Before you start using social media in your business, it is a good idea to develop a plan to understand your goals and objectives, social media marketing books and to measure your success.Read through our Social media topic to understand the advantages and disadvantages of social media, and to help you decide which social media tools or websites are best suited to your business. Our How to write a Social Media Plan section provides a web version of the information contained in our free downloadable Social Media Template and Guide below. Many businesses constantly make the mistake of only posting about company news via social media. That's not only boring, it develops a very one-sided relationship, which most consumers will not respond to. This year, come up with an interesting content strategy that makes your followers want to read for entertainment purposes. Keep it to subjects that fall in line with your business and ignite a conversation. Showing your followers that you care about what they have to say (very generally) cultivates brand loyalty.
When you wisely and authentically invest in your customers, it not only pays off it has a ripple effect. small business social media marketing You pick the categories, we deliver the content. The best content from around the web, on topics you care about and need to be an expert in.Over the past four years at Convince & Convert, we’ve continued to refine our social media strategy process. Here’s one of the latest iterations, presented as a keynote speech to ESTO (Educational Seminar for Travel Organizations) last Fall. I’ve pasted the slides below, but also included a short summary of the 8 steps in our social media strategy process, as the slides are more visual than descriptive.Nobody should “own” social media strategy in your organization. Social impacts all corners of the company, and should be more like air (everywhere) than like water (you have to go get it). Thus, the first step in the process is to create a cross-functional team to help conceive and operate the rest of the strategy.
It’s an old social media strategy chestnut by now, but “listen” is still good advice that’s often ignored. marketing on social media The reality is that your customers (and competitors) will give you a good guide to where and how you should be active in social media, if you broaden your social listening beyond your brand name.Yes, you can use social media to help accomplish several business objectives. But the best social media strategies are those that focus (at least initially) on a more narrow rationale for social. What do you primarily want to use social for? Awareness? Sales? Loyalty and retention? Pick one.How are you going to determine whether this is actually making a difference in your business? What key measures will you use to evaluate social media strategy effectiveness? How will you transcend (hopefully) likes and engagement? Will you measure ROI?With whom will you be interacting in social media? What are the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your current or prospective customers? How does that impact what you can and should attempt in social media?
A recent study by Expert Market found that 61 percent of consumers report that social media impacts their buying decisions. social media marketing degree The study points out that Facebook is the number one social media site potential customers research, with Pinterest as a close second. Oddly enough only 14 percent of companies polled reported that social media has proven value, but 29 percent agreed that it had some value.Social media can also be used to gain valuable insights into your customers. People are brutally honest about their likes and dislikes--particularly if they're sharing with their friends. Try utilizing tools like Brandwatch to see what your customers are saying about you (and your competitors!). This can be invaluable to making improvements to your business. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you sell, your product features and benefits aren’t enough to create a passion-worthy stir. How will your organization appeal to the heart of your audience, rather than the head? Disney isn’t about movies, it’s about magic.
When you wisely and authentically invest in your customers, it not only pays off it has a ripple effect. small business social media marketing You pick the categories, we deliver the content. The best content from around the web, on topics you care about and need to be an expert in.Over the past four years at Convince & Convert, we’ve continued to refine our social media strategy process. Here’s one of the latest iterations, presented as a keynote speech to ESTO (Educational Seminar for Travel Organizations) last Fall. I’ve pasted the slides below, but also included a short summary of the 8 steps in our social media strategy process, as the slides are more visual than descriptive.Nobody should “own” social media strategy in your organization. Social impacts all corners of the company, and should be more like air (everywhere) than like water (you have to go get it). Thus, the first step in the process is to create a cross-functional team to help conceive and operate the rest of the strategy.
Create measurable objectives
It’s time to set clear objectives based on your goals. Focus on the S.M.A.R.T. social media marketing plan sample strategy for goal setting to ensure your objectives are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time based.For example, if you’re a B2B marketer looking to increase sales, you might decide that you want to generate an additional 100 online leads a month. On the other hand, if your goal is brand awareness, then you might want to increase the number of times your brand is mentioned on social media by 50 percent. In all cases, these objectives should be directly tied to your business goals, and they should be achievable. Otherwise, they’re just wishful thinking. Also, make sure your objectives are time limited. For instance, you need to achieve that 50 percent growth in brand awareness within six months, not at some undefined time in the future. Once you set your objectives, make sure you can measure them. Find the right tools to track and analyze each one, so that you can quantify your progress. Not only will this let you know when you have arrived.It’s an old social media strategy chestnut by now, but “listen” is still good advice that’s often ignored. marketing on social media The reality is that your customers (and competitors) will give you a good guide to where and how you should be active in social media, if you broaden your social listening beyond your brand name.Yes, you can use social media to help accomplish several business objectives. But the best social media strategies are those that focus (at least initially) on a more narrow rationale for social. What do you primarily want to use social for? Awareness? Sales? Loyalty and retention? Pick one.How are you going to determine whether this is actually making a difference in your business? What key measures will you use to evaluate social media strategy effectiveness? How will you transcend (hopefully) likes and engagement? Will you measure ROI?With whom will you be interacting in social media? What are the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your current or prospective customers? How does that impact what you can and should attempt in social media?
Characterize your customers
Now you know where you’re going, but you still don’t know how to get there. social media marketing campaign A successful social-media strategy is all about targeting the right people with the right messages. To do this, you need to understand your audience. For instance, there’s no point in targeting everyone in the 18 to 35 age group if you really want to get to upwardly mobile young professionals who are technology enthusiasts. The best way to do this is to create buyer personas. Sit down and create a detailed profile of your ideal customer. Start by giving them a name. How old are they? What is their income? Do they have children? What do they like or dislike? What motivates them? And so on. If you have more than one ideal customer, create a persona for each.Social media plays a huge role in the customer experience because of its ability to foster an ongoing relationship with customers. When done correctly, it can develop a certain trust and loyalty among customers - more efficiently than any other avenue of marketing.A recent study by Expert Market found that 61 percent of consumers report that social media impacts their buying decisions. social media marketing degree The study points out that Facebook is the number one social media site potential customers research, with Pinterest as a close second. Oddly enough only 14 percent of companies polled reported that social media has proven value, but 29 percent agreed that it had some value.Social media can also be used to gain valuable insights into your customers. People are brutally honest about their likes and dislikes--particularly if they're sharing with their friends. Try utilizing tools like Brandwatch to see what your customers are saying about you (and your competitors!). This can be invaluable to making improvements to your business. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you sell, your product features and benefits aren’t enough to create a passion-worthy stir. How will your organization appeal to the heart of your audience, rather than the head? Disney isn’t about movies, it’s about magic.
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