These days it seems everyone and their uncle is on at least one social media channel. It can sometimes feel overwhelming because there are so many different “strategies” for mastering the social media game and the dreaded “algorithm”. The truth is that you don’t need to have tens of thousands of “followers” or some secret formula. Here are a few tips to help you create a solid social media marketing strategy that is geared toward your market.
Social media is one of the most effective marketing tools for small businesses because it helps you connect, educate and inspire current and potential customers. This leads to an increase in brand awareness as well as boost leads or sales.
Follow these 5 tips on your journey to becoming a social media wizard.
Define Your Audience
Before you ever set up a social media profile, the first and most important step is to define your audience. What market are you in? Who are you trying to reach? Can you accurately articulate who your target market is? The reason this is so crucial is because it will completely inform how you speak to them and what kind of content they will expect and enjoy from you.
It’s All About Timing!
It’s not just about when but how often! Your followers crave consistency. By posting at the same time of day and the same days per week, you’re creating a habit for your audience. Eventually, they will know when to seek out your newest content! And consistency doesn’t mean post once a day for three weeks or two months, get discouraged you’re not growing as fast as you had hoped and then ghost for a month.
Social media is all about the long game so this means showing up every single day.
Instagram and Facebook also have algorithms that favor “recency” to give users fresh content. So what does this mean for you? You need to use analytics that are built into your social media business account in order to see when your target audience is most likely online and schedule your posts accordingly.
Define Your Brand
Who are you? You may have heard it said if you can’t explain your business and brand to a five-year-old and they don’t “get it” you’re probably making it too complicated.
Your brand is how your audience interacts with who you are as a business. And knowing your brand’s core values helps to craft a consistent and recognizable brand image that is also authentic.
When you have a well-defined brand all posts should look unified from tone to key messaging to design. Your followers are not just your followers, they are future customers and what you post online is the ultimate representation of your brand.
Call to Action
The most critical part of any campaign is the call to action, whether that be following a website link, subscribing to an email sequence, or following a page account. The key is being mindful that it doesn’t interfere with the value of your content or interrupt the user experience.
A good rule of thumb is that your social content should be 90% value, value, value and 10% sales. If you focus on providing incredible value then when it comes time to “sell” your services or promote a launch, you will have created trust between you and your audience that will then lead to an almost effortless sale.
Be Authentic
Social media is a platform for building meaningful relationships with your consumers. Instead of trying to sell them with every post, provide them with something valuable. Whether that be delivering a fun moment or meaningful content, potential consumers will appreciate this much more and continue to engage with your brand.
These are just a few tips to help you craft a great social media strategy. Remember that social media really is all about being social with your audience and not about selling something. If you can show up consistently on your account, offer more value and create meaningful engagements with your audience then when it comes time to ask them to purchase from you it will be as simple as 1-2-3.
Let us know your thoughts and if you currently implement any strategies that work for you!
