The power of social media is undeniable. After all, social media launched the career and the Weeknd and brands like Dollar Shave Club and The Girlfriend Collective. The internet is also rife with posts that tell you what you should and shouldn’t do on social media.
The problem is that these do and don’t do posts almost always focus on tactical issues, like not responding in anger or forgetting to add images. It’s rarer than you see advice on building around the four cornerstones of a solid social media marketing plan.
That begs the question, “What are the four cornerstones of a good social media marketing plan?” This guide will provide an overview of those cornerstones.
- Set Clear Goals and Objectives
Don’t confuse goals and objectives. Goals are desired end-states, such as improve sales through social media engagement.
Objectives set out specific benchmarks that get you closer to that goal, such as boost Facebook posts by 50 percent.
Without setting clear goals, you cannot build functional objectives. Without functional objectives, your social media marketing strategy will flounder.
- Know Your Customer
One of the most important social media marketing tips is that you must know exactly which customers you want to reach.
Are they middle-aged and married or single, young adults? Where do they live? Which way do they lean politically?
You need this demographic and psychographic information to craft the right messages for them about your product or service.
- Select Your Content and Platforms
You must also decide on what kind of content you want and which platforms you’ll pursue. Since different demographics favor different platforms, your ideal customer can help decide both of these questions. For example, Facebook skews male, while Pinterest skews female.
Almost everyone uses Youtube, which makes video a clear choice in terms of social media marketing for business.
- Get the Right Tools in Place
Even if you focus all of your attention on just one or two channels, don’t think that it won’t mean a lot of work. You will need the right tools in place to make the campaign work, such as this social media scheduling app. It’ll save your staff time and provide a better overview of what’s in place for publication.
Don’t forget about tools like image and video editing software for content creation. You also need tools in place to track metrics and KPIs, so you can see if your plan generates the results you want.
Building a Social Media Marketing Plan
While you can recover from early missteps on social media, it’s always better to start with a social media marketing plan.
Set goals and objectives. Know who your ideal customer is so you can pick the right content types and platforms to reach them on social. Give your employees and yourself the right tools to create content and monitor the results.
Building your social media marketing plan around these cornerstones can help you hit the ground running on social media.
Ready for more social media marketing tips? Check out the posts in our Marketing and Social Media sections.
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