Marketing departments around the world are driven by measurable results. Why? Because without them, there’s no real insight into ROI, brand performance, or user engagement. That’s why, before even opening their laptop to create a plan, agencies or marketing managers need to ensure that goals and target audiences are defined and aligned with their chosen channels.
Some organizations look at outcomes that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) to define precise business objectives. This is important for mapping out next steps and adequately engaging teams.
For example, “Increase engagement on Instagram” is not precisely measurable, while “Increase engagement by 20% through video content on Instagram in the next three months” signals a pursuit of a specific goal.
By implementing and following SMART goals, companies bank data can better optimize time and resources, as well as get real results instead of social media self-esteem scores, such as the number of followers and website visits.
Whether the goal is to inform, entertain, or engage audiences, marketers shouldn’t take a “one size fits all” approach to the channels they work on. It’s too lazy to think that one message works across all sites. A personalized approach allows customers to get a real sense of what the content is trying to accomplish – creating a connection between the company and the consumer.
Agencies should consider how the post will look before hitting send. For example, could it be better used as an Instagram story? Or is it better suited for a longer text-only read on LinkedIn?
Realizing the fact that each channel is completely different and communicating focused on the type of audience helps the strategy take shape and create more interaction, as well as brand advocates.
5. Create useful texts and get people to share
As the topic continues, the picture becomes clearer and key strategies are used effectively to build digital content. Today, a portfolio of useful content needs to be easily accessible to both the organization and employees.
It’s no secret that social media users tend to trust posts from people they know more than a brand. Is your marketing team using this in their strategy?
Encouraging employees to share company posts on their networks not only broadens the target audience, but makes staff members feel valued. Providing rich content that engages users and encourages workers to share and interact all help build a strong line of communication.
6. Follow
Finally, breaking through the advertising “noise” is a real feat. Customers are often used to browsing all types of content at the speed of light, so there needs to be something very valuable to grab their attention.
This is where good evaluation comes in. Using forecasting tools can help businesses understand which audience is most active and when posts should be used optimally.
Data is essential to the overall implementation of a strong social media strategy. This doesn’t stop at the research stage, each piece of content needs to be analyzed in detail and that knowledge used to shape the next post. It’s a continuous process for marketers to test, test, and test again.
Such insight can help drive greater campaign engagement, product push, and exciting messaging, so it's important to ensure that high-priority content is seen by as many people as possible and that audience interaction is encouraged.
By frequently reviewing effectiveness and evaluating what works and what doesn't, as well as assembling an interactive and flexible portfolio of great content, organizations have the best opportunity to thrive with the right audience, at the right time, with a killer social media strategy.