Creating a Social Media Strategy: Super Simplified
Don't be scared.
There are a lot of articles out there about creating a social media strategy that are a bit intimidating and make me think that I should probably have majored in data analytics to understand how to do it.
If you are interested in percentages of revenue growth in correlation with the number of social media followers/comments/posts/etc., there are plenty of other articles out there that pertain to that.
My purpose in writing this, is to simplify this concept so that anyone can accomplish creating a social media strategy, and in turn, help their businesses to grow!
Ok, let's get going...
First things first, take a look at your current presence on social media. As with any goal you make, you need to assess where you are at in order to see and track future progress.
Some things to take note:
How often do you post?
How many followers do you have?
How many platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.) do you post on?
How many people see your posts?
How many people interact (Like, Comment, Share) with your posts?
What is your most-used type of content (photo, infographic, movie, GIF, text, etc.)?
This is something that every business should do, regardless of a social media strategy. It's the difference between sponsoring a Facebook ad and saying that your audience is the whole world, to specifying that it's geared towards coffee shops in Cleveland. Pinpointing your ideal customer allows you to fine-tune your message.
Knowing your ideal customer can help with your social media strategy because you can look up demographics based on the age and type of people you are targeting with your business and see if you are meeting them where they are at. Then, you can take that awareness and make a strategy based around that knowledge.
For example, if your target audience are kids ages 13-18, you better figure out how to use TikTok, SnapChat and Instagram Reels, because that's where that audience is hanging out. They're not so much on Facebook, they're not reading blogs, and they're definitely not on LinkedIn. So, if you weren't already, part of your social media strategy would be to learn about and start posting on those platforms.
Let's let this graphic do the talking. SMART is an acronym for...
It sounds intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. The following social media goal examples were made with the understanding that all of these are "R-Relevant" because having a larger presence on social media contributes to your agency's revenue growth.
I will write a blog post on my website once a week for 40 weeks during the 2021 year. I like this goal because it really gives the business owner a lot of grace to have weeks where they don't write a blog post (12 weeks, in fact) but they still end the year with 40 blog entries!
I will post 2 videos and 3 infographics on my Facebook business page each week of 2021.
A great tactic with using social media is consistency. I wrote a fantastic blog post about the multiple benefits of just showing up regularly on social media. It does so much for the whole building relationships aspect of your business.
I will respond to private messages from customers/potential customers within 24 hours of receiving them.
This goal is a bit different in that it is dependent on your response to what other people do, but it's still measurable. I have some clients who check their Facebook Messages inbox twice a year. You better believe that there is revenue that missed out on from waiting 6 months to respond to someone. This is an excellent goal for a business.
You had to figure this was coming. Put an alarm on your phone (or note on your calendar) to check on your goals every month, or every 3 months, or whatever works best for you. Depending on your audit, either continue with what you are doing, or work harder to hit those benchmarks.
Do you ever want to do something but then after reading how complicated it is, you end up not even trying? That's how I was when I was researching how to create a social media strategy. I have such an aversion to percentages and data that I decided to not even attempt it. Fact of the matter is, that my social media presence could benefit from some tweaks. Deciding that it would be too hard to do, I didn't even try what I could do.
You're not saving the world here, you're posting about your business on social media! And like anything done in life, there are ways to do it a bit better-- and in this case, have a positive impact on your business.
Taking the time to reevaluate your business' presence on social media is one way that you can improve your business' relationships, popularity, impact and (yes) revenue. So give it a try, and create some small, achievable goals to increase the likelihood of your business' successes in the next year!