Know Your Why: Defining Goals for Social Media Marketing

Before you start on social media marketing, it’s important to have clearly defined goals for where you’re headed with strategy. One of my first clients was a small business owner who had done well with her business via word of mouth. She learned to become really good at her craft by following others on social media who did the same thing, and eventually, she wanted to claim her spot on social media also. Every creator has something to share, and she was no different.  With very little social media knowledge, she wasn’t sure where to start. She wasn’t even sure what to do, but she knew she needed and wanted to do something. Her main goal was organic growth and not paid advertisement. She wanted to get started on social and needed some direction. This was an easy and achievable goal.

Our entire social media strategy revolved around building her brand, establishing her presence and creating a website to grow her business. It was easy to define goals because she had just begun. We were building from the ground up.

Setting goals for social media is important because it gives direction to your strategy. There’s a popular saying floating around social media that tells us to figure out what we want to do and say no to everything that isn’t that. This is one time when defined goals are helpful.

At our first meeting she wanted to be all in on social media utilizing as many platforms as she could name. Specifically, she said Instragram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and eventually YouTube. The more we talked about her work, the more I realized not all of those platforms would serve her well. Instead, she would likely end up being burned out, overwhelmed, and think she was doing something wrong.  Here’s what we did instead.

·      Assess current social media usage.

·      Assess competitor’s usage as a reference point.

·      Determine which social platforms would benefit her business and directly increase her sales.

·      Establish her brand and incorporate it in all social media.

·      Grow organically.

Assess current social media usage.

It’s important to look at what you’re currently using on social media. Almost 100 percent of the time, the platforms being used are not being used completely. Profiles need to provide as much detail and information as possible. Information that is old or outdated needs to be removed. Profile pictures should be used and reflect your branding for brand establishment.

Assess competitor’s usage as a reference point.

Competitor information is helpful to see how your business compares to another. Keep in mind, your business is unique as well as your platform and content. The purpose of the assessment is not to copy, but to fact-find. What do other similar businesses do that you love? What do other similar businesses do that you don’t love? What does your business do really well? Where does your business have inconsistencies online that need to be addressed?

Determine which platforms would be beneficial and directly increase sales.

Not every platform should be used. Not every platform is beneficial to business. It’s just not. In this case, more is not always better. Social media can be time consuming. Spreading yourself too thin will result in improper use of all platforms because it will seem to daunting, and most people have a tendency to give up. In the world of social influence driving purchasing decisions, Facebook and Instagram are the keys. If your business is selling something, Facebook and Instagram are the places to start. Focus fully on these two outlets. Others can always be added if they end up being necessary and financially beneficial.

Establish your brand and incorporate it in all social media.

Your brand is a combination of your business logo, business slogans and color selections that people recognize as your business. If you were designing a business card, what would it look like? That’s your brand in a nutshell. Logos and web addresses should be used on all social media posts to establish your brand in the minds of future customers. If your color selection is pink and turquoise, don’t use purple and green on a random social media post unless there’s a really, really good reason. (Most of the time there simply isn’t a really good reason.) If you’re known for pink and turquoise, use it and use it often. Additionally, make sure the pink and turquoise you use are always the same. Branding matters, and colors are part of the deal.

Grow organically.

When you’re starting a social media presence, organic growth is the easiest and most cost-effective way to start. Organic growth includes posting regular content, engaging with comments and even commenting on other posts as well so that your business name is seen in the comments. It’s the natural way that we use social media already, but you’re using it from the perspective of a business owner and not an individual. Celebrate other people’s successes and comment when they’ve done something great or beautiful or noteworthy. Engagement is key in the social influencing world.

Working with Flywheel is different.

As a business owner, if you know your goals for social media, it’s easy to move in the right direction. If you’re unsure of your social media goals, we can help. We start by conducting our own assessment of your online presence including your website, social media platforms and engagement. From there, we offer you free advice on how to get started. We know that having the pieces of the puzzle is not always enough to get started, so we assist by showing you the picture. Sometimes that’s all it takes to get you started on the road to social media success. There are other times that clients are ready for us to assist them every step of the way. We rebuild, revamp and re-launch your website. We work on your social media presence with direction from you on what you’re trying to accomplish.

Working with us is easy and cost-effective. Start today by clicking the button below for a free consultation. We can’t wait to meet you!