In today’s landscape, it is vital for your business to have a presence on social media. Companies can use social media platforms to generate brand awareness, disseminate information for stakeholders, and engage with both current and prospective customers. A social media plan should be a long-term strategy that will ultimately lead to an increase in brand visibility and potentially even drive new revenue.
So, how do you harness the power of social media for success? Here are some best practices to consider as you create your plan to help you maximize engagement and capitalize on your social media efforts.
Create Goals for Your Social Media Plan
Every plan should start with goals. Understanding what your business is working toward is the foundation of creating a strategy that works. In fact, studies have shown that writing down your goals and regularly reporting on your progress significantly increases the likelihood that you will achieve what you set out to do (source). Social media can be utilized in a variety of different ways to reach different goals.
For example, if your goal is to increase brand awareness, perhaps a paid ad or boosted post can help you reach beyond your current followers and catch the eye of new prospects. Or, if you are simply looking to have current customers and followers convert on a new product, perhaps it would be best to frequently post links to buying online. Regardless of your goal, there is a way to work toward achieving it. Setting your goals is a great way to start working out a strategy that will work best for your business.
Create Consistency for Your Social Media Plan
You’ve heard it before – consistency is key. Once you have set the goals for your social media plan, it is important to create a schedule that will keep consistency at the forefront. There is no special number of times a business should post to social media – it differs for everyone. However, there is evidence to suggest that when your social content and schedule is inconsistent, it can confuse customers. If your business decides that the ideal number of times to post a week is 3, stick with it. Never go dark for an entire week and leave your followers wondering where you’ve gone.
Keeping up with a regular schedule creates a better customer experience and helps build credibility for your business and establish your brand as an authority within your industry. By creating a schedule, you hold yourself accountable to stay consistent and provide content that will constantly work toward the goals set by your business.
Create Content for Your Social Media Plan
Content in your social media plan should of course address the goals of your business while staying relevant. Posting just for the sake of it on social media will not further your position with your followers. It is important to post information that is applicable to your followers to better engage them with your content. Focusing on keywords within your industry is a great place to start – your audience will be searching for content related to these terms. Utilizing relevant hashtags is also a great way to include keywords in a searchable manner.
In addition to relevant information, your posts need to be engaging to continue to bring your followers back for more. Create posts that prompt your followers to participate – whether that be with a question that warrants answers or a link for clicking. Sharing resources and content that truly engages your followers and their interests can help your brand stand out in your industry. Adding pictures and graphics to your post is another great way to connect with your customers and increase post engagement.
Get Your Plan Rolling with Media Venue
If you need assistance getting your social media plan rolling, Media Venue can help! Our team can create relevant, industry-related, and hyper-local content, photos, and images. These assets can be used to reach your social media goals while keeping your business relevant. Contact us today and enhance your marketing investment with Media Venue!
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About Our Blogger
As Media Venue’s social media manager, Michelle Dunaway has her finger on the pulse of the constantly-evolving social landscape. Her extensive background in both creative and technical writing coupled with her experience in the marketing world fuel a dedicated interest in keeping up with industry trends. Researching and writing about best practices in digital marketing allows her to utilize these practices to serve her clients.
