So, before embarking on a huge journey into social media marketing, I learnt the importance of having a strong strategy to reach your marketing goals. So, here are some little tips:
Set Goals
As with any journey, the first step in creating a social-media marketing strategy is to understand where you want to go and within what time frame you want to attain them.
Set Realistic Objectives
Set realistic objectives, For example, if you’re looking to increase sales, you might decide that you want to generate an additional 100 online leads a month. On the other hand, if your goal is brand awareness, then you might want to increase the number of times your brand is mentioned on social media by 50 percent. Make sure you set achievable realistic goals, otherwise they’re just wishful thinking. Also like any goal, make sure your objectives are time limited. Once you set your goals, make sure you have a tool or a way to measure them. Find the right tools to track and analyse each one, so that you can quantify your progress, whats working and what isn't.
Characterise your consumers
Now you know where you’re going, but you still don’t know how to get there. A successful social-media strategy is all about targeting the right people with the right messages at the right time in the right place. To do this, you need to understand your audience. The best way to do this is to create buyer personas. Sit down and create a detailed profile of your ideal customer. Start by giving them a name. How old are they? What is their income? Do they have children? What do they like or dislike? What motivates them? And so on. If you have more than one ideal customer, create a persona for each. Make sure you create the type of content in the voice your John Doe would love and be interested in.
Create a Content Plan
Finally, you need to develop a strong content plan that will deliver engaging material. The content needs to align with your overall messaging and be appropriate for the channels you’re using. This is more than just product information – think about how you can deliver real value to your audience. Don’t just stick to one type of media – a mix of videos, guides, infographics and other styles will engage your potential customers more effectively. Also, don’t think of content as something you post once. You need to have an ongoing presence on social media, and that includes delivering fresh content on a regular basis.