You definitely didn’t hear it here first, but let me say it for the hundredth time: Every business needs to have a social media presence (at least if they want to be taken seriously by potential customer). Not having any digital footprint can be a red flag. But in all honesty, just having your business’s Facebook or Instagram page set up isn’t enough either. If you want to see any benefit come from your social media presence, you need to have a social media strategy.
Let’s take Instagram for example – Being successful on Instagram as a business is more than just posting a pretty photo. It requires an understanding of what your goal is with that post, with your feed, and with your Instagram as a whole.
Don’t Just Throw Spaghetti at the Wall
One of my favorite quotes says it best: If you aren’t choosing something on purpose, you’re choosing it on accident.
Are you accidentally showing up on social media, just posting whenever you remember to with whatever comes to mind? Does that help you build trust with your potential clients? Is it moving the needle forward in your business? Probably not.
Or are you posting intentionally, engaging with the right people, and doing everything with your overarching goals in mind? That’s what having a social media strategy looks like.
A Strategy Is More Than A Plan
You also want to know how you’ll be evaluating your Instagram progress. News flash, likes AREN’T the best metric for determining if your strategy is working. Is it saves? Website clicks? DMs? New leads? Be sure you have a way to track growth and success that doesn’t rely on vanity metrics. Heck sometimes my goal with a post is just to get conversation going – and I don’t care ONE BIT what the number of likes is.
I know what you’re thinking now – but a strategy sounds so bleh! I want Instagram to be fun!
By the way, strategy doesn’t mean boring. there’s room for fun 🍾 there’s room for spontaneity, personality, and off the cuff posts. But with every choice you make on Instagram, there should be intention behind it.
So here’s how to DIY your social media strategy (until you’re ready to bring on a professional):
1) Research what platform(s) your ideal clients are spending time on, and make sure you’re there.
2) Consider what type of content will attract them, and, what type of content you want to create. The overlap of these two answers should form the basis of your content strategy (although it’s always a good idea to experiment).
3) Decide how many times a week you can post quality, valuable content. Consistency is thrown around a lot in social media marketing, but in terms of posting schedule it really is important. You want to teach Instagram and your audience what to expect from you. Showing up 3x a week consistently is far better than posting every day for a week then ghosting for a month.
4) Consider not only your content strategy (topics, frequency, and content type) but your engagement & growth strategy. How will you build a connected community? What tools will you use to generate leads?
5) Finally, decide what you will use to judge success. Is it reach? website clicks? DMs? Make sure you have a way to evaluate whether your social media strategy is working.
You need a social media presence – and a strategy to go along with it.
Want more where this came from?
Check out these recent blog posts:
- Content Pillars: What They Are & How to Create Them
- 4 Strategies to Increase Instagram Reach
- How to Be Consistent on Instagram Without Burning Out
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