How can I create a social media marketing strategy?

The way businesses use marketing has changed drastically throughout the years, especially with the invention of social media platforms. The sheer volume of people you can reach through social media means that you must consider creating a social media marketing plan when trying to promote your business. 

A social media marketing plan is a simple plan that a business will use to outline steps to promote their business through social media. Social media plans can be as complicated or simple as you want them to be, but you simply cannot ignore social media in your marketing strategy. If you want to find out how to create a simple but effective social media marketing plan, then read on!

Choose your Platform(s)

One key element of social media marketing is creating a presence across multiple platforms. This means creating a profile or a page on different social media sites. Something to consider when setting up your business on social media is to create a business email, as you will need an email to register with these various platforms.  Below are some of the most commonly used social media platforms and how they might be more beneficial for some businesses than others: 

Facebook: With over 2.5 billion monthly users Facebook is one of the biggest social media sites globally. Facebook is often the first point of call for many social media users as accounts are easy to find and can often be more information heavy than other sites.  

Instagram: Instagram is particularly useful if your business is reliant on visuals, like a photography business or a beauty salon. Instagram allows you to post photographs with captions, but you cannot add multiple links within captions. 

Twitter: Twitter can be a really useful tool to promote your business. Comprised of short “tweets” of 280 characters you can easily share updates on your business and can add photographs or videos should you wish to. Most businesses should have a Twitter account, but for businesses who need to correspond directly with customers (such as event planning) it is an essential tool. 

Linkedin: Linkedin is a networking platform for businesses. Once your profile is created you can make valuable connections with businesses and people that have skills that could complement your business. 

Other Smaller Platforms:

• Tumblr: an informal blogging platform, good for visually focused related businesses such as art and travel
• Flickr: another visual platform, particularly used by photographers
• Pinterest: good for creating an aesthetic or developing a brand image

Other factors to consider when choosing which social media platforms to use are:

• The age of your target market – generally speaking slightly older audiences are found on Facebook and Linkedin, whereas teenagers and Gen Z individuals use sites such as Instagram and TikTok more.
• The type of business you are – do you need somewhere that is image-focused or information-focused?
• Do you have the time to dedicate to multiple platforms?

Complete Your Profile

The best social media marketing plans have a completed profile to work with. Ensure you fill out every possible section of your social media platform to give visitors the most information possible. Also do not ignore the profile picture, make sure to use something that relates to your business or a logo.

Link to Your Website

Another aspect many social media marketing strategies use is linking your social media to your website. This can be done easily in your profile bio or about section, and can be reiterated in various posts as well. Your web design should also include a social media bar, which many website builders have as a feature, so that readers can easily share your content across various social media platforms. 

Create a Posting Schedule

As mentioned in our blog on how to make your blog stand out,  if you are creating content, posting regularly will give your social media more momentum and give you a larger following. Whether this is once a week or every day, having a posting schedule that you stick to is incredibly important in a social media marketing strategy. If you need more information about when you should be posting, check out this blog on how often to post to each social media platform. 

Use Promoting Features

Sites such as Facebook and Instagram have features built in to allow you to promote certain posts or images to visitors to their site. You do have to pay for some of these features, but they can be a great way of spreading the word on your business. You can also use features such as hashtags and location to increase the chances of people seeing your posts. 

If you need a great website builder to back up your social media marketing plan, then look no further than Go Sitebuilder. With a wide range features to link to your social media, our simple website builder design means you can have a professional looking website up and running in minutes. Try our 14-day free trial today!