Are Your Marketing & Social Media Strategies Aligned? 5 Checks & Balances

We’ve all heard the latest social media growth stats. One quarter of the world’s population uses social media. 70% of B2C marketers have acquired customers through Facebook. 67% of Twitter users (of which there are 288 million monthly active users) are far more likely to buy from brands they follow on Twitter. 46% of web users look toward social media when making a purchase. 8 out of 10 SMBs say they use social media for their business to drive growth. The list goes on and on.

It’s simple. Social media can no longer be ignored by businesses. Not only must businesses have a strong social media presence, your social media strategy should align with your business’ marketing strategy. This alignment will improve brand cohesion and allow you to add high-quality touches to your marketing funnel.

Are your business’ social media and marketing strategies aligned? It’s time for a quick check.

The Goals. You’ve no doubt set goals to strive for with your marketing efforts. Have you set equally competitive social media goals? Take a look at your marketing and social media goals side by side. Be sure that they align, and even overlap is appropriate, since the line between marketing and social media efforts is a blurred one. Most importantly, be sure that all of your departmental goals support your overall business objectives.

The Message and Tone. Take a look at your latest marketing collateral and compare it with your latest social media posts. Is the message and tone consistent? If not, I find that creating a master messaging document is the best way to unify the way you talk about your business across the board. Clearly define what tone your business will use. Is it warm and friendly? Sarcastic and funny? A consistent tone becomes comforting and familiar to your audience over time.

The Content. Whether you’re promoting a new product or a holiday deal, are you talking about it across all of your marketing channels? While social media content shouldn’t be salesy (see the 80/20 rule), don’t miss out on promoting to this engaged audience. In fact, the number one reason people follow brands on social media is to receive promotions and discounts. Also, you know those keywords that you use in your marketing copy to improve SEO? Don’t forget to use them on social media as well with a proper hashtag strategy.

The Level of Attention. You saw the stats above. Businesses can no longer ignore social media. So, how many hours per week are you dedicating to social? If it’s less than 5 hours per week (or more than 12), it’s time to restructure your time. Give social media the attention it deserves and don’t treat it as an afterthought. It’s not something you simply HAVE to do. Social media is a dynamic tool that you should enjoy exploring. If you’re spending too much time, take a look at the latest social media tools available. It’s time to work on your system to get more efficient.

Advertising. Where are your advertising dollars going? If social media advertising is not on the list, it’s time to rethink. 70% of marketers plan to increase their social advertising budget this year. Leveraging paid promotional tools on social media allows you to target specific users within your target market, increase your social following, drive website traffic, and ultimately drive new leads and customers.

If you found that your social media strategy is not completely aligned with your marketing strategy, don’t fret! It’s not too late. Schedule some time to focus on building out your social media strategy and give it the time, effort and budget it deserves. Happy socializing!

*Originally published on Dominiquej.com at this link.

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