If you’re new to social media marketing, here are some tips that may come in handy:

1. Create a Social Media Strategy

Social media is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful marketing tools you can have right now and if you use it correctly, it will pave the way for a strong personal connection with your potential customers. But to be able to achieve this, you need a clear plan. You should have a strategy that takes into account your objectives, your target customers and your competition.

  • Understand what your goals are.
  • Create objectives that are quantifiable.
  • Identify your target audience.
  • Analyze your competition.

Social media chart

2. Goal Setting

Earlier we briefly tackled the topic of setting goals. It is one of the most challenging aspects of creating a social media marketing strategy because you also need to define your metrics to help you determine whether you’ve succeeded or not.

This is where it gets confusing because there are many standards and criteria to take into consideration, and the metrics vary depending on who you ask. So…where should you start?

  • First, you have to establish your ultimate goal. Then regardless of which metrics you pick, your goal should be tied to a numerical value and it must help with your overall marketing strategy.
  • Then you’ll need to outline all the objectives necessary to achieve your goal. So if your goal is to increase your revenue by 100% through social media, then you need to set individual objectives to help you achieve this.

people connected throughout the world

3. Track Your Presence All Around the Web

Naturally, you need to keep tabs on what people are saying about your brand on social media. So how do you monitor all mentions and links 24/7? With tools. By using the right tools, there’s no need for you to be online 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The data will be gathered and given to you so you’ll know where you are being mentioned and how often.

Some of the tools we recommend for this purpose are:

  • Bit.ly
  • Goo.gl
  • Backtype

More people know Bit.ly and Goo.gl as a URL shortener but they also have an analytics suite that can monitor all clicks, click sources and timing. Backtype gives you a way of tracking mentions of your brand and website and you can drill down into more specific tabs like conversations and audience.

There are many other tools that can help you track your presence online and a quick Google search should provide you with all the information you need.

4. Have a Clear Message

Don’t you just hate it when you receive an email about something that doesn’t interest you at all? People label these things as spam. When using social media to send a message to your target audience, the reaction is the same. If your message does not interest the recipient, then your efforts are wasted.

When planned properly, sending mass messages to your followers and fans on social media can be truly beneficial to your business. Here are some steps you can follow when creating your message:

First, you need to know why you are trying to reach your audience. Do you want to introduce them to a new product or service? Or perhaps to offer them a discount?

Then, identify who you’re trying to reach with your message. Your message needs to be specifically tailored to these people otherwise it won’t appeal to them at all. For example, if you are targeting those in their 20s, your tone and ad copy should be crafted to appeal to this audience.

Next, find out what it is you’re trying to achieve from your message. Is it to get your audience to visit your blog or website? Or to call your office phone?

Proofread your message before you send it so that it’s free from mistakes and typos which can be very off-putting. You also need to decide which social media network you will be using, as you need to create your message to fit the platform you’ll be using.

Social media icons on a smart phone

5. Measure Your Results

How do you quantify your social media marketing success? There are three vital measures to check: Reach, Engagement and Conversion.

Reach is basically the number of people your message was able to reach. Engagement is measured by the number of people who did something with your message. If your message inspires people to act (such as liking, sharing or commenting on your post), then you’ll have achieved a higher engagement. Conversion refers to the number of people who were converted from being a “fan” or “follower” to a paying “customer.”

6. Maintain Brand Consistency

Your efforts should not end once you get high conversions. If you do that, then pretty soon you will lose to your competitors. You need to continue working on maintaining brand consistency and this begins even before you start your marketing campaigns.

To achieve better brand recall, your business should look the same on all your social pages. Your brand’s voice should reflect your business as a whole. You need to post consistently as well. For example, you can schedule your posts twice a week without fail.

Being consistent in your social media marketing efforts requires commitment and preparation. Make sure you and your team are ready for this so you can maintain your brand’s identity. 

Final Thoughts

Social media marketing has a significantly higher lead to close rate than outbound marketing and 84% of B2B marketers use it as part of their marketing strategy. If you’re ready to stay ahead of your competitors, use the tips that we have listed in this post to help you get started.

Multi-purpose knife with social media icons for tools