We get it. Some people don’t want to be on social media for privacy reasons, or because some studies have shown that it can harm one’s mental health. That’s OK if you don’t want to share your own personal life on social media. But businesses really need business profiles on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), LinkedIn, and TikTok.
Some companies choose to focus on one or two platforms. Others have a presence on each. We usually recommend that companies have accounts on all of these platforms, especially because tools like Hootsuite make it easy to create one post that appears across multiple channels. For some niche businesses, we also suggest other platforms, like the oft forgotten Snapchat or Pinterest.
Social media offer unparalleled opportunities for businesses to connect with their target audience. According to Statista, there are more than 4.59 billion active social media users today, and that number is expected to increase to nearly six billion by 2027.
Does Every Platform Accomplish the Same Goal?
Not really. Each social media platform serves a different purpose.
Data from Meta shows that 83% of Instagram users say they discover new brands while using the platform. What could be better than that?
Facebook has an incredibly effective ad platform. Additionally Facebook Messenger allows businesses another way to interact with, provide support to and send frequent updates to customers.
LinkedIn is essential to advertise jobs and show that you’re an authority in your industry (key for B2B businesses). On our LinkedIn, for example, you’ll see that we post content from our blog to show that we know what we’re talking about.
TikTok showcases a company’s fun and creative side, and there’s a high chance your company will appear in a “For you” reel of a member of your target audience.
X allows businesses the perfect place to explain their values.
However, to make the most of social media, businesses need a well-defined strategy. You shouldn’t have haphazard posts that you throw up inconsistently. Too often, small to mid sized businesses trust young employees or interns with their social media, assuming they know the most. But this can lead to public relation nightmares. In this post, we’ll explain the essential things you need to do to develop a well planned, well-scheduled social media marketing strategy that delivers results.
Understand Your Audience Before Doing Anything
The foundation of any successful social media marketing strategy lies in understanding your audience. Before you start creating posts or sharing content, take the time to research and think deeply about your target demographic. Who are they in terms of age, socioeconomic status, areas of residence, marital status, gender and more? More importantly, what are their interests, preferences, and problems? Do they use your products or services for work or pleasure? Do they consider what you sell or offer a need or a luxury? Is using your products or services fun or something they have to pay for to ensure they have food, shelter and clothing? Which social media platforms do they frequent? Understanding these things will help you decide the tone of your posts, and whether you should be sharing images, text and links, videos, or infographics?
Let’s consider a nail salon. People don’t “need” a manicure and pedicure to survive. And in times of inflation, like right now, many people are cutting back on luxury services. That said, even in recessions, people will spend money on small purchases that make them feel good – like nail polish. Researchers call it the “lipstick effect.” Lipstick always sells, even during recessions.
So if you were a nail salon owner, you could use social media to highlight discounts – with the right sale, a manicure might not seem like such a luxury anymore. A nail salon could also use social media to clarify to customers that they don’t just provide services, but also sell nail polish. That might get people coming into your salon. They go in to buy nail polish, but once they’re there, they might tell themselves, “You know what? Even if interest rates are high, I deserve a treat.” And voila! You’ve sold nail polish and a manicure. A nail salon should also use photos to showcase cool nail designs. And a nail salon can post content that shows how manicures and pedicures aren’t just luxuries, but are also healthy. Germs underneath fingernails, for example, can lead to flus and colds. Post a link to a study from researchers that proves this claim is true.
Set Clear Goals
Once you have a grasp of your audience, it’s time to make clear goals for your social media marketing efforts. Are you looking to increase brand awareness, start a discussion about a topic, drive website traffic, generate leads, get people in your brick and mortar store, or make more sales? Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals will provide direction and enable you to track the success of your strategy. If you don’t know your goals, constantly posting to social media will become just “one more thing” you feel you have to do. And it will get lower and lower on your to do list. At SEO Design Chicago, we help companies set social media goals, and we’ll even create social media content for you. We’ll also show you data so you can see if your investment in us is worth it.
Choose the Right Platforms
Not all social media platforms are created equal, and not every platform will be suitable for your business. If you sell goods or services geared to people in their 70s, you can probably avoid TikTok, which tends to have younger users.
If you have a company or service that’s geared towards political or ethical issues, X is a great platform. But if you want to steer clear of all things politics, you may want to steer clear of X.
If you have visually compelling goods and services, you definitely want to be on Instagram.
Why? Each platform has its own unique user base. Some platforms have younger users, some have older users. Each platform has different content rules. You can’t post links in Instagram captions, for example, but you can on Facebook and X.
Go back to your research about your audience. Where do you think they spend their time? On Facebook or TikTok? Concentrate your efforts where they spend time.
Craft Killer Content
Content is king when it comes to social media marketing. Not every post will go viral. Not every post will get tons of shares or likes. But each post should be thoughtful. We like to schedule posts for later dates, so we can refine it and make sure the post draws the wrong kind of attention.
To capture your audience’s attention and stand out amidst the sea of online content, you need to create compelling and valuable content. Memes work for almost any industry, and you don’t even need to create them. There are already a bunch built into your phone. Short videos work well, and they’re becoming easier and easier to create with tools like Canva. But words matter most, and if you’re not a wordsmith, or you don’t have the time to devote to learning content creation tools like those on Canva, you may want to contract a third party vendor, like us at SEO Design Chicago.
Regular Posting is Key
Consistency is crucial in maintaining a strong presence on social media. If people see that you have a Facebook account, but you haven’t posted to it in months, the first thing they’ll think is that you may have gone out of business. Or, they’ll think that you’re not serious about your business.
Establish a regular posting schedule and stick to it. It doesn’t have to be daily, but it has to be consistent. This not only helps you stay top-of-mind with your audience but also signals reliability and professionalism. Use social media management tools like Hootsuite to schedule posts in advance and maintain consistency. Don’t be afraid to reuse content and repurpose it.
X, for example, has a character limit. But other platforms don’t. So you can write a long message for Facebook, then just post a snippet of it on X. Got a blog? Take content from that – even content that’s months old (as long as it’s still timely) and post part of it on social media.
We offer custom photography, and encourage you to use photos of your real products or the people who work with you. Users can spot stock photography a mile away, and studies show they don’t like it that much.
But some stock photos are Ok. Pixabay offers copyright and royalty free photos, videos, sounds and music.
Talk With, Not At, Your Audience
Social media is not CNN; it’s a two-way communication platform. Engage with your audience by responding to comments (even negative ones – but stay calm), messages, and mentions promptly. Thank people who rave about you. Visit their profiles and follow them. Encourage conversation by asking questions, running polls, and asking for feedback.
Reach out to us at SEO Design Chicago to learn more about how we can help you develop a social media strategy that works. We can teach you how to create content, or create content for you. We’ll show you how to monitor data, or handle that for you.
Contact Us today!