“In 2021, over 4.26 billion people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to almost six billion in 2027. [Statistica.com]
Because we live a in a digital world today inundated by images, videos and electronic content, we as entrepreneurs need to have a social media presence as part of our marketing strategy. In this article, we will be discussing the following: the benefits of leveraging social media, the top social media platforms, and how to create your social media strategic plan.
The likelihood of people buying from a brand people follow on social media is 57%. [Sprout Social, 2020]
Whether you are running a small business or running a global operation, 57% is a strong enough number to prove to you that YOUR customers/clients are online. They are interacting on social channels with their friends, colleagues, and other brands in search of information, recommendations and entertainment. If you don’t have a brand presence on social media, as a business, you are literally leaving money on the table.
5 benefits of Social Media for your business: [Moisson Marketing]
- Cost-effectiveness
- Increases Brand Awareness
- Builds Brand Loyalty
- Helps you engage with your customers/clients
- Helps you to promote your product and services
By the way, if you don’t think you have a brand as a solo entrepreneur, think again! YOU are your brand.
Here are some numbers that will blow your mind and have you taking this social media thing seriously:
Top 10 Social Media Platforms
For a deeper dive into how best to use each platform, check on this article from Search Engine Journal.
The question you want to ask yourself right now is: Could I have access to this many potential clients without social media? The answer is obvious. Now that we’re armed with all this information, it’s time to look at developing strategy to create a social media impact.
If you want your business to be successfully and effectively marketed on social media with real results, then you need a strategy. Trying to build a brand on social media without a defined strategy can be counterproductive and result in seeing little to no returns from all your effort.
SET A GOAL!
The first place to start is to set goals for social media. You want to use the SMART method:
- S-Specific
- M-Measurable
- A-Attainable
- R- Relevant
- T-Time Bound
Your Social Media goal should align with your overall business objectives. First, think of a business objective, then set a social media goal, and then a metric. Then write it all out in your plan.
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
The second place to work from is to know your audience. One of the best ways to waste time is to market to anybody and everybody. You need to be clear who your target audience is. The best way to do this is to create your client avatar or persona. Start from here:
- Demographics: Age, Gender, Education Level, Income Level, Job title of your client
- Behavior: Personality, Interests/Hobbies, Passions, Likes/Dislikes, Favourite book/magazine/TV show/movie
- Location: What websites does the client (he/she/they) spend most of their time on? Where is their favourite place to hang out? Where do they live?
- Business: Where do they research products/services they may wish to purchase? What is their pain point/problem and why does your product/service solve it? Why would they want to follow you on social media? Where are you going to reach them? What do they want to see online?
CHOOSE A SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM
Now you need to choose a social media platform. Choosing the best social media platform depends on your audience/clients/customers, the product or service you offer, and how much time you have for your social media marketing efforts.
Follow these steps to determine the right platform for your business:
- Determine the most-used social networks. (Review the chart above.)
- Determine what channels your audience is already using.
- Determine whether you are a B2B (business to business), B2C (business to consumer), or both.
- Pair your audience and your business type with the right platform.
SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIT
Before you create a social media marketing plan, it’s important to conduct an audit of your current social media accounts if you have them.
- Write down all the details of your accounts.
- Rank all your accounts from best to worst.
- Identify the best ranking posts.
- Check your branding.
- Measure your ROI (return on investment).
ANALYZE YOUR COMPETITORS
It’s important to know who the other players are in your space (niche) and how you can differentiate yourself from them. You want to be able to compare strengths, weaknesses and other characteristics. A social media competitive analysis will help you:
- Identify who your competitors are on social media.
- Know which social platforms they are on.
- Know how they are using their platforms.
- Understanding how well their strategy is working.
- Compare your results.
- Identify any social threats to your business.
- Find gaps in your own social media strategy.
FINDING YOUR BRAND VOICE
If you want to capture people’s attention, make them feel welcome, and convey your brand’s personality. It’s important to understand what your brand’s voice is and how to use it. Remember that your brand is an entity. And therefore, just like building a customer persona, you want to build your brand persona.
CREATE A LIST OF KEYWORDS
Identify the keywords most often associated with our brand. You can utilize those words both when sharing our content and to help guide the creation process. Use www.wordstream.com/keywords to find the best keyword for business.
DEVELOP YOUR CONTENT STRATEGY
Now you want to think about the best type of content to put out there, how many times to post, and when to post, among other concerns. We recommend that you do a little research on what will work best for the platform you have chosen to work with. Here is what we found in our research [Moisson Marketing].
- Facebook: 1-3x/day
- Twitter: 5-10x/day
- Instagram: 1-3x/day
- Pinterest: 5-10x/day
- Snapchat/Instagram Stories: at least 1x/day
- LinkedIn: 1x/weekday
- YouTube: 1x/week
Additional Tips:
Schedule your content—I have recently found an excellent content-scheduling software called HelloWoofy. You can check it out here.
Get a free CANVA account that will help you create beautiful graphics, reels, stories, and so much more.
Use paid advertising strategically, and balance it with your organic growth.
Finally, BE ACTIVE with your audience. Social media is NOT a one-and-done process. You must engage or all your efforts will be for nothing.
In an ever-changing world, social media is becoming the go-to place where clients and companies engage with one another, build relationships, create communities, and buy millions and millions of products and services. With a little bit of elbow grease and perseverance, you can begin to build and grow your business through social media.
We hope the above guide will aid you in creating the business and life of your dreams!