Social media marketing has the power to boost sales and enhance brand image, but not every strategy is successful. In this guide, we’ll share tips to help you develop a social media strategy that delivers results.
More than 4 billion people around the world use social media. Social platforms started life as networks that were designed to help people stay connected with friends and family, but today, they are a powerful medium for businesses looking to promote and sell products and services. Using social media marketing, brands can attract new customers, raise brand awareness, increase sales and improve ROI.
Social media can be an incredible platform for businesses and marketers looking to expand their reach, connect with customers, create and convert leads and get their brand noticed. Here are some tips to develop a social media strategy that drives brand awareness and improves ROI:
The first step to take when drawing up a new strategy is to establish clear objectives. What are the primary goals of your social media marketing campaigns and what do you want to achieve from being more active on social media? Examples include boosting sales, increasing follower numbers and sign-ups and subscriptions, driving website traffic and improving your ROI.
Once you know what you want to achieve through social media activity, the next step is to define your ideal customer and get to know your audience. Use data to see how people spend their time online, which kinds of posts or accounts they interact with and what makes them tick. Choose channels and platforms that are popular among your target demographics and engage with users and followers. Ask them questions, run online polls and encourage them to leave feedback and interact with you. Getting to know your audience will help you to personalise content and make sure that your campaigns are relevant.
Every business has to compete with others to win customers and generate sales. It is hugely beneficial to analyse your competition, see how other brands use social media and keep an eye on what your competitors are doing.
Planning how to create and share social media content is vital for driving brand awareness and optimising ROI. You want your content to be engaging, visually appealing, impactful, interesting and original. Think carefully about the types of posts you want to share, the kinds of media you want to use, the messages you want to portray, the tone of your posts and when you’re going to share content.
To achieve results on social media, you have to be able to turn heads and encourage users to follow you or view and share your posts. To build a following, encourage existing followers to share your posts and get friends and family involved, run competitions and giveaways and post content that your target audience will want to share.
Social apps can be effective platforms for selling, but they also offer unparalleled opportunities to connect and engage with users and show the human side of your brand. Tell people your story, talk about your ethos and company culture and values and communicate and interact with your clients and followers. Over 70% of consumers look to buy from brands that align with their values (source).
Social media can be an amazing platform for businesses. If you’re looking to create a new strategy to boost ROI and raise brand awareness, take these helpful tips on board.
