27 Feb Designing Your Social Media Marketing Plan From the Ground Up

Step By Step: Designing Your Social Media Marketing Plan From the Ground Up

When you’re first starting out, it’s easy to imagine exactly where you want to end up. You probably have an idea of how you want your social platforms to look, the kind of content you want to promote, and, of course, an audience you want to target. Hold on to all of your goals— it’s important to be able to picture yourself where you want to be, even if getting there is still a little blurry!

Social media marketing isn’t easy, even though some people certainly make it look that way. To market your business or brand the right way, you’ll need to stay organized and on top of your accounts. The best way to do that? Have a plan, and stick to it. If you’re not sure how to begin, you’re in the right place.

Let’s Get Started
Before you start downloading apps and setting yourself up, do a little bit of preliminary research. Figure out what kind of audience you should be marketing to (age range, location, interests), and see how other brands in the industry are doing it. This will help you narrow down what networks and platforms might be best for your business.

Next, look at your resources. How much time do you have to dedicate to social media? Consider the content you imagine generating, too. Will you be able to get the graphics, videos, and images you’ll need on your own, or will you need additional help? Before you begin posting, having a surplus of content— so you know you have enough to post, even when you’re in a pinch— is essential. Nobody wants to be scrambling!

Ready, Set, Go!
When you’ve decided which platforms will work best for your brand, purchase or download and begin setting up your profile. Be thorough— a completely filled-out profile is not only professional, but shows interested visitors that you’re there to engage. Your brand should be identifiable across all platforms, too. This means a consistent logo, appearance and tone.

Not sure what to put on your profile at first? You’re not alone. A strong profile for any business or brand can be broken down into these quick tips:

• Tell your audience what you’ve done, not just who you are
• Use key words to engage your audience
• Give your potential followers a reason to come back
• Be personable

Who Will You Be?
As you’re beginning to gather content, consider your brand and its tone. This is a huge factor in your relationship with your consumer, in the same way that personality is the a huge factor in your personal relationships. If your brand was a person, what kind of person would they be? A great trick to figuring this out is to look at brands that are similar to yours. What’s working, and what isn’t? As the consumer visiting their page, are you interested in what they’re saying?

Time to Get Organized
Here’s where it get’s a little more serious— all great plans need a schedule, but the tricky part will be sticking to it. That’s why we recommend organizing yourself in a way that won’t interfere with your daily schedule (at least not too much!).

Choose your posting strategy based on a few different factors: what time will you post, how often will you post, and what will you post. If you’re a coffee shop, for example, you’d probably do better posting early in the morning, when your audience is wide awake and reaching for your product. Plan to post every morning, as soon as you wake up— this will keep it consistent, and turn posting into a habit. Think about what you’d like to post, too— while photography and graphics are great, videos are often ideal for any platform. And always, always, have your posts
for the week planned in advance!

How Is It Working Out?
While you’re just starting out, you should look into the platform you’re using and see what time is recommended to post. On Instagram, for example, you should be posting 5-10 posts per week, between 5-6pm— at least until you know your audience and can determine for yourself what the most effective time to post is!

Analyzing the data is vital for any type of brand or business. The more you post, the more you’ll be able to tell which type of content works best for your brand, and what the best time to post that content is. Keep in mind— algorithms on platforms like Facebook and Instagram determine what your audience sees first. Those algorithms are always changing, which means you’ll have to keep measuring your results to make sure your audience is seeing your content!

Your brand deserves a strong social media marketing plan to get it started and to keep it on your audience’s radar. Remember to constantly generate content, keep your posts consistent, and stick to your posting plan. Once you get things into motion,have some fun and engage with your audience!