Top 5 tips for a successful social media strategy

As businesses both small and large realise the power and effectiveness of social media they are looking to take advantage of what the unique benefits it offers. However, while social media offers many opportunities to these brands, the simple truth is if you don’t have a strategy in place which outlines a clear and effective path to success then you won’t be able to make the most of them.

Here are our top 5 tips for a successful social media strategy so that you don’t miss out on what social media offers:

Number 1 – Start with measurable goals

When outlining your strategy you must first determine what you want it to do for you. Social media can provide your business with fantastic ROI and is extremely measurable – however you need to know from the outset what you are looking to measure. You need to know the bigger picture. Identify what success will look like for your business and build from there. Having a clear understanding of what you want to achieve means that the best platforms can be chosen to achieve this. With these objectives in place you will be able to keep your social media strategy focused on goals which are relevant to your business’ overall aims.

Number 2 – Monitor what’s already being done

To understand what’s possible for your brand it’s vital to know what is already happening. What are your competitors doing? What’s been successful for them, what hasn’t? Having this knowledge and insight is crucial to building a social media strategy that engages with your target market. Conducting a social media audit or monitoring activity on social platforms ensures you have the very best chance of implementing a successful social media strategy. It allows you to listen to what’s out there and understand what’s being said about your brand and about your industry as a whole. You can then identify what your audience are looking for – the passion points – and act accordingly.

Number 3 – Make sure it’s tailored to your business needs

Sounds simple doesn’t it, but you’d be surprised by how many businesses get it wrong. A social media strategy isn’t just about signing up to Facebook and Twitter and then waiting for traffic to come to your site.  You need to look at the target market of each social platform and then decide the best ways to engage with your customers. It’s a complex process but one which is essential for the long term success of your social media programme. When choosing each platform there needs to be a strong and logical reason why it would be beneficial for your company, your customers and how it can help you achieve your measurable business objectives. Put simply, you need to make sure that you are where your customers or potential customers are based – providing content that is compelling and useful.

Number 4 – Understand your capacity

Social media is a long term commitment and very much a collaborative effort. By evaluating what resources you already have on hand in your business, you are much more prepared to fully examine your options. Understand the capacity in your company and delegate accordingly. Analyse the current skill set within your organisation. Do they have the required knowledge and experience to manage your social media programmes? If the answer is no then it may well be worth outsourcing your social media activity in order to maximise its effectiveness. It’s crucial to have the right people managing your brand within social spaces to achieve the best results. Putting in the hours to make it a success is also a must – the more time that can be invested into your social media activity the more beneficial it will prove to be for you. Building communities and relationships with your target market takes time and effort – however the end goal of a loyal and dedicated fanbase makes all this effort worthwhile.

Number 5 – Always Evaluate

Setting up your social media strategy is by no means the end of the process. By measuring and tracking the success of your campaigns on each platform you can adapt what you are doing in order to maximise the effectiveness of your activity. If you stay still in social media you are losing ground on your competitors, there is always a new tool or platform that could give them an advantage. Flexibility is key – measurement, coupled with human insight, means that you can constantly improve what you are doing and perfect your social media activity.