Social media users are expected to reach almost 6 billion by 2027. Therefore, brands must maintain a social presence now that it is no longer an option. However, the days of posting content and crossing your fingers are long gone.
With more competition, information overload, and networks than ever, having a well-defined strategy enables you to say "no" to efforts that don't make sense.
However, with so many different channels to build a presence on and the commitment that comes with it, starting from scratch can be daunting. Therefore, by the end of this guide, you'll know how to develop a winning social media marketing. So let’s get started.
What is a social media marketing strategy?
A social media marketing strategy details your goals specific to each platform. It also includes a roadmap for achieving them and metrics for evaluating their success.
Set S.M.A.R.T. goals
The objective you set for social media should be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.
Listed below are some social media goals that you may aim for:
- Drive brand awareness
- Generate leads
- Boost sales
- Drive website traffic
- Build a loyal following
- Establish social proof
- Increase brand engagement
- Provide customer service
Define your target audience.
Create a buyer persona to tailor your content to your followers' and potential customers' pain points. Social media analytics can reveal a lot about your audience. Moreover, different social media platforms attract different demographics, so your business should be present on the platforms where your target audience is most active.
Ensure that you have the following information about your target audience at your fingertips:
- Who are they? (E.g. job title, age, gender, salary, location, etc.)
- What type of content resonates with them the most? (E.g. entertainment, educational, conversational, inspirational, promotional, etc.)
- Which platform are they most active on? (E.g. Pinterest, Instagram, etc.)
- What time of day are they most active? (E.g. weekends, during their daily commute, etc.)
- What motivates them to consume the content? (E.g. to stay on top of all industry developments, etc.)
- Which content format works best for them? (E.g. blog, reels, podcasts, etc.)
Get to know your competition
To find out who your competitors are, simply perform a quick Google search using industry-relevant keywords. You must then analyse your competitors and tweak your strategy based on what they are doing well (and not so well). This doesn’t imply that you should imitate them or steal their audience. Instead, make your strategy unique by taking inspiration, looking for opportunities, and filling the gap in the industry.
Optimise your profile.
Ensure that you update any existing information on your profile. Make sure you use the same business name for all platforms and include a tracking code to your website to determine which platform is bringing the most traffic.
Your bio should consist of not only a compelling 'what' and 'why' of your business and keywords that people would use to search for what you offer to increase your visibility. Furthermore, use a high-quality, dimension-compliant profile and cover photo. As a social media marketing agency Kolkata, we utilise any additional features provided by the platform, such as LinkedIn now lets you add a website link that will appear at the top of your profile.
Create compelling content
Maintain a monthly calendar that outlines themes or content topics, platforms, posting times, etc. This will offer your audience both variety and consistency.
You may even repurpose your old content into a new format, such as converting a blog into a carousel. A hashtag is an excellent way to improve your brand's recall value on social media.
Below are some high-performing content ideas we recommend as a social media marketing agency Kolkata:
- Contests and Giveaways
- Polls
- Memes
- Ask me anything sessions
- User-Generated Content
- Trivias
- “How-to” tutorials
- Influencer collaborations
- Infographics
Track performance
Check at least once a week how much traffic your posts drive to your blog or website. Monitoring your KPIs will ensure you remain accountable and optimise your social media marketing strategy for lasting success.
Most social media platforms offer in-built tools for tracking analytics. To name a few, Facebook's Page Insights, Instagram's Account Insights, and LinkedIn's Visitor Analytics.
To see exactly which social posts drive the most traffic to your website, UTM parameters help track visitors. You can also evaluate the performance of your campaign using Google Analytics.
Final Thoughts:
Treat your social media marketing strategy as your road map to victory. Building a strategy from scratch, however, can be challenging. With algorithmic updates, new social networks emerging, and existing networks undergoing demographic shifts.
TechShu is a leading social media marketing agency Kolkata with a track record of conceiving ground-breaking social media marketing strategies that have resulted in meaningful conversions. You can count on our expertise in managing, optimising, and creating industry-relevant content that your audience can't get enough of. Get in touch with our team today.