Quick Guide To A Social Media Plan
A Social Media Plan might sound a bit like too much hard work. However, it’s worth knowing more about the power of social media, the benefits to you and your business and having a social media plan to follow.
Deciding not to use Social Media of any kind shouldn’t be an option. There are millions of people using it both personally and professionally and it increases the amount of people you can reach for your business.
Benefits Of A Social Media Plan
Marketing using Social Media has many benefits. I list many of them below so you can decide why using it huge for your business. You can also see how there are various differences between social media platforms.
Raising Awareness And Building A Brand
The majority of people on the Internet today are using at least one social media network, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linkedin, Instagram, SnapChat etc.
A good bit of them are using two, or even all of those social networks.
Getting your brand out there on those platforms is a good way to let people know you’re around.
Keeping An Eye On Your Competition
By following your competition, you can see what it is they are offering. Keep up to date with other things they have going on. Just be sure that whatever you have to offer is unique to you and better
Market Research
Social media can help you listen to what people have to say about products or services.
By tracking what they click on and what they avoid, you can see what they like and are responding to.
People will share their thoughts and opinions on social media websites, so you can use the information to your advantage.
Loyalty And Trust
Social media allows you to speak to people on a more personal level, which makes them feel more important to you, and more valued.
In turn, people are more likely to trust you, which means they are more likely to do business with you, instead of the competition.
Interaction
People visit social media for interaction with their peers, not to be bombarded with ads.
This allows you to pitch your products and interact with your audience in much more authentic way rather than just spamming your links everywhere.
You can use the platform to ask people to share their thoughts and opinions, which makes them feel like you’re listening, and you end up building real connections and relationships with them.
Establish Yourself As An Expert
If you’re passionate about a certain topic—whether it’s your professional field or a hobby, the Internet can help you establish yourself as an expert by giving you a platform to share information.
People will be coming to you for information on the topic, and telling their friends about you.
Build A Personal Reputation
Social media allows you to get your name out there, and talk about the things that matter to you.
This is key to building a good online reputation, which is critical if you intend to make new business connections.
As you can see, there are many benefits to Social Media, in particular, having a social media plan
Which Social Media Platform To Choose (should be part of your social media plan)
Your plan will depend on which Social Media platform you choose. It could be all of them or just one or two of them. If I were you, especially if you’re just beginning, I would master one before moving on to another. Once you feel confident, then you can move on to using another platform as well.
Everyone has their own favourite one. Lets Look at a few of them.
Facebook
- Facebook is the largest social media network, and often competes with Google as the most trafficked website on the Internet. Many people joined because so many other people and businesses they know are already on the platform. At last count, there were 2 billion users—and the thing that makes this so important is they don’t just use the site—they use it often, and when they do, they stick around for a while.
Twitter
- Through the use of hastags (#hashtag), Twitter makes it exceptionally easy to follow topics and issues without actually following the people in the conversation. This way you can keep up with hot button issues in your industry.
Linkedin
- This is more of a business and employment site used for social and professional networking. It is a popular site where people post updates, articles, jobs, CV’s and a the last count it had over 106 million active accounts.
Instagram
- Instagram is an online mobile photo-sharing, video-sharing, and social networking service that enables its users to take pictures and videos, and share them either publicly or privately on the app, as well as through a variety of other social networking platforms
There are many other social media platforms. However, what IS important is you deciding which platform you are going to use for your business.
If you are a person who prefers images then Instagram would be your choice. Maybe you love to write articles. Then Linkedin will be the one you choose.
If you love being social with friends, family as well as potential business partners then Facebook is one you would choose. Or maybe you would prefer Google+.
Each platform has its own rules so it really is worth deciding which social media strategy you are going to choose. If you decide you want them all, you might find you get overwhelmed. My advice is to master ONE before moving on to another.
Your social media plan would include:
What types of post : Images, Quotes, Blog Articles, Personal Photographs, Educational, Fun etc.
When to post: How often, what time of day, what days etc.
Planning ahead: Do you decide on the day or have a weekly, monthly plan? You might like to use tools like Post Planner
Understanding how each social media platform works – they are all different.
Summary
Having a social media plan is really important if you are going to use social media for your business. Firstly, decide which social media platform you prefer to use and master it before moving on.
Remember, each platform has its own culture and rules and you must follow them or risk having your accounts shut down.
They are free to use and therefore none of us has control over their actions. Thats another reason I love having a blog which I do own. Having said that I use social media to share my blog posts around.
Once you master one you can move on to another but what you will find is that you will have a favourite where you will spend more of your time.
Use the above knowledge about the social media sites when doing your planning. It will help you with content, establishing your brand and increasing your authority online.
If todays post, A Quick Guide To Social Media Plan, gave you some benefit or value, please feel free to leave a comment below. Share it with others as well.
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Home Business Entrepreneur and Coach
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P.S. If Facebook is your favourite platform, I have a FREE 77 page PDF to give away so you have everything you need to be successful. ACCESS YOUR FREE PDF HERE
Thanks for the breakdown of the different types of Social Media websites. Also, you are so right. People DO come to social media for interactions, not to be sold anything. Most online marketers who are using social media to obtain leads should understand this point.
I so agree with your last point Gary. People need to use it as a social site to build relationships first and foremost. Thanks for commenting Gary