Social media marketing plays an important role in driving website traffic, brand awareness and business leads.
Speaking from personal experience and as someone who has spent hours on various Social Media platforms - Social Media is here to stay, so I recommend you get on board.
Now, if you are still wondering whether you should create a Social Media Strategy, take a look at the recent stats that might help influence your decision to take social media marketing seriously.
A recent online publication examines social media and produces some telling statistics for 2022.
The key insights to note from this article should be considered as part of your social media strategy.
Facebook has over 2.8 billion daily active users
Internet users spend 2 hours 25 minutes on social media each day
Social media ad spending is expected to reach $49 Billion by the end of 2021
25.7% of Facebook users are aged between 24 and 35
The potential to engage with your customer is at your fingertips. So before you kick start your online social media marketing campaign, let's look at four key things that will help you get started.
Below are the four simple steps you should take to help you simplify the process, so you don't feel overwhelmed.
Set an Intention
Let's face it, running your small business can be exhausting. As a small business owners, there is never enough time in the day to do all the things you need to do to achieve your goals. You probably don't have a big marketing budget or the staff to share the load. But here's the thing, if you get this right early on in your business, the rest will fall into place.
Clarify what you want your marketing campaign to achieve and specify your actions "I want people to sign up for my emails". "I want to gain three new leads this month." I want to increase my facebook group engagement".
I want people to visit my Facebook group and follow me". "I want to sell 10 subscription boxes by the week".
It doesn't need to be complex. It can be as simple as a statement; the simpler, the better.
Consider these questions when you next want to engage with your audience.
Why are you running this campaign?
What do you wish to achieve?
Do you need more traffic to your web page?
Are you looking to increase sales?
Choose the right Platform for you?
So which Platform should you choose now that you have set your intention? It's always tempting to try them all; however, unless you have been doing this for a while and have experience in managing more than one Platform, I would recommend choosing just one. You see, it takes time to learn the features of every Platform out there. So you don't get disheartened at the start; choose a platform that gives you the greatest joy. I love using Facebook Groups, this is where I have gained the most personal growth and confidence to show up. It's where I am the most comfortable delivering my message. So remember, choose a Platform that's right for you and your personality; otherwise, you will quickly lose interest.
Write An Action Plan
Write a step by step action plan which includes the timing of each execution you will employ and the tasks you need to do. Once you write it down, you can follow through; it's that easy. I recommend you don't get hung up overthinking, as there is no right or wrong; there is only learning. This advice is critical to basically anything you want to achieve in life.
Measure your Marketing Campaign
Many moons ago, I was a retail business owner, and I remember my accountant (husband) asking me to write down a daily sales forecast for the first year in business; I wasn't even trading yet. It sounds a little crazy to think you could predict a yearly forecast without even making your first sale. However, looking back now, I can appreciate how vital forecasting was in achieving our sales goals; otherwise, you are flying blind. So make sure you forecast and then measure your outcome. So the best way to do this is to pick a number that will define your outcome. For example, I want to add 100 subscribers to my email list before the end of the month. Measure the success of your marketing daily to see if you are reaching this goal. If your marketing is not working, you will be able to adjust your campaign accordingly.
And remember
Action is the Foundational Key to Success! - Pablo Piccaso
So take action today!