Social media planning can be confusing, especially when you’re new to the game and don’t yet have a firm grasp on what works and what doesn’t. Luckily, there are steps you can take to ensure that your social media marketing efforts are as fruitful as possible, including learning more about your target audience, scheduling posts in advance, using hashtags and commenting on other users’ posts. By following these top five tips for social media planning, you’ll be well on your way to getting the most out of your efforts with this powerful marketing platform.
1) Outline your goals
Outlining your goals is one of the most important steps in making sure your social media plan has a real chance of succeeding. You should sit down and make sure you’re really clear on what your goals are. What are you trying to accomplish with your online presence? Why do you want to start a business on Facebook? Keep in mind that social media won’t necessarily help you build a lasting company—it might not even help you increase revenue much. But, if executed correctly, it can be an incredible way to connect with people and grow your brand. Therefore, deciding upfront why exactly you’re going to create an account on Facebook or Instagram is vital. Make sure it isn’t just because everyone else does but because it truly makes sense for your business model!
2) Make a plan
While it might seem like a simple thing, make sure you take some time to plan out your social media strategy. In fact, according to a HubSpot survey, nearly 50% of respondents said that planning is their most important social media marketing tactic. The question is: what should you be planning? It all depends on what you want to accomplish with your plan and when (it’s never too early to start!) — but in general, here are some key areas of focus
3) Set up profiles
The very first thing you’ll want to do is set up profiles on your network of choice. Most platforms let you choose from a variety of categories and subcategories, so finding one that fits your business name should be fairly straightforward. The important thing here is just to have something in place: even if you’re planning on eventually taking your business off social media entirely, there’s still value in having an online presence where people can find you. For example, setting up a Facebook fan page could give potential customers an easy way to find out more about what you have to offer, or even leave comments or questions for you—something that’s impossible if they don’t know who you are!
4) Learn from mistakes
Mistakes are inevitable, but you can learn from them. Don’t dwell on them too much, though—there’s a difference between making an honest mistake and being careless or incompetent. Whether you messed up your social media post because you accidentally scheduled it at 1 a.m., posted a photo that was cropped too small, or forgot to include an important hashtag, just roll with it! Own up to what happened and share tips with your followers so they don’t repeat your mistakes.
5) Post consistently
The average person who connects with you on social media is likely to tune out if you post too frequently. Aim to be consistent and spread your posts throughout each day, with a greater number of posts in your business’ peak hours. For example, if most of your customers connect with you via social media on Saturdays between 8:00am and 3:00pm, try posting at least once every hour during that time period and twice per hour between 10:00am and noon. Keep track of when most users typically connect with you so that you can always post at times when they’re most engaged. To help ensure engagement, space out multiple-image posts over a longer period of time.
