Before posting to social media profiles, or even engaging with users online, it is necessary to have a set strategy in place. Claiming a social media presence for your business is a lot like planning for a long road trip. You need to at least have the bare essentials, but more importantly you need your map and directions.
Consider hiring a social media manager or consultant to act as your guide as you map your strategy to social media success. It’s easy to get lost among the many social media networks available, so having a professional develop your online strategy is very beneficial.
Here are 6 points to follow that will ensure your social media content strategy is effective and engaging.
1) Research your target demographics.
Understanding where your customers are interacting is the first step to developing a social media strategy. Narrow it down to the 2 most used channels to start, and claim your presence on other networks for future use.
2) Identify the type of content each channel will have. (AMC)
Linking profiles is a big no-no with social media. Do not set up your Facebook to Tweet all of your Facebook Posts. This will lead to a decline in Twitter Followers, and a lowered Klout Score.
Once you have identified the most effective social networks for your brand, create a content chart that outlines what type of information you will post to each network. Be sure that each channel has a clear, unique message, and content that is not duplicated on any other social network for your business.
3) Use analytics to determine the best times to post to each channel.
Here is where a social media consultant or manager comes in handy. Most companies have great software, and the analytics nerds to decode the pages of charts and figures about your social networks. Once this is established, you can target your interactions for the busiest hours on your networks to ensure that time spent online is effective.
4) Research the social media profiles of the top 10 names in your industry.
Get an idea as to what consumers are talking about in your industry. By looking at pages your customers follow, you can analyze the most successful posts to build a framework of weekly content for your online profiles. Use these profiles to inspire ideas, and to come up with content in areas your competition is lacking.
For help with your social media content strategy, contact our team for a free consultation.
5) Develop a “Best Practices” guide for interacting with customers online.
If more than one person has access to your company social media profiles, it is a good idea to have a written set of rules and standards of engagement. This can be a daunting task, so many companies hire a social media manager to create something specific to their business.
If you plan to do this yourself, be sure to include “If this, then this” examples for dealing with situations, and clearly address how to deal with disgruntled customers.
6) Evaluate, rotate, and adjust your content as needed.
Check your analytics weekly to evaluate and adjust the content being posted to each social media profile. You may find that your Twitter content goes over better on Foursquare, so switching post strategies for a week or two can prove to be successful.
Having your social media content strategy pre-planned makes it much easier to adjust posts as your brand progresses with social media. Using a third party analytic software from a social media management firm, your business can gain an edge by knowing who’s online, when they are online, and the content they are most interested in.
The bottom line is that anyone can create a successful social media post with a little bit of luck and timing. By having a strategy in place your business can see what is successful and continue to post information engaging to customers, which will in tern keep them coming back.