Do you feel as though you’re going round and round in circles with your social media while getting nowhere fast?
Do you feel though you are going through the motions with your social media but not making the progress you want to see?
Do you look at your competitor’s feeds and wonder how they manage to do it all? It’s time to start thinking strategically.
A social media strategy Is a vital starting point to help save you time and energy (and who doesn’t want that?) It can help you connect with your Ideal customers and bring them Into your world.
Here are 3 key steps to a winning social media strategy
Step one: Know your audience
This may sound obvious, but a huge percentage of businesses never get clear on who their target customer is. It’s about going far deeper than just focusing on a particular Industry or demographic.
If you don’t know your Ideal client then your messaging is always slightly off-kilter and doesn’t quite land the way it should.
So, the first thing you need to do is create a customer persona. This is a fictional character who represents your dream customer or client.
What are the demographic and psychographic factors about them that make them the perfect customer for you? Jot down their age, financial status, where they buy their food and clothes. Think about where they hang out online, what motivates them in life and what holds them back.
Most importantly think about the pain points that your product or service solves for them, as well as the barriers that stand between them coming to you for help.
Once you’ve identified all these issues you can start to craft content that speaks directly to them and lets them know you understand.
If you have more than one ideal client, that’s fine, but try to find the characteristics that bond them – what do they have in common?
For example, if you are a yoga studio. Your Ideal client might be:
- 25- 45, Mum of two older children who wants to take some time for self care
- She Is a busy working mum with her own disposable Income
- She hangs out In the coffee shop, gym, Independent retailers
- Her preference Is Facebook but she does also hang out on Yoga
- She struggles for time for herself and wants to get Into yoga to relax and get fit
- She shops at Joules, Waitrose, Ocado, John Lewis
- She loves her career and family but also needs time to care for herself
- Her health Is Important to her and she takes supplements
Step two: Decide what to post
One of the biggest challenges the small businesses I work with face is knowing what to post on social media. Sound familiar?
But there’s a simple trick you can use to overcome this.
The fancy term for this hack is ‘content pillars’. But, put simply, it just means deciding on a variety of topics your ideal customer will be interested in!
Once you have your pillars you can start to map out the kind of content that will fall into each one.
So, for example, let’s take our yoga studio again. The content pillars for this business could be :
Promotions – Session times, loyalty offers, discount codes
Problem Solving- How does yoga help you overcome stress, how yoga breathing can help you unwind
Personal- Behind the scenes content, pictures during yoga sessions, customer photos, reviews
Positioning- Great yoga positions to try at home, tips for yoga breathing, yoga clothing
Having a clear idea of what you are going to post means your followers know what to expect and helps build your reputation as an expert.
I recommend you set aside time each month to plan your social media. It will save you heaps of time and worry in the long run.
Step three: Make friends with your analytics
I know number crunching isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but making a habit of looking at your Insights can really help you to see where your efforts are being wasted or rewarded.
They’ll show you the best times to post and give you valuable information on who your followers are. This could come in handy if you’re struggling with Step One.
You might find you have slightly different audiences on different platforms and this will help you to craft your content more specifically for them. A lot of businesses cross-post the same content to each platform to save time and money, but it’s not really best practice.
Aim to look at your Insights at least once a week and make a note of your top three performing posts. You will soon build a clear picture of what you’re doing well.
For help understanding your platform analytics get in touch to book a Power Hour or quick discovery call.
Now you know the three steps you need to take to start building a clear and successful social strategy.
But remember, social media is a long game, not a quick fix. You need to be prepared to invest time and energy into getting it right.
If you know you need to up your social media game but haven’t got the headspace to do it yourself, I’d love to help you.
Here are a few packages which can support you with your social media strategy:
- Social Media Content Quarterly programme which provides 3 months of guidance and accountability to help you get your social media content actioned for just £90
- Power hour if you need some focus time and direction to help you plan your pillars
- Content Planning Training session- which is two hours of 1:1 training to help you get your pillars planned out
- Social Media Management- I work with a limited number of clients to manage their social media for them- get in touch to see If I can help
- Social media strategy document done for you- I can create you an in-depth strategy to implement in your social media plans.
I offer a range of services to suit your budget and need and you can trust me to get the job done. To find out more book a FREE 30 minute discovery call and we can discuss how I can help you plan you strategy In more detail.
