In today’s digital age, having effective social media best practices is critical for your business. The average person spends 3 or more hours per day on various social media networks. And a targeted and engaged customer base is one of the greatest assets your company can have.
Follow these six best practices to maximize your marketing budget with a strategic social media campaign:
1) Set Measurable Goals
The first place to start is to determine what you want from your social media strategy. Developing solid objectives allows you to track and measure results that will deliver a clear ROI. Go beyond just getting likes and retweets. Look at the bigger picture with goals like building your brand awareness, gaining new customers, growing your email list and strengthening your customer service.
2) Know Which Social Networks are Right for Your Content
Keeping up with social media can be time-consuming. Instead of trying to manage all of them, focus your resources by choosing the networks that make the most sense for you. Think about your target audience. Where do they spend most of their time? How do they engage online? It may take a bit of trial and error at first, but narrowing things down will help you better understand what networks to use and what content your customers want.
3) Brand Your Page
Your social media pages should be part of your overall digital marketing strategy. If a customer goes to your Facebook page, make sure they recognize that it’s you. Carry your brand across all of your social media platforms with consistent logos, taglines, colors, and images. Keep in mind that each social media network has varying size requirements for profile images. Getting the right size will ensure your images look sharp and professional.
4) Develop a Posting Schedule Based on Social Media Best Practices
The number one obstacle to developing a social media content plan and sticking to it is finding the time, especially if you’re a small business owner doing it all yourself. Once you’ve chosen your preferred social networks, determine how often you should post, develop an editorial calendar, and then stick to it. Or hire an individual or marketing firm to develop and implement the plan for you.
5) Measure It
A weekly, monthly and yearly look at your social media analytics will give you the information you need to support your goals. Individual social media networks may offer their own tools to measure metrics, or you can utilize a third party tool like Hootsuite, Sprout Social or Google Analytics. Measuring and analyzing your data gives you tangible information that will help shape your overall marketing objectives.
6) Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment
Explore various strategies and social media channels. Mix things up until you figure out what works best for your niche, your business, and your customers. It takes the time to build up a following. So, have patience and stick to it. Once you figure out what works best for your brand, you will gain trust and build relationships with your followers. Follow these social media best practices, and you’re halfway there!
Get in touch with Fly Pages to find out how we can help you create and implement a super fly social media strategy.