That’s it; you’ve taken the plunge. You have created a Facebook Page, a Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram account for your business! It’s a great start but only the beginning of your social media strategy. Now, we must create a community; that is the whole point of social networks. Then, like any relationship, you will have to maintain it. Therefore, you must publish content that will interest your community regularly without falling into excess.
But how do you go about it? You will tell me. If my advice may seem obvious to you, you still need to apply it and, above all, stick to it in the long term. The success of a good strategy on social networks lies in applying all or part of these tips, even if the list is not exhaustive. Indeed, these best practices may vary depending on your activity and objectives, but they will serve as a basis for a successful presence on social networks.
Where Does Your Social Media Strategy Start?
Being Present On All Fronts
One cannot be simultaneously in the oven and at the mill. Creating an account on every social network is not a good strategy. Some will necessarily be on stand-by after a while, which does not reflect a positive image. It is, therefore, better to focus on 2 or 3 social networks on which you can devote yourself fully. But for that, you must determine which social networks will best meet your activity and objectives. Also, consider your audience. What social networks are your customers and prospects on?
One of the keys to the success of your social media strategy is to invest fully. We have nothing for nothing, and it is well known. This may seem tedious to you at first, but believe me, it will be decisive for the future. The time you devote to it will allow you to discover and get to grips with the tool, the different functionalities, the advertising agencies, etc. Once you’re familiar with it, it’s time to practice.
Social networks offer many features for professionals. Use them! Complete as much as possible all the fields to be completed. Provide your practical information (address, opening hours, etc.), and publish photos of your store. The longer an account lives, the more trust it inspires. Your profile interface is the first thing the user will see. In addition to giving you credibility, it serves as information support; this is all the more important when you also have a physical point of sale.
The profile must, therefore, be as complete as possible. Think of your profile as your virtual showcase. Take care! A good strategy on social networks also involves carrying out competitive intelligence. This is a significant step which will be decisive in your strategy. By looking at what is happening with the competition, you will observe their strategy, find out which publications work, and also observe their audience. This competitive intelligence will be beneficial to you in the future.
The New Stage? Create And Federate A Community Around Your Brand
The very principle of a social network is to bring people together around common points or interests. Create and optimize your profile on social networks, and you need to create a community. Oh no, Grandma Jacqueline and Uncle Bernard, that’s not enough, and it’s not very interesting. The idea is to create a connection with your customers and prospects. The challenge is then to identify them.
Also Read: Social Branding: What It Is And What Are The Mistakes To Avoid
What Target Do You Want To Hit?
To identify your community, you must first identify your target. Analyzing your offer and collecting data on your customers and online visitors will be essential resources to identify your community. The targeting options of social networks will allow you to find your customers and prospects on each platform and even to find people with similar profiles.
Also, target people who share interests related to your activity, come from the same activity sector as you, meet specific socio-geographic or geographical criteria, etc. Competitive intelligence is also crucial here. Study your competitors’ community to create your own. There are several tools to extract this data. Followerwonk (Twitter), Social Bakers, Quintly, and Make Me Stats are tools to find your competitors and analyze their audience.
Analyze The Behavior Of Your Community
When your community begins to take shape, take the time to analyze how your subscribers behave on social networks: the days and times they are connected, the publications they like, and the Internet codes and languages they use. they use,… An essential point in your social media strategy. Why interact with your community? Quite simply, to create a connection with your subscribers. It’s a way to keep in touch with them, get people talking about your brand and your products, and build their loyalty.
There are various ways of cooperating with them. Your publications are a trigger. You can appeal to them in your message and encourage them to react by launching discussions, surveys, etc. You answer their questions in the comments and messages they may leave you. There are different ways to engage in interaction. Finding those who will make your community react is up to you.
How Can Your Social Media Strategy Make A Difference?
What Content Will Hit The Mark?
Each social network has its specificities. You have to adapt to the uses of each of them:
- Twitter, its hashtags, and its 140 characters
- LinkedIn for feature articles
- Facebook for general content
- Instagram, its hashtags and photos with filters
Your content will also differ depending on your sector of activity. For example, if you do BtoB, use inbound marketing to position yourself as an expert and attract customers through articles with added value that benefit them.
We are in an era where information is accessible anywhere, at any time. Trends create buzz, go viral, and disappear as quickly as they appear. It would help if you acted quickly to take advantage of the excitement around a trend. Monitoring can allow you to identify future trends to position yourself as a vanguard. This is perfect for creating engagement and establishing your notoriety.
The idea is to publish content regularly, even if it means it is less numerous but more punctual. Therefore, I recommend making an editorial calendar to maintain a certain publication rhythm. The regularity of publications is a crucial element for the success of your social media strategy. The editorial calendar will allow you to list all your publication ideas, monitoring, etc. You will have perspective on your content strategy.
This will make your editorial line more coherent. It’s also an excellent way to be regular and more organized. Some annual events can be planned. A real-time saver! Finally, automating specific time-consuming tasks such as monitoring or planning publications is preferable to save time. You can count on solutions like Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, Buffer, Feedly, etc.
A strategy on social networks must be thought out in advance. Your simple registration on social networks is not an achievement in itself. You must go beyond this by developing a strategy consistent with your business and objectives. The key to success is your ability to invest in social networks and intelligently optimize your profiles and publications to create interaction and engagement with a loyal community.
Also Read: What Social Strategy For Nonprofit Organizations?
