get social : building a social media presence from scratch
Whether you are a new brand or an established brand, building a Social Media presence from the ground up, may seem like an overwhelming task.
Knowing how important it is to have a Social Media presence....we have simplied it for you into 4 easy steps...
step 1: why
Defining your “why".
Many businesses choose to ignore this first step. Don't. The "WHY" is your foundation. It's WHY your brand actually matters. WHY does your business exist? What problem are you trying to solve? In the end, social media marketing is one way of solving your customer's problems. Step back at evaluate your organization's objectives and strategize on how social media can help meet them.
Be S.M.A.R.T. when establishing your goals. Your goals for any digitial campaign should be:
Specific: What exactly are you hoping to achieve? Product awareness? Higher website traffic? More donations?
Measurable: Make sure that you can measure how well your goals have been attained. Have analytics set up in advance of a campaign so you can measure as you go.
Attainable: What is a realistic achievement? Be ambitious, but setting goals that are impossible to achieve will only dismay your team.
Relevant: Make sure that your campaign actually addresses your larger goals.
Time-bound: Set dates for the beginning and end of your work, and benchmarks in between.
step 2: who
Just WHO is your target audience?
Low Social Media engagement is a result of generating content for people who are not your ideal target audience.
Create audience personas that take into account WHO the audience for your brand really is.
Audience personas help you understand WHO it is that you’re speaking to. In developing audience personas, you discover their needs, desires and the places in their life that your brand might be a natural fit.
This helps you understand 1) WHO to target and 2) how to craft content that is targeted towards specific audiences and channels.
step 3: what
WHAT is meaningful to your audience?
You don't need to be on every platform. Select the ones where your audience spends their time. And keep in mind...
WHAT is manageable for your team?
Nothing is less professional than a half completed profile. Choose great photos. Invest in them. Good imagery is half the battle. Put together a great bio. Accurately explain who you are and what your company does. Think about your differentiation factor and what makes your company stand out from the rest.
Put in the time. Post consistently on all your chosen active Social Media channels....no one wants to engage with a brand that hasn't posted anything in weeks...or worse, months! The general rule of thumb is:
Facebook - 1-2 posts per day (Quality versus quantity)
Twitter - 5 tweets per day (Quantity versus quality)
Instagram - 1-2 posts per day (Strong visuals)
Pinterest - 5 pins per day (Quality images)
LinkedIn - 1 post per day (Relevant and educational)
Remember, building out a 30-day content calendar will help to reduce the amount of time needed daily to dedicate towards generating original content. Share, retweet and repin content that would be of interest to your audience, as well. Lastly, don't forget to engage with the community you are building and respond in a timely manner. Give your brand personality. Social Media is the place to show off the fun side of your brand. Choose a brand "voice" that speaks the "language" of your audience.
step 4: where
WHERE does your audience reside?
Another way to understand your who your target audience is and WHERE in the land of Social Media they reside...is to pay closer attention to your competitors social channels. What platforms are they active on? What type of content are they sharing? Other things to notice...
Number of fans/followers
Posting frequency
Time/Day of posts
Types of posts (visual, education copy, video, etc)
Types and # of hashtags (custom, trending, etc)
Fan/follower reactions
Engagement with their fans/followers
If your competition has a loyal fan following, chances are, they know their audience. Learn by observing, but don't copy. Take the time to learn your unique audience, deliver them relevant content and genuinely engage and your brand's online community will build itself.
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