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Making the Most of Your Social Media Marketing
Social media is everywhere these days – on our smartphones, our computers, and tablets. Knowing this to be true, it is not surprising that more and more small businesses are using it to reach their target market. But, just like any other marketing plan, this type of marketing does require some serious thought and planning before business owners get online to post a new status update.
Develop a Detailed Marketing Plan
Creating a marketing plan is the easiest way to ensure this type of campaign will be both effective and beneficial to the business. Start by taking a critical look at what goals you want to accomplish for the business, such as increased business awareness or increased sales. This plan should also include details about what type of content will be posted, the timeline in which these updates will occur, which platforms will work best, and who will be responsible for maintaining the site.
Review and Establish Content Guidelines
Social media for business is much different than for personal use. For example, photos of cats is completely acceptable in the private sector but businesses will not get much out of similar content. Successful marketing campaigns are geared directly toward the business’s target market. When developing content, always keep the customer in mind. A good rule of thumb is the 80/20 rule where 80 percent of what is posted should be beneficial to customers and only 20 percent should be promotion for the business.
Make Sure Associates are Aware of Business’s Social Media Sites
Once all the details have been put together and a sound social media marketing plan is on the table, it is time to promote the business’s business page. But, before going public, it is vitally important to make sure that all internal associates are aware of what is coming down the pipeline. An internal announcement of this nature should include the purpose of the busines page, what platform is being used, and which associates have been assigned to manage the site in case there are any Syntax Business.
After completing these first steps, it is time to share your social media website with your customers. Make sure that associates are supporting the cause by mentioning the site to customers during conversations and possibly adding the site’s URL to their email signatures. Social media has become a powerful tool for small businesses – although this may seem like an easy marketing campaign to launch, it is important to put the thought and effort behind planning to ensure it will be a great success.
