Guide to a Strategic Social Media Presence
Without a doubt, social media has become an integral part of both professional and personal conversations. While social media is a new concept in the grand scheme of humanity, it has quickly become a constant in so many of our lives. Many of us can’t go a day without checking our Facebook, Instagram or TikTok accounts.
Beyond a personal realm, social media has become a consistent component of many organizations’ marketing efforts. Whether your organization frequently utilizes its social media or it has little social media presence, this blog will provide guidelines for how to use social media to amplify your organization’s voice and drive new business opportunities.
There are a number of prominent social media platforms, and it can feel overwhelming at times to know where to direct your focus. Taking a moment to know why you are bringing your marketing and public relations efforts to social media can transform what feels like a shot in the dark into a calculated strategy that drives engagement, leads and ultimately results for your organization.
Know Your Audience
Perhaps the most crucial step in establishing a strong social media presence is knowing who your audience is. This article from Sprout Social reminds us to “spend some time looking at your audience personas, understanding what their challenges are and what brands they already love via social.”
Ideally, there should be commonalities with people who follow your organization on social media, and they should have a vested interest in what you are sharing. Furthermore, they should not be far from the buyer personas you’ve identified as your target audiences.
Here are two questions to ask yourself:
Who is following my social media?
Who do I WANT to follow me on social media?
Take some time to research the audience you are targeting and what they are looking for when browsing social media. What platforms are they using?
For example, Facebook’s largest age demographic is 25-34-year-olds, and 86% of internet users with $100k+ income use Facebook. Fifty-seven percent of U.S. social media users use Facebook to share content, and the highest engagement days on Facebook are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Each one of these simple pieces of information can reveal new insights into the person behind the keyboard, and will give you better insight into the best way to reach them.
What platforms will you target?
Once you know whom you are trying to reach, it helps narrow your focus to one or two platforms in which your audiences regularly engage. Generation Z (individuals born from 1997 to 2012) is more likely to be active on Instagram than on Twitter, and C-suite leaders most often utilize LinkedIn and seldom engage with TikTok. Learn where you can find your target audience and meet them there.
Do your best to not spread your audience engagement too thin. You don’t have to target everyone; in fact, you shouldn’t. Engage thoughtfully with the persona you have identified and listen to what they are looking for.
Evaluate your content
Carefully tracking and evaluating trends in your site and social traffic can be fascinating, and drawing thoughtful conclusions about those trends can help inform when and what to post.
Posting on social media can sometimes feel a bit like throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks, or posting just for the sake of not going quietly. But a little thoughtful analysis can serve as an organic guide to what resonates with your audience, and how to do more of it.
Maybe you have the highest engagement with posts on Fridays, maybe videos perform better than sharing web content. Learn why your engagement is peaking, and then do more of that. And when it comes time to reevaluate, remain nimble in listening to the changing needs of your audience.
Bring your audience to an end destination
Social media is a great tool to build awareness around your brand, facilitate a relationship with your audience and listen to what is happening in your industry and the rest of the world. But it can be so much more than that, and for businesses, it may be best used as a tactic in your larger marketing strategy. Social media posting should bring traffic back to your website, it should spark meaningful conversation. It’s not just about joining in on the chatter, but about thoughtful engagement that can grow your business.
Looking for ways Kane can help grow your social media presence and engagement? Let’s connect!