If you have not already started investing in social media, now is the time to do so. Over the last ten years, social media has become one of the most dominant channels for digital marketing and a highly effective way of reaching new audiences. It may be resource-intensive at times, but the ROI of it is certainly worth it.Â
So, we thought that we would put together a guide to help you create a social media strategy. Whether you have one in place and need to modernize it, or whether you are brand new to social media, you will find some handy tips and advice here.Â
Table of Contents
Get the Right Tools and PlatformsÂ
The first thing you need to do is get everything up and working. You will need to create accounts for all of the platforms that you will be using and sign up for some really handy tools that will help you out. Now, you may not need to have an account with every single platform. Depending on your business, you may not need a TikTok account or a LinkedIn account.Â
But in most cases, most companies will need an Instagram, Facebook and even a Twitter account. Make sure you open business accounts for each one. You will want to have insight into your metrics and understand what is happening on your site at all times.Â
Next, have a look for some helpful tools to help your journey along. There are some great free Instagram tools that give you great insights and assistance when using this platform. Things like hashtag generation and profile analysis will help you get so much more out of the platform.
Create a Comprehensive Brand Identity for YourselfÂ
Do you know what your USP is? Are you watching what your competitors are doing? Are you keeping tabs on what your customer wants and needs? Knowing all of this will set you aside when it comes to social media and marketing.Â
Let’s say, for example, that you are a digital marketing agency, and are looking to land some new clients. If you want to run social media for another company, you will need to put together a comprehensive social media proposal. In this proposal, you will want to outline just why the client should choose your brand and what sets you aside from other companies.Â
List your services, your USP, what sets you aside from other agencies, your price points and more about your area of expertise. Set your brand voice, in-house styles, custom packaging design, and so on. But, most importantly, include what you know about their clients and customer base. How do you intend on reaching out to them and converting them. The more research you do about their target audience, the more likely you are to land the client. Companies are being steered away from packages and containers and are considering custom mylar bags for packaging. The artwork on custom mylar bags will help your potential customers consider your products and eventually make them buy from you.
Know your AudienceÂ
With that in mind, the next thing you will need to consider is who you are actually trying to target and convert. At the end of the day, you will need to know a bit more than just who they are, their basic demographics and who you are speaking to.Â
You will need to know more about their interests and their behavior. If you are an online fashion retailer, for example, you will need to know what makes your customers tick. You will want to know what content they currently follow, what they engage with and what they want to see more of.Â
By having this information, you can create targeted content that you can post to automatically capture their interest and generate organic followers. If you are creating content that they want to see about products that they are actually interested in, you are more likely to convert those customers.Â
Plan the ContentÂ
Again, we are going to simply continue from what we have previously mentioned. Content is your strongest tool when it comes to marketing on social media. By knowing what your customer wants to see and knowing what their interests are, you can create content that will actually attract organic, interested audiences.Â
Plan your content well in advance. In fact, look at content from an annual perspective, and then condense it from there. Keep things like seasons, holidays, industry-related days and annual days of observation in mind. Then work out your monthly social calendar. Try and break the weeks down by themes and stick to them throughout the week.Â
What is important to know is that each platform does demand a different form of content. Instagram is heavily media-based. So, video and images will be your strong point. Although Facebook does need media, you can get away with more copy (which is great for your SEO!). The trick is to keep all messaging and content uniform, yet, in different formats for the various platforms. What is posted on Instagram will need to be posted on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and LinkedIn that day, just in different formats.Â
Wrapping UpÂ
In wrapping up, it will be worth your while to keep your eye on your metrics and insights. So, know how much engagement your posts are getting, and have your conversion rates at your fingertips. This is all provided by the platforms, especially if you have a business account. With this, you can plan future campaigns, know what works and what doesn’t, and know what attracts your audiences. You can use this information for campaigns in the future.