Social media continues to change. With new functionality and terms of service changing, it’s vital to review your social media strategy as a part of your bigger marketing plan. We’re reviewing the top three priorities you need to consider when planning your 2021 social media strategy.
What is the point?
Participating in social media is a choice. Sure, many customers expect it and can be surprised if you’re not on every single platform. However, if you’re being strategic about being social it is driving results. So what results are you trying to achieve? If everything else in your marketing plan stayed the same, what impact would social media have in your business?
What can be achieved using social media in your digital marketing strategy?
- Increase the frequency of communication with customers
- Shorten customer service response time
- Decrease marketing budget in other channels while maintaining reach
- Increase brand awareness with new audiences
- Increase digital presence in an online world
- Build trust with new customers
- Automate incoming inquiries to qualify leads
- Generate content from users as part of an influencer marketing strategy
- Request and receive feedback from customers to close the loop after the sale
- Build relationships and retain current customers
Demographics are Largely Unchanged
According to PEW Research, the demographics and share of users across social media platforms is largely unchanged between 2018 and 2019, which is good news. It supports that having a strategy for your unique market segment calls for a strategic approach. If resources are limited and you have to pick a single platform to spend your time dedicating time and energy to, it makes sense to do your research. You’ll need to consider both the percentage of people using the platform as well as what the number equates to when you remove the segments outside of your target audience.
Platforms are Basically the Same Now
Good news is you can do it all. Bad news, you can’t expect it to all perform well. Since nearly all social media platforms are all evolving to incorporate the same basic functionality you can easily duplicate your content creation efforts across multiple platforms. With the help of third party services to publish, monitor, and respond you don’t even have to log in to each platform. Here’s the kicker though: If you don’t, you’ll miss out on trends and culture shifts. If you’re not digging in and participating, you can quickly miss a trend that may be a killer opportunity to showcase your brand. So be sure to create some healthy habits to keep your finger on the pulse.
Consistency is Key
Knowing the limitations of your team (and yourself) is important to keep expectations realistic for a sustainable strategy. Ask yourself how habits and behaviors made need to change in your company/organization’s culture to support your new efforts. Set yourself up for success by finding the right combination of tools for social media management. Set expectations and then know when you can break them. But do so with purpose, not out of laziness.
How to Develop your 2021 Social Media Strategy
1/ Analyze. Start by analyzing your business or organization’s goals. What change is the highest priority that will have the biggest impact on growth or making change for the better?
2/ Prioritize. Clearly define the metrics that will be used to measure progress toward the goal. There are dozens (probably hundreds) of different key performance indicators that can be used. However, prioritizing up to two to focus on will allow you to put your energy into making a difference.
3/ Strategize. Once you know what you’re trying to accomplish and how you’ll measure progress it’s time to develop short term and long term strategies to meet those expectations. Starting with a few small, quick wins can put you in the winning mindset. But having a clear long-term strategy will set you up for long-term success, which is always the goal.
TLDR: Set your sights on a clear, concise goal with specific and measurable metrics. Consider the bigger picture and what is sustainable for long-term results.
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