So,
you want to create a social media strategy for the new year. The idea may seem intimidating, but in this day and age, not having a social presence could actually end up doing your company more harm than good.
Where should you start?
As with launching any other type of business initiative, it’s important to start by setting goals. After all, if you don’t know what you’re aiming for next year, how can you build a strategy to attain your objective? Some common goals associated with social media include increasing follower count and promoting special events.
Speaking of clientele, what does your customer base look like, and which social networks do its members frequent most? Do some research to find out their preferences, and then establish a presence on those sites.
Set your social media pages up properly
Every social site has a bio section. It may seem obvious, but it’s crucial that you fill it out accurately as some customers may look for you on social before even visiting your website. It may also help your account come up in searches, so try to include some keywords related to what your business does.
Find your voice
How do you want your brand to come across? Professional? Casual? Friendly? Authoritative? Whether you’re firing off tweets of 140 characters or fewer, captioning photos on Instagram or penning longer posts fit for Facebook, make sure to keep your corporate voice consistent.
Don’t forget that the name of the game is “social media”—the more you socialize with your followers and engage with them/their content, the greater the following you’ll build. Nothing’s worse than listening to people talk only about themselves.
Come up with a posting strategy
If promotion is your main goal, you’ll want to ensure you advertise upcoming events, sales, special offers and the like. Developing a promotional calendar will help organize your outreach and make sure you’re planning far enough in advance. Don’t forget to include social media ads and blog posts as well. Your online presence encompasses all those things, and they should always be working in tandem, supporting your brand’s message.
That being said, you need to post a good mix of things, because if you’re constantly promoting, your followers will lose interest. Post a healthy mixture of business-related items and fun or interesting content that you yourself would check out. Photos and videos are great attention-grabbers, and you might even be able to hop on the hashtag bandwagon and get involved in a current social trend, which is a great way to boost visibility.
Track engagement and tweak your strategy
All of the major social platforms have built-in analytics that can help you track page growth and post engagement. Analyze the numbers routinely and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Do you seem to get more likes and comments on Facebook when you post in the evening? Make a habit to do so more often. Have you found that you get retweeted more if you tweet an image? Start making that the norm. Did you have success with a Facebook ad or a boosted post? Do it again! Try not to develop your strategy based on a hunch when the numbers and stats are so readily available.
Try, try and try again
Even if every post or platform isn’t an immediate success, keep going. Social media changes on a daily basis, so don’t be afraid to try new things or push boundaries. You never know when you’ll be setting the trends instead of following them.
