You just sign up your business up for social media and….
And WHAT?
The fact that you’re reading this post means you’re looking for the answer to that question. The answer isn’t always a million followers and a zillion sales for your business—unless you take a more strategic jump into the world of social media.
Make a plan with a goal.
Too many businesses wander into social media, and keep wandering because they have no goal. Social media should not feel like you’re trying to find your way through a dark room with a blindfold on. Crafting a plan with a goal eliminates that, and gives you guidance as you choose the right social media posts and create content for social media.
Use the SMART acronym to choose your goal. The S in SMART is for specific; be as specific as possible about what you hope to achieve. M is measurable; your goal should be something you are able to measure so your have a clear idea of how far/close you’ve come to reaching it. The latter sentiment takes us to the next letter in our acronym, attainable. As much as you want to reach 1 million followers, remember that social media is a marathon effort not a sprint. Set a goal you can reach. R is for relevant; your goal should be in line with your business goals. T is for timely. When do you want to reach your goal?
Write your goals down, and create a calendar with tactics that help you reach your goal. Be flexible as you follow your calendar; the best brands on social media (wisely) choose content that is relevant to their audience’s “right now.”
Do your research.
Who do you want to reach? Who is your audience? Instead of jumping on board every social media channel you don’t have time for, be more strategic. Think about who your audience is, and choose the social media channel with the demographic that helps you reach that audience.
As you do your research, don’t buy into the one-size-fits-all notion that you can simply link two social media channels to kill the proverbial two birds with one stone. Each social media channel is different, and you’re going to achieve your goals if you cater your posts to that specific channel. If you feel like you don’t know how to make that happen, contact the experts who can. There’s no shame or blame in outsourcing your efforts to a company who has the expertise about the specifics of each channel and can help you reach your social media goals.
Follow through.
This sounds simple enough, but “following through” on social media is the one challenge that we see businesses repeatedly have problems with. (That’s usually why they contact us.) Most businesses start with good intentions, filling their social media channels with posts…until they don’t. Suddenly their social media channels go silent, and they’re not achieving the goals they set out to achieve.
To help (but not replace) with regular social media posts, use automation to your advantage. Use services like Hootsuite or Buffer to automate your posts so you can post regularly and get the results you signed up to achieve (or contact someone who can).
If you want to achieve results, don’t just sell on social media (more tips for solid social media presence here). While you set out to sell your products on social media, you have to post relevant and regular content that your audience cares about—and leads you to your ultimate social media goal.
