitors, but always keep your brand and audience in mind.
Audit your previous social media posts to see what your audience preferred. Ask your customers and audience questions. A simple “what would you like to see more on our social media channels?” can help you re-focus your content strategy.
Develop a content strategy
Creating consistent smart content can be very overwhelming and challenging. After all, it is one of the most important aspects of social media. Remember, the content that you share is what your fans are seeing. It’s your opportunity to showcase your expertise, establish yourself with your audience, and position yourself in the market.
Having a content strategy can help you tremendously with achieving your goals. If you are having a hard time figuring out your content strategy, a good tool to use is the “10:4:1 Rule”. According to the B2B Social Media Book by Kipp Bodnar and Jeffrey L. Cohen, the 10:4:1 Rule is a ratio that serves as a guideline for knowing the right balance of curated and produced content to publish in social media. Below is an image from Contender Content summarizing the 10:4:1 Rule.
Measure and build on your success
Use analytics to track your progress. If you use a social media platform – like Hootsuite or HubSpot – to manage your channels, they should provide you with access to analytical data for each channel. This data would include your posts’ reach, clicks, and engagement, as well as geographic and demographic information. If you do not use a social media platform, each network has its own analytics tool that can help you measure and analyze your success.
Facebook – Page Insights
Twitter – Twitter Analytics
LinkedIn – Analytics Tab
Review your analytics monthly and adjust your strategy as needed. Build on your success!