Most businesses realise that they should be networking on social media and start out with best intentions.
Then let it fall to the wayside when they get too busy or don’t get instant results.
What businesses must remember is that social media marketing is a long game.
Why use social media in your online marketing plan
By using social media you help people discover your brand by reaching out to them.
People can’t buy your product if they don’t know it exists.
By networking you also nurture the connections you already have.
To be effective your social media networks must work in tandem with the rest of your online presence; your website and your blog to gain a higher rank on search engines.
When planning out a social media strategy first sit down and set some goals.
Set realistic goals in your social media strategy
Goals do not equate to “I want more followers or likes”.
It doesn’t matter how many followers you have if they are not engaged or converting. ‘Numbers’ is not a final objective.
The last and final goal for any business is consumption, the final purchase of goods or services.
However, when planning, a realistic goal is not “I want to sell more cars”.
Think about what you would like to achieve with social media marketing
I’ve suggested some goals that may resonate with your company.
What would you like social media to achieve for your business?
- To build brand awareness
- Gain new clients by word of mouth
- Gain new leads
- Increase sales
- Gain job candidates
Therefore your social media goals may be as follows:
- Expand your social reach
- Become an informed leader in your industry
- Build trust in your networks
- Get more shares and re-tweets, especially by industry influencers
- Convert (make individuals take a specific action, like signing up to a newsletter)
It starts to become obvious where the aims and goals cross over.
Eg. Build brand awareness by becoming an opinion leader, and gain new leads with social reach.
Once you are clear on your goals, it is easier to take the next steps: discovering your target market, thinking about how to reach them and then creating engaging content and media.
