You’ve developed your SEO approach and launched your website — it’s officially time to talk about social media.
Recent reports reveal that as of October 2022, there were over 4.7 billion social media users online, making social media a powerful tool in any company’s digital marketing mix. Still, business owners struggle to create a cohesive social media strategy for a lot of reasons.
The sheer number of different social media options can feel overwhelming. Additionally, an effective social media campaign often requires business owners to develop unique tactics for different industries and customer targets.
Develop the Right Social Media Marketing Plan for Your Business
Fortunately, it is possible to develop a social media marketing plan that commands attention from the right people. Once again, the best way to find online success for your business starts by putting yourself in your customers’ minds.
Let’s start with the three Ps to consider when building your business’s social media strategy:
Platforms
When creating your social media marketing plan, where you post matters. Even the most creative and compelling social media post will get scrolled past if it’s not placed on the right platform. The first thing to ask when creating your social media strategy:
Where are your specific customers or customer personas most likely to spend their social media time?
You don’t have to put all your social media marketing eggs in one basket — but you may find that some platforms offer better engagement than others. For example, B2B companies often prioritize LinkedIn as their primary platform. Companies selling consumer products might find the most success on Instagram or TikTok. Local businesses may see the best ROI on Facebook.
At Green Tulip, we always suggest having an active online presence on multiple platforms. Still, it’s essential to monitor engagement and platform analytics to determine which platform works best for your industry, your competitors, and your customer base to know where you should focus extra effort and attention.
Posting
Once you’ve determined where to post, it’s time to consider what, when, and how often to post. Once again, start by putting yourself in your customers’ mindset. How often you post on social media will depend on knowing your business and your customers’ online habits. When scheduling posts, consistency counts. You don’t have to post every day, but you should post regularly.
When creating your posts, make sure both the visual and the messaging remain authentic to your brand. However, staying on brand doesn’t mean posting the same thing over and over again. Change up your posts to keep it fresh. Consider a mix of text posts, images, stories, reels, links, blogs, and content offers (more on content offers to come!).
Also, always use hashtags. Do some research to find out which hashtags resonate most for both your content and your audience. Include 5-8 hashtags per post, changing them up consistently to help expand post reach. You can add your hashtags at the end of your text copy in a group or directly into your text content itself.
Paid Social Media Ads
When investing in paid ads on social media, you’ll want to create a dedicated landing page on your website with a clear call to action (CTA). Try to avoid a general ad that takes visitors to your website. Instead, get specific with your CTA, directing users to fill out a form, download a resource, schedule an appointment, or take whatever next steps you’d like them to take. If you are selling a product, you’ll want to link your social media ads directly to your purchasing page.
Seasonal ads can offer extra online impact. Seasonal ads may showcase a specific holiday design — but they don’t have to necessarily. You could create text talking about getting ready for summer or gearing up for back to school. Or maybe you have a February special to promote. Seasonal social media ads inherently give viewers a deadline, letting potential customers know they only have a short window of time to act before incurring a case of purchasing FOMO.
Social media ads are effective — but the setup can prove a bit complicated. If you decide to develop your own social media ad campaign, start with a small budget or segment, so you don’t waste marketing dollars during the learning curve.
Get Help with Your Social Media Marketing Plan
Ready to get started on your social media strategy? Green Tulip Design can help. Schedule a call with us today to develop a social media marketing plan that puts your services and products on your customers’ online radar!
