Social media is the best free tools in the world. There’s no other outlet that allows you to communicate with people around the world for free.
But with this opportunity comes lots and lots of market saturation. Create a social media marketing strategy that won’t leave you overwhelmed with possibility.
Check out this overview of how to create a social media marketing strategy.
Audience Persona
The first thing you need to understand before thinking about a social media marketing strategy is your customer persona. Who is your customer? What do they like?
Where do they eat? Think of how you can communicate on your channels in a way that supports the customer’s lifestyle. The key is finding a wya to make it authentic for your brand.
Social media marketing strategy is where you plan out that messaging. Never post things just because you like them or they’re important to you.
Only post things that will be important to the audience you serve.
Choose Outlets
Next, you’ll need to choose which social media outlets you want to use. Your audience won’t be available on every channel.
It’ll exhaust your small business to try to reach everyone in every way. Research the social media outlets based on their demographics.
This research process will need to be informal because some channels still aim to serve everyone. Use other marketing blogs to learn what marketers are using to reach which audience.
Do a few test searches in your category and see which social media outlets pop up. These are where your audience likes to go for your type of content.
Focus your efforts here using a social media scheduler for easy distribution. In many cases, you can post up to 3 months in advance leaving you with more time for measurement and engagement.
Engage Your Audience
You need to communicate both ways with customers on social media. Think of it as an interactive chatbot for your small business.
Customers are always commenting and you should always be responding. Sometimes, your comments are on their channel instead.
There’s no rule preventing your brand from engaging on the pages of your customers. In fact, it makes your brand appear more approachable and authentic.
Encourage brand trust by showing your personality to your customers in a way that they feel drawn to your pages. They’ll be more likely to leave comments on your page when it’s clear you’ll respond.
Measure
Always measure your campaign using hard data. Many online schedulers allow you to download analytics based on the time period.
Top performing posts are a good indication of what your audience likes to see. Use these information points to make your mark in the social media world.
There are pros and cons to social media but the biggest pro, by far, is the ability to keep track of your progress.
Social Media Marketing Strategy on a Budget
Your social media marketing strategy is only as expensive as you make it. You can post and create channels for free.
All you’ll need to pay for is the time it takes to interact with your audiences. For more information and tips, visit our blog for updates.