Okay, so you've heard it all over Instagram and TikTok from other social media marketers that you "must-have" a social media marketing strategy. You might be wondering, "why?" or "where the heck do I even begin?". I'm here to answer both of those questions!
Is this actually working or not?
When I first started out as a social media manager I know I wasn't putting together strategies and my clients seemed happy with the management of the account so I saw no need at the time. This was the case until I started getting questions like, "why didn't that work?" or "why did that perform so well?". I'd be able to provide some insight as to why but it was mostly based on opinion. I didn't like the feeling of not having a strategy or solid insights because I wasn't able to tell my clients with confidence whether or not our efforts were actually working or not.
After I began putting together strategies for clients, I have had quite a few realizations and I'll never look back! Here's why and why you won't either...
1. Helps you stay on-brand
A strategy helps keeps you on brand. I can't tell you how many times I've seen social media managers and even business owners go off-brand to try and keep up with certain trends that don't make sense for their particular business. Having clear brand guidelines and understanding how it applies to social media is a great reference for anyone managing social media so they can avoid that slippery slope.
2. Develop a better understanding of your customers and target audience
What I consider most important, is that a strategy helps you understand your customers and target audience better. I encourage my clients and social media managers to do a deep dive into their target audience's profiles to develop a better understanding of what kind of content they're creating, what kind of content they engage with, their hobbies, goals, pain points, etc. The goal is to study their profiles and look for "micro-details" rather than put together a general profile of what you believe your target audience looks like. The beauty of social media is our ability to have that direct and immediate connection with our customers. All the answers are right in front of us!
3. Helps you keep a pulse on your industry and competitors
A strategy helps you keep a pulse on the industry and what your competitors are up to. If you want to get ahead of the competition, keep tabs on what they're doing, what seems to be working for them, and what doesn't. This way you can avoid making some of the same mistakes and create content that benefits your biz and provides value to your audience. Never copy, always look for ways that you can do better!
4. Create better content for your audience
Keeping tabs on your customers and competitors all leads to creating better content. Content is QUEEN and ultimately the determining factor of whether or not you'll be successful on social or not. Remember, your content isn't for everyone it's for your customers and target customers! Putting together a content strategy that aligns with your goals ensures that you stay on track and don't veer off the path after the next shiny object. For example, a trendy meme might get you a lot of likes in the short term, but hurt you long-term if it doesn't align with your goals or target customer. You might start attracting people who engage with your content because it's entertaining but don't purchase from your business. The extra likes will give you a nice ego boost, but they're not really doing anything for the success of your business. A content strategy will help you stay focused on the content that actually benefits your business.
5. Approach engagement with more focus
Another important section of any social strategy is engagement. Your messaging and approach to engaging with your audience should be consistent and stick to the brand. When you have a clear engagement strategy, you approach your social media with more focus. More focus equals less time wasted mindlessly scrolling, which is what we all really want at the end of the day!
6. Set goals to track whether or not your efforts are working or not
Lastly, all good strategies have clear and realistic goals! Setting goals is how you measure whether or not your efforts are actually working or not. If you're not setting goals, you don't have a business, you have an expensive hobby. Social media, like setting sales goals, should have outlined goals as well so you can track the success of that area of your business to make sure it is contributing to the overall success of your business.
"How do I get started on building a social media marketing strategy?"
I'm so glad you asked ;)! Within the 6 steps above, you should have a good idea of what to include in a social strategy but you still might be feeling a bit overwhelmed by what that should look like. A social strategy can be as in-depth as you want it to be. Part of what's so important about putting together a strategy is spending the extra time researching and developing a better understanding of social media marketing and how it fits into your business. A strategy also helps hold you accountable so your approach is consistent and focused.
Now that you understand why having a social media marketing strategy is so important, it's time to build your own! Let's work together to create a great social media strategy!
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