Strategy
What does your small business’s social media plan look like? Do you have a plan to post informational content in a rhythm or do you post only whenever you’re feeling inspired?
How about frequency...do you post fifteen times a day? Or, do you post once every five weeks?
There’s a lot to think through when it comes to your business’ social media pages. Even if it’s not an intricately detailed plan, putting some thought into what you post, how often you post, and why you post is important. Here are three things you can use to build your social media strategy:
Start with WHY.
The best first step in building your social media strategy is to ask self-reflecting questions about WHY. Start simple. Why does your business exist? Why do you want to be on social media? Why are you different from your competitors? Why will your organization appeal to the heart of your audience, rather than the head? A great way to think about this is “Disney isn’t about movies; it’s about magic. Apple isn’t about technology; it’s about innovation. What are you about?”(convinceandconvert.com)
Once you have answers to these foundational questions, you’re halfway there! Use your answers as your strategy’s guide. Come back to them again and again. If it feels like you’ve run out of ideas, or you’re feeling uninspired, take a look back at your answers- you’ll remember why you do what you do!
“Use your answers as your strategy’s guide. Come back to them again and again. If it feels like you’ve run out of ideas, or you’re feeling uninspired, take a look back at your answers- you’ll remember why you do what you do! ”
Ask WHAT?
When you’re building your strategy, asking yourself what your business wants to post is important, but also completely individual to you! You may decide to keep your social media posts light-hearted and fun, to show your audience your personality. Or, you may decide to keep your posts very professional and informational. Or a mix of both. There isn’t a right or wrong way to decide but keep in mind this advice from Anne Marie Weimer, a Brand Strategist at Larison Media. “I’ve noticed audiences love to see ‘personal’ posts like employee highlights, pictures of employees in the community, employee birthdays, etc. I work with my clients to find out what they want their voice to sound like, how they want to come across (funny, professional, caring, etc.), what are their values, what are local "causes" they support, what they want to highlight from their business.” The way social media works, you’re continuously competing for attention with your audience’s friends and family members. So, your business page, to some extent, needs to “act” like a person, not solely a business. How will you do that? Build this into your strategy. Be intentional about showing your business’ personality.
HOW often?
The best answer to this is really up to you! Our best advice is this: however often you choose to post, plan to post consistently. Weimer has more insight on consistency. “Small businesses need to make sure they stay consistent on all social media platforms they have.” Having a plan in place and being intentional about when you post and how often will lead to major payoffs with your branding.
When you get busy, it’s easy to let your social media be one of the first things that fall to the wayside. Don’t let that happen. Build habits into your strategy that will keep you accountable to posting consistently. We like to think of social media consistency like working out. It takes time, it’s not a not a quick fix. Success will be seen, but it will take patience and perseverance.
At Larison Media, when we’re working with clients on their social media strategy, we create a custom strategy that will take your business to the next level, and help you achieve measurable goals.