Hope is not a marketing strategy

Hope is not a marketing strategy

Welcome to part 2 of yesterday’s blog which was on the first steps of creating a social media strategy. I shared 5 out of 10 questions you will need to ask when crafting an effective social media strategy. I chose this title today because many business owners under-estimate what marketing can do for their business and overlook what the internet has to offer, mostly free of charge, to get you the basic online visibility that can convert into leads and even new customers/clients.

In this post we continue with the remaining 5 questions that deal with the content side of your marketing plan and possible outcomes of the social media marketing strategy:

  1. What types of content should I post?

Try to get a balanced combination of images, blog/article/news shares with links to your website or specific Call To Action (CTA).

  1. Can social media be a substitute for customer service?

A human interaction at some stage of your communication cycle is irreplaceable, but social media is becoming a convenient method for current customers to interact and engage with businesses and for prospective customers to research the company’s credibility by looking at reviews and testimonials.

  1. How can I convert followers into customers?

Start by implementing cross-network interaction and driving leads/potential customers to your website. Make sure each of your landing pages have a specific CTA, that way you don’t lose your potential customers in a load of fluff. Lastly, reach out by incorporating email marketing and keeping those leads/potential customers top of mind.

  1. How can I measure the success of my marketing efforts?

Google Analytics can demonstrate the effectiveness of your strategy. If you use other platforms like Hootsuite. Social Report, etc, they also offer their own metrics. Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and now Twitter have their own Analytics as well. Only you can decide what you’re measuring and if it’s being achieved, such as the number of new followers, your posts reach and responses, or people taking action on links when prompted by you.

  1. What is the biggest mistake to avoid?

Not having goals or a social media plan that’s consistent yet flexible. Always evaluate your strategy in order to identify which of your tactics work, and ditch the ones that don’t. Never hold onto a strategy suggested by someone else, because what works for them and their business may not necessarily work with yours. That’s why I always suggest you do your own social media planning if you’re a business owner and delegate what your intended outcome should be. Coming up with your own strategy is also helpful when outsourcing. There’s no use giving a brief to someone who understands social media marketing but perhaps not your company and it’s desired outcomes or goals.

Questions? Inbox me or type them in the comments below.

Catch you in my next post.

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