As the Internet grows at exponential rates, many businesses have learned to increase their online presence, therefore expanding their reach. The result of this? The challenge of standing out in a sea of websites that proliferate the World Wide Web.
To stay a cut above the rest, one must use the magic of social media marketing to their advantage. While challenging to execute, a social media marketing strategy can open new doors of opportunities to your business. In this article, we’ll first cover the importance of setting goals in marketing strategies. Then, we’ll discuss all the basics of creating a social media marketing plan.
Setting Goals in Social Media Marketing
As it is with all aspects of our lives – like our careers and other aspirations – setting goals is important wherever you go. In social media marketing in particular, having these clearly defined allows you to determine if your strategy has been successful (or not).
Sometimes this means that you have to measure your strategy’s success by using specific metrics. For example, the number of impressions used. But at the end of the day, it all boils down to setting clear goals that can help you elevate your business.
How to Create an Effective Social Media Marketing Plan
Understanding the importance of goal setting is just the tip of the iceberg. Now that we’ve covered that, let’s discuss how your social media strategies can come to fruition. Here’ how:
Identify Your Goals
As mentioned earlier, it’s imperative to set your own goals in social media marketing. For example, you might want to increase your brand awareness. How will you measure that? Some metrics include brand impressions and website traffic.
You might also want to boost engagement, which can be measured by the number of likes, comments, or shares that your post got. Alternatively, increasing your conversions could be another metric that you can look into. What’s important when choosing a goal is that it’s SMART – specific, measurable, attainable, and time-bound.
Strategize Your Approach
After identifying your long-term goals, strategize your approach toward these goals. If, for example, you want to increase engagement, how do you intend to achieve that? You can build a community or you can even turn to gamification. Always consider the tactics you’ll take to achieve your goals and ensure that these are aligned with the goals of your business.
Understanding Your Market
The next step is to know your market. If you don’t understand your market, then you can’t effectively sell your brand. Place yourself in their shoes: what type of content would they like? What social media platforms do they frequent? It’s a plus if you have data to back it up. When you’re armed with this knowledge, you can create content that resonates with them.
Mapping the Client Journey
Client journey mapping is essential to any marketing strategy. This involves the steps that customers take when they first hear of your brand up to the point where they purchase your product. Keeping this journey map in mind, you can create a social media marketing strategy that’s tailored to each stage.
For example, you might find that your TikTok is excellent for brand discovery but are more inclined to purchase your product when they see your Instagram post. In this scenario, it’s best to use TikTok for building awareness and Instagram for sales-centered content.
Create Engaging Content
Content is king. In a world where attention spans are getting shorter, you need to ensure that your content stands out. Whether it’s a trend-following TikTok video or a meme on Facebook, keeping your content unique and engaging can do wonders for your business – such as increasing engagement and brand awareness.
Schedule Your Social Media Posts
To ensure that your social media posts have a wide reach, try to schedule your posts. When we talk about scheduling posts, be sure that your content is posted at the best time – based on data where your customers have the highest engagement. Besides scheduling your posts at the right time, don’t forget to do this consistently. Doing so ensures that your brand stays on top of mind for your audience. In case this may sound like tedious work, it’s helpful to know that there are social media tools that can help you out on this front.
Build a Community
If you’re looking to successfully grow your brand through social media, you need to have an established community. Engage with your audience by replying to their comments or answering their concerns. Once you have your own following, they can even become brand ambassadors. Prioritizing community building makes your audience feel valued – like a brand so much bigger than themselves can actually listen to them. Surely, it’s a plus in their book.
Measure to Adjust Your Plan
Once you have an established plan, you’ll have to monitor it with the necessary metrics. Measure your progress and adjust your strategies as necessary. With the right social media management tools, you’ll find out if your strategies are effective.
Adapt to New Trends
The early bird gets the worm. In the fast-paced world of social media, brands must act quickly to follow trends, lest they lose to their competitors. For example, businesses can explore using short-form videos in their marketing strategy. By staying flexible and adaptable to the trends, your brand can stay relevant in the competitive world of the Internet.
