Many small business owners struggle with social media planning and creating a content strategy. It can be difficult to know where to start, what to post, and how to engage followers. The key is to develop a plan that will work for your business and your goals. Here are some tips for creating an effective social media plan.
Table of Contents
1. Start with a goal
What is your primary social media marketing objective?
Do you want to raise awareness? Increase leads? Create brand loyalty among customers? Once you have decided on an objective, make sure that your content is supporting your goals. For example, if the goal of your social media campaign is to attract new leads for your business, create a call-to-action in all posts and encourage people to contact you through these channels.
2. Have a plan for each channel
Social Media Examiner suggests thinking about social media as different rooms in a house where “the atmosphere should be compatible with what’s taking place there.” Much like people feel more comfortable sitting on a patio at their favorite restaurant than they do hanging out in the bathroom, people will feel more at ease in some places on social media than they do in others. Keep these differences in mind as you determine what content goes where.
3. Familiarize yourself with each platform
Know how many people use each social media channel and what they use it for. For example, Pinterest is a visual platform that emphasizes imagery over written text, which may be different from what you see on Twitter or LinkedIn. Each platform has a unique interface, so reading up on best practices will help you create a strategy that works well with each site’s features and functions.
4. Choose the right tools
Every small business owner should have a social media calendar to plan out posts and keep track of deadlines. If you don’t have the resources to create a full-blown calendar, use a social media management tool like Hootsuite and Buffer to schedule posts and monitor engagement. Tools like these will let you know which type of content gets shared most often and when your audience is most active online so you can be sure your content reaches its target audience.
5. Set up tracking
If you are using business tools such as Google Analytics, make sure that they are tracking social media traffic. This way, every post counts towards improving your website’s analytics and overall digital marketing strategy!
6. Keep it human
Think about how people actually talk in real life; they aren’t perfect or professional all of the time, and neither should your social media. You can post a link to your blog, but also think about how you would answer a question on Twitter or Facebook. Connect with your audience and they will be more likely to engage with your brand.
7. Post regularly
This one seems obvious, but many small business owners aren’t sure how often they should be posting on social media. Use a tool like Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule posts for the week ahead of time so that you don’t have to worry about checking each site every day. Once your posts are scheduled, take a look at engagement metrics through a tool like Google Analytics and determine if it’s working for you – do people seem to be sharing content? Completing a call to action? If not, make sure you are posting on a consistent basis.
8. Use images
Some of the most popular posts on Facebook and Twitter use visuals such as infographics, charts, and illustrations. Pictures will help your content stand out in social media feeds and encourage engagement. Your social media calendar should include lots of opportunities for sharing visual material that will get people’s attention and keep them coming back for more!
9. Post at the right time
Many companies choose to post when their target audience is likely to be online and engaged with their feed during work hours, but this doesn’t always work for everyone. Tools like Facebook Insights let you know exactly when your fans are online so you can make sure your posts are scheduled for a time when they will see them. If you don’t want to share at the same times every day, try experimenting with a tool like Buffer or Hootsuite and see which times get the best results for your brand!
10. Track results
Social media is all about building relationships with people through content that is relevant to them. To do this effectively, you must be able to track how well your efforts are converting into real-life engagement from actual customers who visit your site, call you on the phone or fill out an online form. In other words: Is it working? Tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Insights can help you measure what does and does not work so that you can always create the best content possible.
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