A Guide to Creating a Social Media Marketing Strategy for Your Small Business

In today’s world, if you aren’t using social media marketing to promote your business, your business is practically invisible to your target customers.

As of February 2019, there are roughly 4.4 billion people who use the Internet, and approximately 3.5 billion people who use social media. Basically, half the global population is online and on social media platforms. Social media has solidified itself in society and in a lot of people’s day-to-day lives, and it doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon.

It makes a lot of sense for businesses to be advertising on social media, since that’s where the eyeballs are. In fact, businesses who don’t have a social media strategy in play are likely losing a big chunk of their market, simply because their market may not even know they exist. So, it’s practically essential for small businesses to market themselves on social media. It isn’t enough to just have a presence anymore; your efforts need to be well-researched, planned, and properly executed, as opposed to spontaneous and without much thought.

With so much to consider in the realm of social media marketing, where do you even start? How do you create a solid marketing plan, especially if you’re just learning the ropes? Here are the steps to take in order to plan a social media strategy for your business.

Make sure you have a good website

Most social media campaigns will inevitably direct users to your company’s website, especially if you’re selling a product or service. Your website should be able to quickly load on a user’s computer or mobile device, be easy to navigate, and answer customer’s questions in order to drive sales. Having a reliable hosting provider, like Krystal.uk, is beneficial too, so your website will remain live at all times.

Do your research

You’re going to want to take some time to sit down and learn about each platform’s tips and tricks individually. The differences in Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and Pinterest are vast in terms of how you can position your business and reach your desired audience. Figure out which ones make sense to have a presence based on where your target marketing spends their time. Furthermore, learn what marketing techniques and strategies work best on each platform. For example, influencer marketing works best on Instagram, while blogging may do better on LinkedIn. Social media tips and tricks change often, so do your best to stay on top of it by subscribing to advice blogs and following social marketers for their insights.

Also, doing research on who your target audience is will help immensely when it comes to your brand’s messaging. Understand your demographics inside and out so your content resonates with the right people.

Conduct a social media audit

If your business already has a social presence, you need to audit yourself and figure out what works, what doesn’t, and what you can improve on. Learn which platforms are generating the most or least engagement, how many followers are subscribing or leaving, and which are worth prioritizing.