Build a presence on social media with a clear strategy
It's still not too late. It is more important than ever to be seen out there. From Facebook groups to Instagram to Pinterest. There are more opportunities than ever to spread your message and gain new customers.
Social media is a powerful tool to reach and engage your target audience, build brand awareness and grow your business. However, to succeed, you need a clear and effective strategy that aligns with your goals and objectives. Here are some steps to develop a social media strategy that works for you:
But first some brainstorming. Set goals for your business. What do you want to achieve with social media? Do you want to increase traffic, leads, sales, loyalty or awareness? How will you measure your success?
Make sure your goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely (SMART).
Research your audience. Who are they? What are their needs, interests and pain points? Where do they hang out online? How do they use social media? What kind of content do they like and respond to? Create buyer personas that represent your ideal customers and use them to guide your content creation and targeting.
Research your competitors. Who are they? What are their strengths and weaknesses? How do they use social media? What kind of content do they post and how do their followers react? What can you learn from them and what can you do differently or better?
Choose your social platforms. Based on your audience research and competitor analysis, decide which social networks are best suited for your business. You don’t have to be on every platform; focus on the ones where you can reach and connect with your target audience effectively. Optimize your profiles with relevant keywords, images and links.
Plan your content. Content is the core of your social media strategy. You need to create (and curate) engaging content that attracts attention, educates, entertains or inspires your audience. Use a mix of formats such as text, images, videos or live streams. Use a content calendar to plan ahead what type of content you will post on each platform
Read our tips on how the company builds an online community and long-term relationships with the outside world with the help of social media.
Everyone who is active in your channel forms a community. It can be customers who have already made a purchase, potential customers who are looking for information or other players who test, compare or have opinions. The boundary between community and customers often overlaps.
All participants in the social channels are important. Even if they do not make purchases, they become marketers of the brand.
Five tips to increase your online presence. As an example, we have used our own experience in selling printed matter to private individuals, ie wedding invitations and invitation cards to parties.
1. Define realistic goals for exposure in social media,
It does not happen overnight. Compare with how to build a house. Brick for brick. Every time we respond to a comment or post pictures of wedding invitations, it is a contribution to our house construction. In a small company, there are no requirements for dedicated departments, not even full-time positions, for work with social channels. But there must be a strategy and routines for daily posts and follow-ups. We put up two to three invitation cards per day and answer questions and opinions. The channel will be an extended customer service and a shop window for wedding packages and other printed matter.
2. Establish presence In the right channel.
All social channels are different. For wedding cards and christening cards online - our best-selling products, Pinterest and Instagram are best suited. For spring campaigns with student invitations, we use Facebook. For business cards, envelopes and stationery - a mix of all. They offer good sharing tools, which gives leverage to the spread. For exclusive wedding invitation cards, Instagram has proven to be the optimal channel. All invitations with a special graphic profile end up on Pinterest.
Do not forget to include clear buttons for sharing and links to product pages where customers can convert, ie make purchases.
3. Do not post the same content on all channels.
Already when building your channel strategy - decide what to show where, even if you only use a social platform in the beginning. It can be easier said than done and it is certainly tempting to post the latest product in several channels. At the same time, it is important that customers can identify your company. The logo, colors, fonts, etc. must be used for all media. There should be no doubt about which store the visitor is in. We have a product range for companies and another for private individuals. This makes it easier to choose channels and separate marketing strategies depending on the channel. Business cards, stationery and envelopes go by themselves. Flyers and postcards in another. Wedding invitations, christening cards and invitation cards in a third, etc.
4. Gain insight into customer behavior.
Market research the big company spends millions on, the small company can do almost for free with the right social media strategy. Choose a forum and ask the customer directly what they think. And do it often. No external marketing agencies and no expensive consultants are needed. Take the opportunity to get tips on improvements and new services. In addition to wedding invitations, we added matching thank you cards after several suggestions from customers.
It is important to answer all contact. Although comments are negative. Potential customers can read the response and the answer can control whether they complete the purchase.
Even the small business can use online tools for analysis. Many services are free and provide valuable information about the number of visitors, what customers are looking for and how much they shop for.
5. Do not sit and wait for customers to come
Be active. Start with small scale campaigns. Learn through trial-and-error. Before we started with active sales campaigns for wedding invitations, the strategy was based on creating interest in the service. The customer benefit must be clear and the ordering process simple. Actively participate in your community. Update information about products and why customers need them. Combine with tips and do not forget the most important. Look at how your competitors are doing. Borrow good ideas and make them your own.