A Beginner’s Guide to Creating a Strong Social Media Strategy
Social media has taken over marketing and creating a social media strategy has become vital to building brand awareness. No matter who your target demographic is, every generation has found a home on different online platforms (check out with platform is best for your business). The many social media sites and accessories that vary across the web may make social media look like challenging rocky territory, but with a solid social media marketing plan it can become easy.
A social media strategy isn’t much different than any other marketing strategy. It’s centered around online presence and the actions and reactions on social media. It involves much more than just what is posted. Every detail of social media should be considered from posts, likes, links, pictures, comments, replies, hashtags, and more. The details are a key reason why a strategy is needed to keep everything clear and professional.
Pay Attention to Detail
Like any other content for your business, social media should be closely edited and monitored. It’s tempting to think that, because it’s social media, mistakes or miswording won’t matter as much because it’s a more relaxed form of advertising. In reality, people look at social media very carefully because it’s such a big part of everyday life. The slightest slip up could be blown out of proportion, shared across platforms, go viral, and lead to a long process cleanup. It’s important to treat every post with the same care and consideration that you’d give a billboard or commercial.
Keep it Symmetrical
Another thing to consider when crafting a social media strategy is symmetry. Don’t vary too much across the different platforms in ways other than performance. For example, on Instagram, more engaging photos may be used than on Facebook, but it should still reflect the content and the company the same way. Each post on each platform should be molded to fit the audience and tools of that specific social media, but keep your content consistent with your brand’s identity.
Your social media strategy should incorporate the company’s image, goals, and voice into any content linked to, posted, or referenced. Social media is a simpler form of marketing, but it should still be clean-cut and professional and represent a brand clearly and accurately across all platforms. Engaging and funny posts do often get more reactions, but if it compromises brand image or voice it shouldn’t be used just for engagement.
Invest in Boosted Content
On apps such as Instagram and Facebook, there are opportunities to pay for ads to pop up on people’s feeds based on location, target demographics, and price. This is a good strategy, especially in promoting new products or starting to build a solid social media foundation. Unlike commercials or paper ads, where people often change the channel or skip over, social media is such a fast-paced environment that people will simply view and click if interested. As long as you choose your target audience wisely, this embedded content will blend in with their family and friend’s posts – which is a good thing.
Social media is an amazing marketing tool when used effectively and in the correct forms. Take your social media strategy seriously and don’t assume that it’s just “extra marketing” and is something you can wing and still get exposure. With technology getting bigger and bigger, social media has grown passed the point of being an option and should be considered an essential aspect of the overall marketing strategy and budget.