Social media marketing may seem incredibly simple. After all, everyone has their own social media accounts, so we all know how to do it, right? Ummm … wrong.

It’s unfortunate that for many small and mid-sized businesses, social media marketing often gets assigned to the team’s youngest member, because they “know TikTok.” 

That fact of the matter? Our research demonstrates that it’s not really that difficult to create a meaningful social media marketing effort, as long as you put in the forethought and planning to ensure that it’s impactful. 

We’d actually recommend that you skip social entirely if you can’t create consistently meaningful content that’s based on a solid social media marketing strategy. It’s simply not worth the effort. No ROI. 

No Strategy = No Social ROI

Without a consistent social strategy, you’re taking what we refer to as a “spray and pray” approach. While that may sound harsh, trust us. We see it all the time. 

“Hey, I took some pictures at the company gathering and put them up on social!” 

Three weeks go by …. No content is posted on the company social channels. 

“Hey, we need to get some new clients, put a few social posts up.” 

Two weeks go by … No content is posted.

“We need to hire a few people. Does anybody have the credentials to our social media accounts?” 

Trust us, posting random content every few weeks without a solid strategy is the WORST thing you can do. You’ll get no ROI for the effort, so why bother? As social media pros, we’re consistently and constantly amazed by the types of businesses – including digital marketing shops – that have no significant social presence. 

It’s so surprising to us, because when it’s done right, social media is a potent tool. 

Social Media Strategy = Solid Results

If you want to sell more, reach new clients, and build your brand as a leader in your industry, you need to be on social media, and you need to do it right.

A solid media strategy includes – AT LEAST – these elements: 

1. 1. KPIs and goals – What do you want your social media effort to accomplish? How will you know if you’re successful? What metrics will you track? 
2. 2. An analysis of your brand’s current and past social media efforts – What’s working? What’s not working? 
3. 3. An analysis of your brand’s competitors – How are they using social? What are they doing that’s not working? What is working? 
4. 4. An analysis of your audience – Who is your target? What social media platforms are they on? What are they doing there? What kind of info is valuable to them?
5. 5. A content plan – How will you provide value to your audience? What can you share that will make a difference for them? How often will you promote vs. educate and inspire? What types of content can you share that will help engage new customers vs. build customer loyalty? 
6. 6. Messaging paths – What will you say? What are your primary and secondary messages? How will you reinforce them in your social media content?
7. 7. Social Advertising – How much will you budget to ensure your content is shown to your audience? Organic (aka not promoted) social media is pretty dismal when it comes to reach, engagement, and click-through rates. If you don’t understand that social media is a pay-to-play form of promotion, you’re missing out on opportunity.
8. 8. Call to Action (CTA) research – What will you ask your audience to do when engaging your social media content? What CTAs will you test?
9. 9. Keyword planning – What keywords should you use to appear in the search results for your preferred audience?
10. 10. An analytics plan – What will you track each month? What data will tell you that you’re successful? How will you report on that data?

And with those ten items, we’ve still not covered several facets of what makes a solid social media effort. 

Social media marketing can be incredibly effective, but only when you’ve consulted with experienced professionals, who are invested in keeping up with the ever-changing rules, when and how to follow them, and when it’s okay to break them. 

Remember the Rule of 7

According to the marketing “rule of seven,”  the average person must see something at least seven times before buying that product or service. To turn new prospects into customers, you need to reach them with a consistent look and feel and strategic messaging to move them into action. Don’t waste those touchpoints with spray and pray social media. 

We can help. Get in touch with us here on our Contact Page