How to Create a Social Media Marketing Strategy

A social media marketing strategy will provide your brand with a sense of direction when attempting to grow its recognition, reach, and revenue. The more specific the plan, the more effective a campaign will be.

To dominate the likes of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, you will need to develop a detailed plan for a successful execution. Find out how to create an effective social media marketing strategy.

Determine Your Ideal Customer

Every brand must aim to understand their target demographic so well that they can create a product, service, and marketing campaign that fits their customers’ exact needs and almost sells itself.

While you might be more than happy for every Tom, Dick or Harry to buy from your brand, you must develop campaigns that specifically target your ideal customer, which could increase your reach and sales tenfold.

Answer the following questions to create your dream buyer persona. What is your ideal customer’s:

• Age
• Location
• Income
• Job title
• Pain points
• Favorite social network

Set a Marketing Budget

While small businesses might have a shoestring budget to promote their campaign, larger organizations might be more than happy to invest thousands of dollars into boosting their brand awareness. 

While you don’t need to spend a substantial sum to grow your online presence, a marketing budget could help you to attract more customers and compete with bigger industry rivals. 

If you are unsure how you will fund paid social media campaigns, which can specifically target your ideal customers, you must look for ways to top up your budget. For example, you could reduce stationery expenses or compare business electricity suppliers to secure the best deal. The money saved could then be used to fund a successful paid advertisement on the likes of Facebook or Instagram.

Create Clear Social Media Goals

While you might want to secure one million Facebook followers within the next twelve months, it is almost an impossible feat. Instead, you must focus on more realistic goals, which can support your brand’s growth and profitability.

For example, you could aim to:

• Increase your brand awareness
• Improve your sales
• Boost footfall to your bricks and mortar store
• Create a loyal fanbase

Keep a strategy simple and clear to avoid being distracted by too many objectives, which could be reflected in your social media posts.

Understand the Benefits of Each Platform

Different social media platforms will serve different functions and attract different types of users. To enjoy great success online, you need to identify the benefits of each platform.

For example, if you are looking for a prime spot to run ads, you should look no further than YouTube and Facebook. If, however, you want to connect with people under the age of 30, you should publish attractive content on Instagram. Women also outnumber men on Pinterest, while LinkedIn targets well-educated professionals who are looking for industry-specific, unique content.

So, compare your ideal customer against the above platforms to kickstart your first social media marketing campaign.