A good Social Media Strategy is just like playing speed chess
Having a social media strategy is like playing speed chess in the park. Its a beautiful venue, yet different to be playing a board game outside. You only have so much time to build your strategy and evaluate what your opponent is doing. Whatever you do, you want to come up with a strategy before the other person does.
Likewise, social media marketing has several different venues, you’re advertising indoors with digital content instead of physical content, and you want to have a leg up on your competitors. Here are some basic tips for building a social media strategy so that you are prepared even before you begin playing the game:
- Set explicit measurable goals:
Anything you do in a business should be measurable and social media is just the same. Having goals for social media does not have to be an elaborate event. Work out what simple realistic goals would be attainable. Getting 500 likes by a certain date, 200 re-pins, etc. are great things to aim for and evaluate. Eventually begin measuring conversions and learn your cost per sale. - Evaluate what social media you really should be using:
Not every social media is good for your business. A contractor really doesn’t need Twitter, but Pinterest might target their best “leads” and curate awesome content. Find what works for you. - Put someone in charge of social media, and empower them to do their job:
You don’t have to micromanage your social media person, but they do need the authority to post content, answer questions, create content, and advertise. This can really help you grow your administrative personnel and allow you the time to take care of other fun business stuff like accounting and taxes. - Define who your ultimate client is:
I’ve heard of some businesses that will take a dollar from anyone. But honestly, not all dollars are equal. A customer may pay a dollar for 10 minutes of your time. Another will pay a dollar and take 2 hours of your time. Target the clients that will take 10 minutes and maximize your profit, customer service experience and time management. - Set guidelines for your content and offers:
Set guidelines for what is okay and what is not okay to post. It is always better to have a policy than not. A simple policy can minimize accidents (Twitter mishaps 2013). Also, define what kind of promotions are good. $10 give away are fine, raffles, contests etc. If the prize is $500-$1000, have it planned out at least two weeks in advanced. $1000+, have it planned out one month out. Have the frequency, content, etc. laid out completely. - Create incentives at your brick and mortar store and website:
Have a flyer saying: “Like” us right now and get 10% off or other things. It doesn’t have to be intense but make it worth people’s time. Potential clients have people shouting at them all day to buy tons of stuff, make sure your voice has some depth and weight to it. - Monitor your social media presence:
I have two suggestions for this. The first is to create a bookmark folder that has bookmarks to all of your social media network admin panels. Once daily, right-click and open the folder. This will open all of them at the same time and you can navigate through them and get a good at a glance of each social network.The second is to use HootSuite or SproutSocial. You don’t need a professional program to monitor everything but I would suggest looking into these options. - Feel free to advertise:
Advertising on social media does not have to be expensive. I spend $1 a day for my own website and get several local clicks a day on Facebook. To start out, do 1-week of $5/day and see how it goes. Make sure you have a good targeted audience. - Measure:
Look and see what your progress is, make sure you are moving towards your goals. This can be one of the most exciting parts and depressing. If you are doing it right, you should be able to draw correlations or show conversions for your products. If you would like help with these steps or if you have questions, contact me on Twitter @adammosesjones or use the contact form on this website š - Rinse, lather, repeat:
Do this cycle for your business at least every six months. Yearly might be okay, but honestly, stay dynamic and be at the six month mark. Over-achievers will do this cycle every one to three months, but unless you are paying someone to do this or social media is your #1 source of leads, I would not worry about it.
A guided social media strategy will rock your marketing world, bring in more leads and sales. There is nothing magical about it, but there is some trial and error.
As always, if you want to talk more about this and or schedule a consulting meeting to make a social media marketing plan, feel free to:
Call 509-240-9735
Catch me on twitter at:Ā http://twitter.com/pullmanweb
Email meĀ Adam@PullmanMarketing.com
