A Social Media strategy that gets you results

We have already established that having a social media presence is going to be beneficial for your business in Making The Most of Social Media. When done in the right way, your social media activity is a great way of speaking to your potential customers and generating new leads and sales. Many businesses don’t have much of a strategy in place and just ‘wing it’. Of course, you can do this, but just don’t expect to see consistent results in terms of engagement or leads. And if you’re not getting either of these, it’s not the best use of your time, right?

If you really want to improve the effectiveness of your time, efforts and potentially money spent on social media, you need to prepare a strategy.

Should I use a traditional marketing model?

One way you can do this is by using one of the many, generic models out there, such as the SOSTAC model by PR Smith. These can be really helpful; however, you need to be wary. Their effectiveness can be hindered by the fact that they aren’t meant for the fast-moving pace of the digital world. They were developed for ‘traditional’ marketing, but many have tried to make them fit their social media planning. Which doesn’t always work…

So, I want to give you a simple process to make your plan as effective, profitable and easy as can be!

6 Steps to Social Media Success

1. Have goals that align with your business goals

What are your overall business goals? Make sure your social content aligns and supplements these if you want your content to have a really powerful impact. Examples of good social media goals are generating new leads and improving client retention.

2. Make it about your audience

There is no ‘one-size fits all approach that works for social media. Your content needs to be designed with your audience in mind. Find your voice and tell your story!

3. What kind of content?

What kind of content you create (See next week’s blog for a more in-depth look) has to be relevant to your business and values, not just your audience. Never just post for the sake of it! Hint: Keywords are a good place to start, you can see what your audience is already looking for and tailor it to them (this also can help with SEO when done correctly!)

4. Have a consistent schedule

A consistent schedule is vital to keeping your customers engaged. You can start by seeing when your audience is online most (most social media platforms have this freely available on your profile). For example, Facebook has most people online between Wednesday-Sunday in the afternoons, so you can plan your posts around this… To save time, you can schedule your posts ahead of time using a publisher like Hootsuite or Buffer.

5. Create a community

Social media is all about the communities that you can create. Develop a bond with your audience and build trust by regularly engaging with them. Remember, it takes on average 8 touch points with a company to buy a product!

6. Test, measure and adjust

The most important step by far. By testing and measuring you can see what works for your audience and what doesn’t, allowing you to focus on the stuff your audience loves!

Make the most of the crowds on social media with a strategy that gives you guidance, engages your audience, builds trust and drives sales!