Simply having a Facebook page for your business doesn’t cut it today. You can’t just set up an account, post haphazardly and expect to get a return. Social media takes commitment and planning.
Whether you succeed or not online really comes down to your strategy.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when they first start out on social media is to jump into it without a set plan or goals in mind. Having a strategy you can refer back to will keep you on target and maximize your time and your dollars.
Even if you already have a social media strategy in place, it’s a good exercise to go through it again to make sure it still aligns with your goals and overall marketing plan.
- Here are 8 key strategy elements you need to know to dominate social media:
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Know Who You Are
It’s important to know who your business or brand is and how you want to portray it online. What does your brand voice sound like? How would you describe your online persona? What value can you provide to the online community? You should be able to answer all of these questions if you want to authentically convey your business through social media.
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Know Who To Target
All businesses should know their target market(s). Keep this in mind throughout the process of creating your strategy so your content and messaging remain on point.
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Know Where To Be
Should you jump onto the latest social media platform or should you stick to the classics? Look into the current user demographics of new and existing platforms to make an informed and strategic decision on where you want your brand to be online. You can even go as far as conducting a formal or informal customer survey to see where the people you’re dealing with are spending their time online.
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Know When To Target
Tailor your posting schedule to when your audience is online. For example if you’re targeting teens, they may not be checking their social media as much during school hours so you may want to schedule your content to when they would most likely be online. Finding the right days and times to share content will take some trial and error, but you’re already one step ahead of the game if you go in with plan.
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Know Your Competitors
Research your competitors and see how they’re using social media. What kind of presence do they have? What are they posting? Analyze their efforts and see what type of content and tone seem to be working for them. Also take note of what might not be working to avoid making the same mistakes.
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Know What You Want
What are your social media goals? Are you trying to get a certain number of followers or are you trying to create a highly engaged community? Knowing what you want to achieve with your social media efforts will keep you on track.
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Know How You’re Going To Get There
You need to have ideas and a plan to get you to your goals. Brainstorm ways you think will help you achieve your objectives. These ideas can be different contests you want to run, the type of posts you think your audience will interact with and how you might want to go about cross-promoting your platforms. From there, create a content calendar for your posts and campaign initiatives and then start implementing your plan.
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Know When To Adjust
Even when you know what you want and think you have a solid plan to get there, it’s also important to know when you need to make changes. Carefully monitor your social media efforts and track the metrics associated with your goal. There’s a lot of trial and error when it comes to finding out what resonates with your audience and you have to be ready and willing to adjust your strategy accordingly.
Do you have a social media strategy for your business? What other key elements are important for your strategy?
For more on how Lifeblood Marketing can help your business, contact info@lb.realtylabsmarketing.com.
