Marketers Need a Defined Social Media Strategy

Marketers continue to increase social media spending, yet many are still uncertain about management, strategies, and integration.

A quick Google search returns 140 million results for “social media marketing tips,” but no matter how many headlines promise it, there really is no one-size-fits-all social media strategy. Some articles indicate that stories are an effective marketing and advertising tool. But what story will you tell? How will you integrate it with your traditional efforts?

What marketers need is a process that leads to individual solutions. They must use fundamental marketing concepts and modify them for this new two-way, consumer-empowered medium of social media. 

Define the status quo. 

The first step isn’t about social media at all: Identify your business objectives and target market. Also consider your industry, the recent performance of the brand, and the current traditional marketing promotions for the product and its competitors.

Listen to your target audience. 

Here’s where social media kicks in. Brands cannot talk to everyone in every social channel, so narrowly define whom you want to listen to and communicate with. Are you targeting Millennials entering the workforce, dads with young children, or senior executives nearing retirement? What are they doing in social media, and where are they doing it?

Create social media content that drives engagement. 

What is your target consumer looking for? Social media is all about producing fresh, relevant content, so create things that your audience will find valuable, whether it’s “how to” articles or simply something entertaining. Where you deliver the content matters too: Some social media channels are best for sharing short, current updates (Twitter), others are better for delivering video content (YouTube). The best social media plans deliver content that’s optimized to each channel. Engage the target audience on the channels they use with material that is unique to the channel. Select social channels that fit brand message, type of content, and target audience.

Link marketing goals to social media KPIs. 

If you are driving sales online, measure digital KPIs with click-throughs from social platforms to the purchase. Google Analytics Social Reports are especially useful in breaking down social traffic and assigning monetary value to website conversions such as sales or lead generation. All these KPIs can be collected and organized in a simple social media metrics table. There may also be larger business goals that social media is affecting. 

This four-step social media framework isn’t everything you need, but it is a good start. Don’t base your marketing strategy on 140 million people’s tips about what may work for your business. Having even a basic process in place can help you be more strategic about social media decisions and make your social media spending more effective.