Consumers are today turning to social media more than ever to discuss about products and services, to recommend, and to exchange information with the help of links. So, businesses that want to make their presence felt must be a part of this online community. This is where social media marketing comes into the picture. The purpose of social media marketing is to help a business build its brand, drive traffic to its website and convert visitors into clients and brand champions. Here’s how to get started with your social media marketing strategy.
Goal Setting: To be successful in social media marketing, just like it is in traditional marketing, set goals that are clear and measurable. When you set goals, you will actively get involved in figuring out how to achieve these goals. Discussing goals informally is not a very professional way of goal setting which normally never works. So, set measurable goals of what you want to achieve from your social media marketing strategy and document it.
Analyze your online presence before formalizing your social media marketing plan: Before you formalize your marketing plan, find out all that you can about your online presence. Find answers to questions like:
- What is the total count of visitors to your site and where do they come from?
- How many of your visitors have been directed by search engines?
- How frequently your website gets linked by other sites?
- Do you have an active presence in target markets?
- Where do you stand vis-à-vis your competitors in the online environment?
- Will you have to start from scratch or only have to optimize your existing online presence?
Define target audience: Once you have a fair idea about your online presence, you must try to identify your target audience. To develop the right social media marketing strategy, find out who your customers are and what they want, and where their interests lie. You must begin by checking the sites that your target audience visits. It is also important to figure out the relevant keywords that your target customers use to search on search engines such as Bing and Google.
Become a member of social media networks: The social media networks that your target market frequents is where you should focus on. Join these networks and set the ball rolling.
Tracking social media marketing strategy: To make sure that your SMM strategy pays long-term dividends, you must have systems which allow you to respond quickly on social media networks. To achieve this–
- You must post replies to queries, comments or tweets that require clarification on any portal, blog or Facebook within 24 hours.
- The content of your posts, tweets must be of high quality and provide some value to your readers. It must be worthy enough to get linked by other sites.
- Blog posts must be frequent enough to sustain visitor interest.
- Make sure to respond to criticism quickly and courteously.
- To make sure that incorrect information is not deliberately posted on your blog, create a log in requirement for posting comments on your blog.