Introduction to Social Media
Social media is a great way to engage with customers and listen to what is going on in your industry. Just like any business activity, you should conduct research and develop a plan before launching a social media initiative.
Define Social Media Objectives
Determine why you will engage in social media and what you plan to accomplish. Some possible objectives include: build your brand, research competitors, sell products or services, and provide customer service.
Select Social Media Platforms
Consider your target market and then identify which social media platforms they use. For example… If you market to consumers, your target market may be on Facebook and Instagram. If you market to businesses, your target market may be on Linked in.
Develop Social Media Plan
Your plan should include the following: strategy for each social media platform, implementation schedule, engagement schedule, content to be produced (text, image, video, etc.), and responsibilities (producing content, regular engagement, etc.).
Build Social Media Profile Pages
Your social media profile page says a lot about your business, so take the time to ensure it reflects your brand. Some social platforms, like Twitter, don’t provide much profile space, but others, like Facebook allow you to create custom tabs with images and content.
Engage and Monitor
To be effective in social media, you must participate regularly. You can’t just schedule a few posts per week and leave it at that. If someone asks a question or voices a complaint and you don’t respond in a timely manner, it will make your business look bad. Use your Google Analytics account to monitor incoming website traffic from social media sites.