Putting ideas down on paper (or, more accurately, a digital document) is a simple but crucial step in the right direction.
But, it’s not uncommon for marketers to go headfirst into new endeavours without first determining their ultimate goals and devising a strategy to get them.
Promotion on social media is no different
You need a written plan for your social media efforts since those who do so are 538 percent more likely to see positive results.
Individuals who record their steps are 466 percent more likely to achieve their goals.
Over 90% of businesses fail to reach their goals, yet 88% of those who do succeed.
The lesson is simple: if you want better outcomes, develop a plan that emphasises processes and goals.
Prepare a social media plan using a sample plan
Make the most of your time by formulating a plan while you read this post. Get your hands on the free kit that goes along with this post by downloading it right now:
- You can easily and quickly document your entire social media strategy by using a social media strategy template (available in Word or Excel).
- Use this comprehensive Social Media Strategy Checklist as a guide.
- Scheduled posts for social media. Help your team plan ahead by keeping tabs on when different pieces of content will go live.
- A Free Ebook about Social Media Marketing: In the words of Jay Baer’s introduction.
- Data analysis with personalised Google Analytics reports. Referral traffic from social media can be easily monitored by creating custom reports in Google Analytics.
Explain the concept of a social media strategy
This post will use the following definition:
A social media strategy details a company’s or organization’s approach to social media marketing in terms of strategy, implementation, and evaluation.
In the following paragraphs, I’ll give a more detailed explanation of what I mean by this.
How do I go about figuring out the resources I’ll need to put my strategy into action?
- Let’s make sure you have everything you need before we start preparing. The following sets of equipment are highly recommended by us:
- Timetable for using social media. Keeping track of all your social media postings, along with the rest of your content and projects, is simple when you plan and execute your strategy on a centralised calendar. You can use an app like CoSchedule, or a calendar template based on a spreadsheet.
- Resources for collecting and organising content. They allow you to quickly and easily fill in schedule holes and compile relevant content. We’ve made this simple with a Chrome plugin for CoSchedule users.
- Information gathered via Google Analytics. You may track your audience’s activity across several social media platforms by using this tool.
- Analytics within the app. Every major social media platform offers extensive analytics with loads of actionable data on audience demographics and campaign efficacy. In addition to its useful scheduling features, CoSchedule also provides comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities.
Choose a Social Media Platform
Where should your focus be in terms of social media? Do you need to have separate accounts for each social media platform?
1. Figure out where your target demographic hangs out online.
In order to connect with your target market, you need to use the same platforms that they do. It’s like trying to get audience attention by shouting in a crowded room: no one will hear you above the din of competing noise if you throw content at channels where your audience is inactive.
Find out which social media platforms are sending you the most traffic with this free Google Analytics report.
Your audience may already be sharing your content if you have a website or a blog
The free Google Analytics Custom Report included in the resource pack for this blog post will allow you to monitor the number of visitors they send to your site.
You’ll be able to monitor which social media platforms bring in the most traffic, allowing you to put more effort into those that are already producing results.
See which social media platforms your competitors are utilising to get the most attention, by conducting research.
Both you and your rivals are vying for the same social media followers
Choose 5-10 rivals, and then look for them across all of your preferred social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+, and any others you use).
Take note of the total number of followers they have across all platforms to get a sense of where your own audience may be hiding out online.
4. Examine the viability of your rivals’ strategies
The next thing to do is to keep an eye on what your competitors are up to on social media.
Determine which content varieties are generating the most positive outcomes for your brand.
Check out your competitors’ social media for content like this that is attracting new followers.
The implication may be:
Many different kinds of media exist. Seem to be more successful with video or pictures?
Tone of voice. Which kinds of communications seem to be the most effective?
Formats of communication. Does asking questions appear to be helpful? But what about humour? Slogan branding? Inspiring sayings?
5. Try Using PPC Ads To Narrow Your Network Down To Your Certain Demographic
Finding your target demographic can also be accomplished through preliminary paid promotion testing. Every one of the most popular social media platforms now provides sophisticated targeting options for tailoring paid social media posts to certain demographics.
You may do a test by creating profiles on all the major social media platforms and then using each network’s built-in paid promotion tools to see where your target audience congregates. Analyze the metrics for each platform and ramp up your efforts on the ones that perform well.
Examine the User Base of Each Social Media Platform
It’s possible that different subsets of your target audience will congregate on various social media platforms.
Understanding these distinctions will allow you to tailor your content to the preferences of your intended audience across each platform.