Journal

How to Create a Social Media Strategy That Works for Your Business

Over the last ten years, having a social media presence has become a requirement for most businesses in almost every industry. With so many social media sites out there, and the popularity of these sites shifting all the time, it can take time to know where to start.

Whether you're an established business or just starting, having a clear customer-focused social media strategy for your business is an important first step.

Why do you need a social media strategy?

As a business owner, you want to make sure that your efforts are worthwhile and will bring value to your business's bottom line. Social media is no different. You could start posting on every social media out there without a coherent message, story, or brand style, but doing so would waste valuable time, money, and resources.

By developing a coherent strategy that will speak to your customers and narrowing the focus of your social media marketing efforts, you'll get the most bang for your buck and create a winning strategy that works.

Decide where to be present on social media

There are a variety of social media sites out there, each boasting its own niche demographics and purpose. Not every social media site will work well for your business. For example, a mobility-assistance manufacturer aimed at seniors probably doesn't need to maintain a heavy Tiktok presence. Whereas, a club promoter for college students shouldn't worry too much about their LinkedIn profile.

Each social media site also has its advantages and disadvantages. You should investigate the recommended posting schedule and media type (text, images, videos) for popular social media sites and measure it against what you have the time and budget to create.

Most importantly, however, you should analyze your customer demographics and find out where most of your customers spend time online. Having a customer-focused strategy is key here. There's no point in spending time and effort on developing a social media presence on a particular site if your customers are not also there.

It's a good idea to focus on one-to-two social media sites at first, and then begin to build your way up once those become more established.

Find out what your competitors are doing

Once you've decided on a couple of social media sites to start posting on, you should take a look at what your competitors are doing for their social media presence. Evaluate what kind of content they're posting, what they talk about, and how they present themselves. Find out which of their posts are getting the most interactions.

While you shouldn't aim to mimic their strategy entirely, if your competitors have a substantial following and decent interactions, then it's safe to say that a similar strategy would work for you. The key thing is to use your own brand voice and flare to set yourself apart.

For example, if one of your competitors has a more serious and flat tone to their marketing style, perhaps you could strike a more fun and bubbly tone, with bright colors, bold text, and video content. Or vice versa.

Similarly, if your competitors have a poor presence on social media, it could be an opportunity for you to stand out and attract more customers to your business instead. Knowing what the competition is up to is vital knowledge to developing your own social media strategy.

Determine how you want to engage with others on social media

Social media, unlike websites and blogs, isn't just a one-way marketing strategy. It's an opportunity to meet customers and prospective where they are and have a digital, public conversation.

This means that engaging with other people, businesses, and organizations that are also on the social media site should be a critical pillar of your social media strategy. You'll need to decide who you want to engage with on the site, and how.

You could consider following or connecting with your existing customers on the site and liking or commenting on their posts and updates. Another strategy is to follow organizations connected to your business's industry or niche and share their content on your pages as well.

Your comments and shares should match the tone and style of your regular posts.

Conclusion

In today's digital media landscape, developing a presence on social media is essential for your business, but having a strategy is even more important. Which sites you'll be on, what you will post, and who you'll engage with are all questions you need to ask before starting your social media efforts. Once you have answers to those questions, you're on your way to building a customer-focused strategy that will bring incredible value to your business.

Author: Frances Fronte