One of the best ways to invest in your business these days is with online tactics: websites, digital marketing and social media. This week we’re sharing our 7-step social media process which we’ve spent years refining to efficiently manage our clients’ social media presences:
Step 1 – Strategic planning: As with any marketing effort, social media must start with sound strategic planning. We need to determine our goals and how they’ll be measured. Then, we must ask some important questions, for example: What are your messages? Who are your audiences and what are they interested in learning? Armed with these answers, we are ready to start writing your plan. In addition to strategy, our plan will include the different types of content that we plan to create; these ‘sample posts’ demonstrate the look, feel and tone of the strategy.
Step 2 – Calendar creation: Next we create your content calendar, working at least one month in advance. We recommend creating calendars in a shareable document such as Google Sheets or a social media scheduling platform such as Hootsuite, Buffer or many others, which makes for an efficient step 4 (see below).
Step 3 – Content creation: Many clients initially say they don’t have enough to post about — but you will discover that once we start, you have a lot more content than you think! It takes patience, creativity and strategic thinking. We will draft posts, create original graphics and photography (as needed) and select appropriate hashtags. Our goal is to not only continue to send out your messages, but to add value, inform and delight your audiences.
Tip: Think about why your prospects and clients would find you on social media — what are they looking to find? For example, if they are on Instagram, they may be looking for attractive images and a more personal view of your business; if they’re on LinkedIn, they may be looking for thought leadership posts.
Step 4 – Client review: As mentioned in step 2, there are several ways we can create your calendar so that it can be viewed by multiple people. We create our clients’ social media calendars in Google Sheets so they can conveniently access it whenever they need to for reviewing, editing and approval before we schedule the posts.
Step 5 – Post scheduling: Once the content in the calendar has been approved, we schedule the posts. When it comes to posting days / times, it’s important to track and adjust based on what days / times are best for your audience. There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but we typically start with industry standards and continue to monitor and adjust over time.
Step 6 – Monitoring (ongoing): It is critical to monitor your social media on an ongoing basis for any engagement to comments, shares and messages. This is what we are hoping for! Valuable intel can be gathered from monitoring posts such as what type of content resonates with our target audiences, the best engagement times and who are we reaching.
Tip: We are often asked what to do if someone leaves a negative comment. Learn more here: Managing Negative Social Media Comments
Step 7 – Engagement (ongoing): Our final, ongoing step is where many people fall short. Social media is not just about pushing out your own content; it’s a good practice to spend a few minutes each day to check in with your prospects’ and clients’ posts to share, like, comment or start conversations. Engaging with your audience coupled with sharing informative and entertaining content on the right platforms to the right people is how you will expand your reach and find results.
Keep in mind that you may have many followers who may not ‘like’ or comment on your feed, but are still noticing and being reminded of you. This same audience segment can result in sales from your efforts simply by getting to know you and by staying top-of-mind when they are ready to engage with your services or product. This type of ROI is more challenging to trace, but at a time when we are online more than ever before, you can rest assured that your social media marketing is well worth the effort.
Final Thoughts
Social media is not something you should dive into without planning; it requires an investment of time and dedication to consistency. It’s also important that your social media presence reflects your brand’s look, feel and voice so your audience has a consistent experience no matter how they interact with you and your business. If you need some guidance getting started or would like Elements to manage your social media, give us a call at 203-776-1323 or email amy@elementsdesign.com to get started!
— Amy
