What’s Missing from Your Social Media Growth Plan?

According to a 2020 report by WeAreSocial, there are over 3 billion social media users globally, and that number continues to rise. By now, we know it’s not a fad. But is it a viable lead source?

The short answer is yes. One report by Global Web Index (GWI) shows that social media users are looking at branded content 15-20% of the time when using social media. With global social media usage climbing, that’s good news for your brand and your business.

Taking advantage of this growing social media audience with a more intentional marketing strategy means you’re more likely to get a slice of the pie when it comes to lead generation via Facebook, Instagram, and other popular platforms.

Dodgeball Marketing clients have found success by building social media marketing best practices into their campaigns. Are any of these missing from your social media growth plan?

Clear Understanding of Your Audience

Most brands have a general idea of who their current audience is, and of what type of customers they’d like to engage. But specificity, detail, and data are a must if you want your social media channels to be optimized for lead generation and improved outcomes.

Your social media plan should identify:

• Current Audience by Demographics
• Level of Audience Engagement
• Gaps in Social Media Sharing or Engagement Across All Channels Where You Have a Presence
• Specific Influencers and Thought Leaders That Align Well with Your Brand
• Detailed Steps for Influencer Outreach and Engagement

This information can be found using analytics dashboards, which are tools that are readily accessible on any social media platform where your business has an active profile.

In-Depth Keyword Knowledge and Use

Keyword research is important when optimizing for search, and can make it easier for your target audience to find you using social media search tools. To that end, we recommend thorough keyword research as part of the foundation of any successful keyword strategy.

There are a few ways you can do this:

• Use Product and Service Keywords, Including Branded Keywords, in Hashtags/When Tagging Content
• Boost Local Discovery with Geotags
• Be Active on Local/Industry Pages, Groups, and Forums

You can get some keyword insights from social media platforms, but we suggest bringing in additional firepower with keyword research tools like SpyFu and SEMRush. They’ll illuminate potential keywords to work into your social channels, and can give you a glimpse into your competitors’ keyword strategy.

Consistent Branding

For many people, social media is the first place they get to know a business, product, or service. That’s why branding is so critical when planning social media marketing.

Make sure to take these steps along the way:

• Set a Clear Creative Standard for Each Channel and Its Content
• Use High-Quality Images and Filters
• Keep Posts Clear and Relevant

Social media is a unique place to solidify your branding online, and you can customize each channel to your brand tone and personality.

An Engaging Presence

Regular posting that can be immediately associated with your brand will build credibility with regular social media users, and trust with new ones.

We recommend intentional, effective social media engagement strategies that include:

• Engaging Target Followers by Finding Them Through Similar Pages, Following Them, and Engaging with Their Content
• Taking a Similar Approach by Engaging Competitors’ Followers
• Use “Boosted” and Sponsored Posts to Highlight Critical Campaigns and High-Demand Products/Services
• Scheduling Consistent, Valuable Content and Making That Content Unique Among Social Channels Whenever Possible

While uniqueness is important, and scheduling is a must, a little spontaneity never hurts when it comes to social media posting. Don’t be afraid to have a little fun with trends, memes, relevant popular hashtags, or user-generated content if your audience enjoys those things.

When brought together, time, effort and a data driven approach will help you and your team create a valuable user experience across social media platforms and profiles.