Well-elaborated social media strategy with specific goals is as important as a business plan. If you only paste content based on what comes up, users recognize it and get discouraged. It may be that marketing planning seems too complicated for you. It will be much easier if you first answer the following 10 questions.
- What the company wants to achieve in social media? The goal depends certainly on the industry. Sometimes it's just about branding, sometimes you want to have direct contact with consumers or customers in order to promote specific products.
- Who will set up and maintain specific accounts on social sites? This is particularly important for smaller firms, while in large corporations this is decided by the marketing department or an external consultant is hired.
- Should we be on all popular networks? Remember, sometimes less is more. It is often best to start with a blog and later decide what to add.
- What social media are best for small businesses? Anyone can use Twitter, and Google+ account can significantly support SEO. If you are B2C, do not forget to Facebook. B2B companies should be on LinkedIn.
- How often should we upload content? This varies depending on the selection of social media, as well as the times appropriate for posting.
- What content belongs to any given network? Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ and Instagram work well with visual content, ie product pictures, etc. On Twitter you need to find a balance between tweeting about your company and re-tweeting someone else's content. LinkedIn is aimed for company news, advice to improve productivity, and articles about leadership.
- Should social media be used for customer service? Some platforms do work this way, and customers often use Twitter or Facebook to ask questions and finding information, but also to handle complaints.
- How users turn into customers? There is no single recipe. For example, using Facebook ads helps to acquire fans, who can become potential customers. Further, you can try games and contests, where users can connect from different networks and you can engage them all.
- How to measure success of social media initiatives? First of all, monitor each network separately, how it performs. With Google Analytics, you can track how successful the networks are to lure people to the company website or in the online store. On some networks, it is possible to post special incentives for shopping, which you measure immediately after you use them.
- What mistakes to avoid? Mistakes are committed especially when you do not prepare a specific plan. Social networks are evolving so be ready for possible modifications. Approximately once a month, review your plan.
-th-