Want to get your social media game water-tight, but not sure how?
Well, you are in the right place.
The importance of making the right impression online cannot be overstated, with over half the world’s population (58.4 percent) checking into the digital world every day. So no matter what your business does, using social media the right way is guaranteed to reap rewards.
But what is the right way? Well, the only way to have a clear idea is by having an effective social media strategy. Fortunately for you, we are happy to fill you in with some of the tricks of the trade to help you on your way to online domination.
Why Do You Want to Join the Party?
Given the ego-boosting nature of some social media platforms, it is easy to think that just having more followers and likes on your posts means that you are doing a great job. But all is not what meets the eye.
Vanity metrics, as they are known, do a great job at giving the impression that you are doing well. But chasing viral success could lead you down the wrong path entirely and damage your business in the process.
So the first step in an effective social media strategy is knowing what you want to achieve.
A local solicitor firm can be a roaring success with only a small following compared to a hairdresser who may have thousands of followers. Why? Because a solicitor’s goal is to build trust and potential new clients, whereas the likes a hairdresser gets may not result in more people coming in to freshen up their look.
So have clear goals from the offset.
Once you know why you want to be on social media, next comes measuring if you are hitting the mark. This comes in the form of KPIs.
Set Measurable Targets
Key performance indicators (KPIs) are like the markers you might see signaling how far you have run in a distance race. Nothing is better than knowing that all your work isn’t in vain, so having these clear in mind will stop you from burrowing down the wrong hole with your social media marketing.
The most common are:
- Engagement
- Brand Awareness
- Leads
- Conversions
- Traffic
Success is reflected in different ways depending on what you are looking for. For example, brand awareness is measured by shares, reach and impressions to name a few. But if you want leads and conversions then the attention garnered by putting yourself out there needs to translate into sales, enquires, people subscribing to your mailing list, and more.
Just as you need to check the scale and look in the mirror if you want to lose weight, the only way to see if you are having any results is by checking the right information.
Research, Research, Research
So you know what you want to achieve, and how to know if it’s working. But what should you be posting to get the best results?
The worst thing you could do is guess.
Rather merge your knowledge with data by coming up with a few buyer personas. Then by using social media analytic tools you can see what your target audience likes, where they are and dig into what your competition is doing to reel them in.
When it comes to content, stick to the old but tried and tested technique. Make it either entertaining, educational or inspirational. If it doesn’t hit at least one of these marks then learn to be heartless and hit that delete button.
Lastly, perhaps the most important aspect of a good social media strategy is recognizing that you don’t need to be everywhere. Each platform has a specific focus, meaning that once you know where your target audience spends their time that’s where you should be too.
Get Your Social Media Strategy Right First Time
Having a social media strategy that knocks it out of the park can do wonders for your business.
Want to know if you are doing it right? Or are you interested in improving your digital marketing results right now? Reach out to us at Pencil & Coffee and see how we can help you today!
