Social media marketing is the future of advertising, and it’s something that all businesses should be thinking about.
The amount of time people spend on social media has skyrocketed over the past 10 years, leaving endless opportunities for businesses to target and communicate with their ideal audiences.
Going into 2022, you’ll want to follow this step-by-step guide to be at the top of your game.
1. Start by setting goals
Creating the ultimate social media marketing strategy starts by setting the right goals.
Ask yourself: What do you want your social media marketing campaign to achieve?
Do you just want more followers? If so, how many?
Or do you actually intend for this campaign to be a huge source of leads and revenue for your business? If so, how will you determine whether or not the campaign has been successful?
Setting the right goals can help you to decide which networks are most important for your business.
For example, if you’re a B2B company looking to increase leads and sales, then your priority should be building up an audience on LinkedIn.
On the other hand, if you just want to increase brand awareness as much as possible, then Twitter or Instagram may be a better fit.
2. Conduct thorough research on your ideal audience
Once you know what you want out of your campaign, it’s time to start thinking about who your ideal audience is and how to reach them.
For example, if most of the people in your target market are younger than 25 years old, then Instagram might be a better choice for marketing purposes over LinkedIn.
There are several different ways to figure this out. You can conduct surveys and polls, target social media posts on the interests of potential customers based on their demographic data (like age or location), and even use tools like Google Trends to see which topics people search for the most.
3. Make note of your most valuable metrics
Once you know your target audience, it’s time to start thinking about what metrics you should be tracking.
This will help you determine whether or not your social media marketing campaign is successful.
Some of the most important metrics to track include:
- Website traffic,
- Leads and conversions,
- Revenue generated directly,
- Average order value of sales originating on your website or other online marketplaces (like Amazon), and
- Brand awareness.
Regardless of the metrics that you choose to measure, it’s important to not get hung up on numbers like total follower count. It can be easy to focus solely on quantity over quality in social media marketing, but this is a strategy that backfires more often than not.
Instead, think about your goals and what you want to achieve with your campaign before setting any specific metrics in stone. This will make it easier for you to figure out whether or not your efforts are paying off down the road when it’s time to review your progress.
4. Produce engaging content
Once you’ve figured out your target audience and what metrics you want to track, the next step is figuring out the best way to market your business on social media.
People naturally engage more with images and videos rather than plain text, and it can be easier to get your message across using these types of media. This includes images, infographics, videos, GIFs or anything else that can be easily shared on social media platforms.
5. Keep a regular posting schedule and find out when your customers are online
The next step to creating a killer social media marketing strategy is figuring out the timing for each of your posts. The best times for posting on social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter change frequently. This is something you’ll want to monitor using your own data and keep in mind when scheduling your posts.
One of the most important things to remember when marketing your business on social media is to be consistent. If you can’t commit to posting content every day, then try to at least post a few times a week. The more often you post, the more likely it is that your followers will see your content.
6. Test and refine
Frequently testing and refining your strategies is the key to success in any type of marketing, and social media is no exception. Try different types of content, various platforms, posting at new times, and using several targeting strategies to see what works best for your business.
Not everything you try will be a home run, but that’s okay! The key is to learn from your mistakes and keep trying new things until you find something that works. Don’t be afraid to tweak your strategy over time. The social media landscape is constantly changing, so it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends.
The best way to ensure that your social media marketing strategy is effective for 2022 is to start planning now. By following the tips in this post, you can create a campaign that will reach your target audience and help you achieve your business goals.
Not sure where to start? Contact Bizzuka’s digital marketing team for a free 45-minute strategy session!