- Doesn't it seem like every company
is active on social media, but at the same time,
you only really hear about a few businesses
doing anything particularly interesting
or impactful on these platforms.
That's because following the direction
of a social media strategy is the big difference
between the companies that drive results
from social media and those that don't.
It is easy to have a mediocre approach
to social media for business if you're haphazardly active
on these channels without having a clear plan
and a set of goals in mind.
A social media strategy is a written document
that maps out how your organization plans to use
different social networks to achieve
important business outcomes.
This document is where you'll establish your goals
for using social media, identify the audience
you're trying to reach, and build a roadmap
for all your activities on those channels.
Developing your own strategy document is important,
because it'll help you clarify your company's priorities,
plan out your campaigns more thoughtfully,
and collaborate with others.
For example, I was recently working with a client
where early on, it was clear that different departments
at the organization were focused
on conflicting activities on social media.
The primary cause of this problem
was that there wasn't a strategy established
to coordinate their efforts around common goals
to better organize their approach deliberately.
To avoid a similar situation,
start developing your own social media
strategy document that's actionable
and results-driven by setting strategic goals
to direct your campaigns.
A strategic goal is an outcome that's meaningful
for your business, easy to understand at a glance,
and straightforward to measure.
Some common social media strategic goals are
improving customer engagement,
generating more leads, growing sales,
increasing traffic, expanding reach,
and enhancing a brand's perception.
While there are plenty of strategic goals
to choose from, there are two important goal types
you need to be aware of.
Ongoing goals define the overall focus
of your marketing, as they're the outcomes
you're always looking to impact
with your activities on social media.
Like, if a footwear brand were to set the goal
of increasing their messaging's reach on social media
by 40% by the end of their first quarter.
That'd be considered an ongoing goal,
as they are focused on it for the long term
and it is likely a result most of their activities
will help work towards,
while other goals you'll set are directly related
to measuring the success of a particular initiative,
known as campaign goals.
For instance, if the same footwear brand
set a campaign-specific goal for the short term,
like gaining 3,000 signups from their month-long
Instagram giveaway.
Outline a few goals in your strategy
to strike the balance between investing
in a mix of activities while not overcommitting
and spreading yourself too thin.
It is time for your organization to become
a leading example of how to use social media
in interesting and, most of all, impactful ways
by following your very own social media strategy.