The entire planet is on social media.
Billions of users log on every day for what can often equate to significant amounts of time.
Marketers couldn’t ask for a better platform to get their message across.
And yet to truly capitalize on social media marketing, you need an effective strategy.
A plan that not only helps you get your message in front of people but also inspires them to engage with it.
Get it right and you can enjoy significant traffic and, possibly even a strengthened brand identity.
Get it wrong and you are destined to fall behind your social media marketing savvy competitors.
You don’t want that.
We're going to take a look at how to create a tailored social media marketing strategy that will help you meet your business goals.
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is the easiest way to reach your audience for free. Of course, there are ways that you can spend money to bolster your social media marketing campaigns.
Tools that promote your posts and give you access to a range of analytic functions that will help you tweak your campaign. Even professionals who can guide you through the process.
But even with these resources, social media remains an affordable and effective playing field from which you can launch your next marketing campaign.
What is social media marketing?
Simply put, social media marketing involves using social media platforms as a springboard for promoting your product or service.
It is similar to other forms of traditional media marketing, but with bonuses.
You get to make your appeal directly to your audience, you can post as often as you want, and you have tons of room to get creative with how you tell your story.
Benefits of social media marketing
It would take more than one article to explain all the benefits of figuring out how to create a tailored social media strategy.
However, to put it simply, good social media marketing skills help increase brand awareness and can even give you greater insights into your existing audience.
Most social media platforms feature analytic tools that give you insights into what sort of people are looking at and engaging with your content.
Using these tools you can tweak your marketing messages, and possibly even learn more about how people are interacting with your product or service.
Best practices to remember
When trying to figure out how to create a tailored social media marketing strategy it’s important to keep best practices at the forefront of everything you do.
Make sure that your content aligns clearly with your brand values and overall mission.
Content should be engaging, but never in a way that strays from the overall tone of your brand image.
It’s also worth mentioning that engaging content needn’t necessarily be silly.
Many highly effective social media advertising campaigns have made a point of spotlighting important social issues or even provided insights into how a business operates.
The goal is to pique people’s interests. How this gets done is up to you.
Best platforms to use
Naturally, the preferred social media platform of the day is always subject to change.
Some mainstays, at least for the time being are Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
For those just trying to figure out how to create a tailored social media strategy, it’s a good idea to start with one of the more popular platforms and go on from there.
Keep in mind that each platform favors its own style of content. For example, Instagram is focused mostly on pictures and videos. Facebook, on the other hand, has more wiggle room for long-form posts.
Build An Effective Social Media Strategy
With a little bit of research, it is possible to create a powerful social media strategy that not only catches your audience's attention but also converts people into leads.
Assess your account(s)
First things first, it’s a good idea to perform an audit on your accounts.
What social media posts are doing well, and which aren’t?
Figuring out what your baseline is will help you establish goals and look for ways to grow.
Define your ideal audience
Once you’ve figured out how your accounts are looking, the next step is to take a look at your audience.
What sort of people are you hoping to attract? The more specific your answer to that question is, the easier it will ultimately be to create highly effective social media posts.
Decide on a posting schedule
Next, figure out when your audience is active.
Posting while people are online greatly increases your odds of getting hits.
Create your content
Quality always comes over quantity when it comes to figuring out how to create a tailored social media strategy.
Your posts should justify their own existence by featuring a clear, well-thought-out message. For more help on that, check out the 2 most crucial questions to ask yourself when creating content.
What’s YOUR strategy?
Other elements of how to create a tailored social media strategy include establishing post times, post quantities, and hashtags.
Set specific goals for every metric you wish to hit, and then adjust those goals based on the performance of your posts.
Implement Your Social Media Plan
Remember: practice makes perfect.
Results don’t always happen overnight. The best way to get the outcome you are hoping for is to stick with it.
Consistency is key.
Posting
It’s very easy to post, but hitting the right time consistently can make things a bit tricky.
It’s always a good idea to schedule ahead to decrease your chances of missing a post at your typical time slot.
Scheduling
There are many scheduling apps that make it easy to schedule posts so they are released regularly.
Meta Business Suite is a particularly effective tool because it is hosted by the platform.
Engagement
Posting is an important element of how to create a tailored social media strategy, but it’s only an initial step.
It’s equally important that you engage with your followers.
Respond to messages, thank customers online, and use your platform as an extension of your customer service division.
Stories
Stories aren’t as important as posts, but they can be helpful.
Use them as a chance to show your face, or provide your audience with insights into how your business operates.
People appreciate a behind-the-scenes look.
Progress monitoring
Having a strategy is great, but without progress monitoring, you’re leaving conversions on the table.
Check-in regularly with an analytic tool to find out how your posts are doing and see if there are ways to make them even more effective.
Tailored Social Media Strategy
When you create your strategy, you may feel unsure.
Dedication is key, stick with it and trust the process.
While results may not happen overnight, good things happen for those who are willing to work hard and keep at it. If you'd like help, reach out to us today to talk about designing a custom social media strategy for your business.
