We’re taking it back to the basics and sharing how to create a social media plan for your brand. It is very crucial to have a plan before getting to work so you can avoid overspending and so you don’t waste time. So, let’s get straight to it!
First things first, set meaningful marketing goals. It is important to set realistic marketing goals. Some examples of goals that companies of all sizes can conquer are:
- Increase brand awareness
- Generate leads and sales
- Grow your brand’s audience
- Increase community engagement
- Increase web traffic
Secondly, figure out who your target audience is and do your research. Figuring out who your target audience is can save you a lot of money. Thanks to today’s social media demographics it isn’t hard to find this out. These numbers can be used to decide what platforms your brand should approach and what types of content to publish.
Third, establish what metrics are most important to you and your brand. No matter what your company is selling (service or products), your strategy should be data driven. Here are some metrics to keep your eye on:
- Reach: the number of unique users that saw your post
- Clicks: the number of clicks on your content, company name or logo
- Engagement: total number of social interactions divided by the number of impressions
- Organic and paid likes: organic likes are much harder to get on Facebook, which is why a lot of brand take advantage of Facebook ads. However, organic likes are easier to get on Instagram. It is important to know this as a brand.
Fourth, research your competition. Before creating content, you should research what other brands similar to yours are doing. The goal here isn’t to copycat, but rather to figure out what works for them and optimize that on your own channel.
Fifth, create beautiful and engaging content. Your social media strategy is centered around content and you probably know what your goal and brand identity is at this point. But what does engaging content look like and how do you make it happen? Below are some principles to help:
- Stick to a content theme
- User-generated content and interactive content
- Stories and time-sensitive content
- Video
Sixth, consider timeliness a top priority. It is important to post at the best times to engage. For example, if you post at 9pm and your brand is away and not able to quickly respond to comments, then it probably isn’t the best time to post. That brings up the next important topic, responding to customer questions and shout-outs ASAP. Even if it’s just liking the comment or a short response, it is important as a brand not to leave your customers hanging.
Seventh, access your results and optimize. By now you should have a good understanding of how your social media strategy works. However, it is important that you’re able to adapt your strategy throughout the year as needed. Without continuously analyzing campaigns you won’t know how one performed vs. others. Look at your top performing efforts and tweak those to perform even better than before.
If you and your brand are in need of a social media plan, let us help.
Contact us today for a quote!
