How to develop a social media strategy?

Here is exactly how to develop a social media strategy by answering these 7 questions.

I’m sure you have heard the saying, “Failing to plan is planning to fail?” This statement holds true especially to social media.  In order to establish a following and convert them into buyers, we need to achieve a definite social media strategy.

Preparing For A Social Media Strategy.

Preparing in advance will save you a great deal of wasted time and unproductive effort. Consequently, understanding the “why” is going to help you to come up with a plan designed to direct you to the finish line.

Do you want to create brand recognition?

Do you wish to build a loyal following?

Do you need to drive more traffic to your website?

Do you want to drive more visitors to your online store?

Do you need to advertise the events you’ll be attending or hosting?

Do you desire to interact with your clients?

Take time and make a decision on what you’d love to achieve.  The time you spend on this right now will greatly benefit you soon.

Here are seven questions you need to answer before creating your social media strategy.

Are you considering outsourcing your social media projects or are you going to be performing the work yourself?

This is a crucial question to answer.

You’ll need to determine exactly how much time can be dedicated to the project.

In case you’re most likely to do all the work yourself, you might even consider simply using one social media platform.  It’s the one social media strategy that I support! You’ll want to master a social media strategy that creates a following and generates leads on one platform instead of randomly using all.

It might sound like a wonderful idea to share your business on all social media platforms but you will be wasting your time.

There is no way you are going to be able to productively do what’s necessary to attain your goals.  Without a doubt, you might possibly be able to publish an image of your product or services on various sites, but what will that get you?

Just How Many Social Media Pages Should You Have?

Answering the question above is going to help you with your social media strategy.  You should consider using either one or two social media platforms if you’ll be the one doing all the work.

Pick platforms you’re already experienced with and regularly use on a daily basis.

In case you are already comfortable with a platform, you won’t have to waste time learning how to use that specific platform.

The Best Social Media Platforms For Your Business

Probably the best social media platform for any small business is going to be the ones you frequently visit, where you find influencers in your industry and above all where your target market hangs out.  If you really enjoy spending time on particular sites, much more than likely the target audience you’re attempting to attract will love the same networks that you do.

Another significant point is to pick a network you really enjoy spending time on.  In case you don’t love a platform, you won’t put in the effort necessary to achieve your goals.

(Learn about the new social media platform Instagram Threads dubbed the new Twitter.)

(Learn about TIKTOK for business here.)

How Frequently Should I Post New Content

Writing content is important to stand out online.  I hope that you by now have either a blog for your business or at least share your business content on a social media platform.  If not, you are missing out on opportunities to share content with people trying to find you and your business!

You will be able to take the content material you create for your blog and share it on your social pages. I recommend all my clients to at least post daily on most platforms.  On sites such as Twitter or Facebook 2-5 times a day is an excellent starting point.

Consequently, your audience is going to be on social media during the day.  By posting throughout the day you are going to have an even better chance of reaching more individuals.

What Type Of Content Should You Post

You are going to have to alternate sharing images, text, audio or video. I personally recommend having half your content be video, 25% visual, 15% audio, and 10% text. 

However, the most effective answer to this question is actually whatever your audience enjoys the most.  Likewise, this tends to take some time to figure out. That is why it’s so important to consistently post content across all social pages and evaluate which are gaining the most engagement.  

Similarly, keep a watch on the trends and what your competitors are doing.  In time, you will start to see what content is the most engaging for your audience. 

Whenever you discover what your audience likes, produce more of that type of content.

Just How Can I Convert Followers Into Customers

The secret is to create relationships with them.  People spend money on things they love and trust. Therefore, take the time to allow your audience to get to find out you and grow their trust.  Once you have their trust you are going to have a simpler time to convert them into clients. Keep in mind this won’t happen overnight. You are going to need to remain consistent with your efforts.

How Can I know If My Efforts Are Actually Paying Off

You can examine your efforts using Google Analytics, and analytics on each social platform.

Most social media platforms give you access to analytics, especially for business accounts.  It’s important to take a look at the statistics. Analyze what content was the most successful in terms of click-through rate, conversion, and actual sales. You don’t want to waste time content strategies that did produce results.  

Conclusion:

Now that you have an understanding of how to create a social media marketing strategy, it’s time for you to execute!  Social media can benefit your small business significantly if you make use of it the right way.

Don’t attempt to do too much or take on all social platforms.  Lots of individuals, including my clients, have fallen victim to this.  You will experience far better results in handling fewer networks. Remember to focus only on those your target market uses frequently.

Take a bit of time answering the questions above and begin writing out a monthly social media marketing strategy that will include the platforms you’d like to work with.

Analyze the results on a monthly basis.  Work on making new goals and plans for the following month.  In time, you will start to see your market develop and you’ll have a very good opportunity to convert them into clients. If you would rather have one on one help with your social media strategy you can apply to work with me. I will be taking only a few new clients in the first quarter of the year. I’d love to work with you to define your social media strategy to meet your business objectives this year!