How to Develop an Effective Social Media Strategy?
With the proliferation of social networks on the web, some companies can sometimes feel confused about so much variety. Indeed, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Snapchat are just a few of the many platforms. Did you know that creating social media content is a long-term investment? Indeed, the proximity, interactivity, and instantaneous nature of these tools make it possible to reach a prospect in real-time. If social media is used properly, it can literally propel your business and take you where you never imagined!
However, it is no longer enough to just publish content. In fact, you have to publish the right content, at the right time, to the right people. Wondering how? That’s good because, in this article, we reveal our best tips for creating an effective social media strategy.
Steps to an effective social media strategy
1. Establish objectives
The first step is mainly to set objectives to be achieved by having an online presence on social networks. What is my main purpose in creating a Facebook or Instagram page for myself? For most companies, the primary objective is to increase brand awareness. However, it may be beneficial to be more precise. In what way do we want to have a higher profile?
Here are some examples of objectives:
- Increase the number of subscribers
- Increase the reach of our publications
- Increase commitment to our brand
- Increase the number of impressions of our publications
Thereafter, your objectives should ideally be SMART, i.e.:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Temporarily defined
Here is an example of a SMART goal: Increase my number of subscribers on my Facebook page by 100 people by September.
2. Choose your target audiences
Then, once your objectives have been determined, you must now choose the audiences you want to reach. To achieve this, it is relevant to use personas, which will make it possible to establish a standard profile of the clientele to whom we wish to transmit our messages. It is most likely that you may have more than one distinct profile with which you wish to interact.
Once our profiles have been identified, we must ask ourselves questions about their age, online browsing habits, profession, level of education, etc. By knowing them in-depth, it will be more obvious to propose content adapted to their reality. For example, a 20-year-old and a retiree will not be addressed in the same way, since they consult our page for different reasons. We must keep in mind that our objective is to offer them the most relevant content possible.
3. Selecting the right platforms
Each social network has its own particularities that allow it to perform different functions according to each audience. For example, Instagram can be very relevant for 18-30-year-old, while Facebook can sometimes be a way to reach a larger audience. However, if you want to reach corporate clients, LinkedIn can be more effective. This platform selection step will be crucial, as it will seize an opportunity to reach a receptive target audience.
Main functions of each tool
Instagram: Sharing photos and short videos. The very visual platform, good for building an image. We want to share an emotion, a moment. We hope that people will share photos of a brand.
Twitter: This allows you to have a live interaction. Mostly used by journalists, media. Ensures discussion and proximity.
Facebook: Platform with a large audience. Its main objective is to create a social community.
Snapchat: It publishes short video content. Allows you to share moments in an ephemeral way. Interesting especially for a younger audience.
LinkedIn: This allows you to contact a network of professionals. A business network can be created there.
4. Creating content
The next step is to put your development into practice. Indeed, once the strategy has been conceptually implemented, it is now time to take action. It is therefore necessary to take the time necessary to create quality content.
Feel free to create an editorial calendar of publications that will allow you to organize the content you plan to publish in the near future. This will allow you to ensure a certain diversity in terms of the types of content you offer. At this stage, you will compose the messages and choose the photos that will accompany your texts. Remember that an evocative image always attracts the reader’s attention, so they will be more receptive to your message.
5. Measuring results
In conclusion, it is important to establish measurement tools that will allow you to evaluate the effectiveness of your social media strategy. Have you reached your target? Have the previously established objectives been achieved? For example, the number of subscribers on an Instagram page could be interesting data to observe. In addition, Facebook offers interesting analyses for corporate page managers. This way, you could see the engagement rate that your publications generate. If you have achieved your results effectively, congratulations! Even better: challenge yourself to surpass them.
Finally, since the process of creating a social media strategy may seem complex and unclear at first glance, it can be beneficial to use the services of a social media agency like Crux Creative Solutions, which will support you and ensure that your company achieves results that meet your expectations. Remember that communicating to the right people at the right time pays off!
To know more about social media strategy or want to create a strategy for your company, call us on +91-124-4207905 or contact us here.