You'd think that having a social media strategy for your business – large or small – would be a no-brainer. While business owners and marketing professionals undoubtedly agree that social media is important for business, it's surprising that quarter of small businesses still have no social media presence at all!
\r\nExcuses like not having enough time to devote to creating a social media strategy are frankly invalid. With such great tools available, as well as increasing measurability of the returns of social media marketing, it is critical that your business has a bulletproof social media plan in place.
\r\nHere's how to do it.
\r\nIf there's one word that can be used to describe social media, it's \"fast-paced.\" What is \"in\" one day could very well be gone the next. Staying up to date with trends, while not being overly trendy, can be difficult.
\r\nIf you are running social media for your business, you need to be in tune with the news, language and culture of each platform as it develops. Consistently monitor hashtags and widely shared content. Additionally, be sure you are regularly reading social media blogs to stay informed: Social Media Today and Social Media Examiner are two that will always keep you on top of your game.
\r\nFor inspiration on the types of posts that would be best for your business, start by getting a feel for trending topics across the web. Using a social media listening tool like Brandwatch, you can search brand names or competitors. You can also find conversations taking place in your industry about your brand and your competitors.
\r\nFollowing social media influencers also helps you keep a finger on the pulse, too. These individuals are influential for a reason, so follow their example and learn from them. See what types of content they share and how they engage with their audience. Observing these leaders will give you an example of how to run your social media account successfully, and it will hopefully help you avoid common mistakes.
\r\nOne of the most overwhelming parts of managing social media pages is the constant demand for content. According to recent studies, the frequency of posting relates directly to engagement levels. They recommend posting about three times a week on Facebook and anywhere from three to 30 times a day for Twitter. Creating this much content sounds strenuous, and scheduling posts throughout the day can take up huge chunks of precious time.
\r\nThe key is creating evergreen, non-time-sensitive topics content that can be recycled and provide continuous value.
\r\nFor this purpose, a social media management tool like Social Jukebox can be a lifesaver. This post scheduler is great for helping small businesses ensure they are distributing content regularly. Social media teams can sit down and create a bank of evergreen content, then set a schedule to distribute it.
\r\nSocial Jukebox acts as a filing system that keeps records of any preloaded posts, then releases them based on your posting schedule. Once it runs out, Social Jukebox recycles the old content and starts the process over again. It will even automatically engage with your audience for you by thanking them for positive comments or shares!
\r\n\r\n
Editor's Note: Looking for a social media management software? We can help you choose the one that's right for you. Use the questionnaire below to have our sister site, BuyerZone, provide you with information from a variety of vendors for free:
\r\n\r\n\r\n
Before you post anything, you must examine the content from multiple perspectives. Even though posts can be deleted, there can still be severe repercussions to an inappropriate update – take these infamous tweets for example. Releasing a post that is offensive, divisive or controversial gets people talking, but not for the reasons you want.
\r\nThe key is empathy. When you create a post, try to get as many people to chime in as possible to see if there are any ways it could be negatively interpreted.
\r\nOnce you've chosen your social channels, you need to critically examine and play \"what if\" before releasing content. While it's nearly impossible to release content on social media without offending at least one person, be sure you're not poking at any sensitive issues and producing anything blatantly distasteful.
\r\nEven the smallest, seemingly harmless phrasing can result in huge consequences.
\r\nIt's estimated that half of small businesses don't track the results of their social media strategies at all. Tracking campaigns and analytics reports are critical for gauging their success or failure.
\r\nFor this purpose, Sprout Social is a great tool to use. It gathers all relevant engagement information, then creates charts and reports that are easy to understand. By tracking and analyzing impressions, shares, conversion rates and more, a social media analytics programs becomes vital to measuring the impact of your strategy.
\r\nOf course, it's difficult to measure results if you have no way to determine if the numbers are good or bad. This is why you need to have clear-cut goals and milestones for each campaign. These should be specific and measurable. For instance, if your goal is to improve reach, pick an attainable number. This can be something like gaining 1,000 followers per quarter. These types of numbers can easily be measured and are crucial for measuring success and ROI.
\r\nSocial media is designed to create personal connections with your audience. In fact, if a customer experiences a positive interaction with a brand on social media, they are more likely to purchase and recommend that brand to others. This is why social media strategies are so important for small businesses. This type of marketing strategy is not easy; there is a lot of planning and tracking that goes into creating a strong and successful presence, but the payoff can be momentous.
\n","docType":"article","guid":"articles_c69ed98e9f89cfa91adb0bcfa6905705","lastModified":"2017-10-23T19:53:00.000Z","published":"2017-10-23T19:53:00.000Z","structuredData":null,"subtitle":"Every business, no matter how small, can reap the returns of social media. Here's how.","template":"legacy","title":"4 Tips for Developing a Bulletproof Social Media Plan","type":"article","author":{"avatar":null,"bio":"Pratik Dholakiya is the Founder of The 20 Media, a content marketing agency specializing in content & data-driven SEO. He regularly speaks at various conferences about SEO, Content Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Digital PR. Pratik has spoken at 80th Annual Conference of Florida Public Relations Association, NextBigWhat’s UnPluggd, IIT-Bombay, SMX Israel, SEMrush Meetup, MICA, IIT-Roorkee and other major events. As a passionate SEO & content marketer, he shares his thoughts and knowledge in publications like Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, Fast Company, The Next Web, YourStory and Inc42 to name a few.","name":"Pratik Dholakiya","image":null,"slug":null,"social":{"facebook":"https://www.facebook.com/dholakiyapratik","linkedin":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/pratikdholakiya","twitter":"dholakiyapratik","website":"https://the20media.com/"},"status":"enabled","title":null,"type":"Old BDC Member","user":{"imagePath":"https://staging.business.com/images/uploads/user/profile/502f735a36f6936d8505d36680506303b995f.jpg","profile":{"company":"Growfusely","jobTitle":"Founder","website":"https://growfusely.com"}}},"breadcrumbs":null,"channels":{"primary":{"name":"Marketing","slug":"marketing"},"sub":{"name":"Social Media","slug":"social-media"}},"meta":{"robots":"index, follow","description":"Think your business is too small to have a social media strategy? Think again. Use these four tips to get started.","title":"4 Tips for Developing a Bulletproof Social Media Plan - business.com"},"parsedContent":{"toc":[{"id":"1-learn-whats-trending","title":"1. Learn what's trending"},{"id":"2-keep-a-bank-of-timeless-posts","title":"2. Keep a bank of timeless posts"},{"id":"3-look-at-each-post-from-all-angles","title":"3. Look at each post from all angles"},{"id":"4-dont-skimp-on-analytics","title":"4. Don't skimp on analytics"},{"id":"in-conclusion","title":"In conclusion"}],"json":[{"component":"p","children":["You'd think that having a social media strategy for your business – large or small – would be a no-brainer. While business owners and marketing professionals undoubtedly agree that social media is important for business, it's surprising that ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://clutch.co/agencies/social-media-marketing/resources/small-business-2017-survey","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["quarter of small businesses"]}," still have no social media presence at all!"]},{"component":"p","children":["Excuses like not having enough time to devote to creating a social media strategy are frankly invalid. With such great tools available, as well as increasing measurability of the returns of social media marketing, it is critical that your business has a bulletproof social media plan in place."]},{"component":"p","children":["Here's how to do it."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"1-learn-whats-trending"},"children":["1. Learn what's trending"]},{"component":"p","children":["If there's one word that can be used to describe social media, it's \"fast-paced.\" What is \"in\" one day could very well be gone the next. Staying up to date with trends, while not being overly trendy, can be difficult."]},{"component":"p","children":["If you are running social media for your business, you need to be in tune with the news, language and culture of each platform as it develops. Consistently monitor hashtags and widely shared content. Additionally, be sure you are regularly reading social media blogs to stay informed: ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"http://www.socialmediatoday.com/","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["Social Media Today"]}," and ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["Social Media Examiner"]}," are two that will always keep you on top of your game."]},{"component":"p","children":["For inspiration on the types of posts that would be best for your business, start by getting a feel for trending topics across the web. Using a social media listening tool like ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.brandwatch.com/","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["Brandwatch"]},", you can search brand names or competitors. You can also find conversations taking place in your industry about your brand and your competitors."]},{"component":"p","children":["Following social media influencers also helps you keep a finger on the pulse, too. These individuals are influential for a reason, so follow their example and learn from them. See what types of content they share and how they engage with their audience. Observing these leaders will give you an example of how to run your social media account successfully, and it will hopefully help you ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"http://www.rightmixmarketing.com/marketing/9-social-media-mistakes-destroying-engagement/","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["avoid common mistakes"]},"."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"2-keep-a-bank-of-timeless-posts"},"children":["2. Keep a bank of timeless posts"]},{"component":"p","children":["One of the most overwhelming parts of managing social media pages is the constant demand for content. According to ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://louisem.com/144557/often-post-social-media","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["recent studies"]},", the frequency of posting relates directly to engagement levels. They recommend posting about three times a week on Facebook and anywhere from three to 30 times a day for Twitter. Creating this much content sounds strenuous, and scheduling posts throughout the day can take up huge chunks of precious time."]},{"component":"p","children":["The key is creating evergreen, non-time-sensitive topics content that can be recycled and provide continuous value."]},{"component":"p","children":["For this purpose, a social media management tool like ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.socialjukebox.com/","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["Social Jukebox"]}," can be a lifesaver. This post scheduler is great for helping small businesses ensure they are distributing content regularly. Social media teams can sit down and create a bank of evergreen content, then set a schedule to distribute it."]},{"component":"p","children":["Social Jukebox acts as a filing system that keeps records of any preloaded posts, then releases them based on your posting schedule. Once it runs out, Social Jukebox recycles the old content and starts the process over again. It will even ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/03/what-is-social-jukebox.html","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["automatically engage"]}," with your audience for you by thanking them for positive comments or shares!"]},{"component":"p","children":[" "]},{"component":"p","children":[{"component":"strong","children":["Editor's Note: Looking for a social media management software? We can help you choose the one that's right for you. Use the questionnaire below to have our sister site, BuyerZone, provide you with information from a variety of vendors for free:"]}]},{"component":"RfqWidget","props":{"className":"bz-form-widget","id":"bz-form-widget-0","widgetCategoryId":"10746"},"children":[" "]},{"component":"p","children":[" "]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"3-look-at-each-post-from-all-angles"},"children":["3. Look at each post from all angles"]},{"component":"p","children":["Before you post anything, you ",{"component":"i","children":["must"]}," examine the content from multiple perspectives. Even though posts can be deleted, there can still be severe repercussions to an inappropriate update – take these ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"http://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/twitter-mistakes-brands_us_58caafa2e4b0ec9d29d95dc5","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["infamous tweets"]}," for example. Releasing a post that is offensive, divisive or controversial gets people talking, but not for the reasons you want."]},{"component":"p","children":["The key is empathy. When you create a post, try to get as many people to chime in as possible to see if there are any ways it could be negatively interpreted."]},{"component":"p","children":["Once you've ",{"component":"Link","props":{"href":"https://www.business.com/articles/scott-gerber-engaging-audience-on-social-media/"},"children":["chosen your social channels"]},", you need to critically examine and play \"what if\" before releasing content. While it's nearly impossible to release content on social media without offending at least one person, be sure you're not poking at any sensitive issues and producing anything blatantly distasteful."]},{"component":"p","children":["Even the smallest, seemingly harmless phrasing can result in huge consequences."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"4-dont-skimp-on-analytics"},"children":["4. Don't skimp on analytics"]},{"component":"p","children":["It's estimated that half of small businesses don't track the results of their social media strategies at all. Tracking campaigns and analytics reports are critical for gauging their success or failure."]},{"component":"p","children":["For this purpose, ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://sproutsocial.com/lps/social-media-analytics/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=US_Targeted_GS_ENG_NB_Social_Analytics_Reporting&utm_content=Social_Media_Analytics_BMM&utm_term=%2Bsocial%20%2Banalytics&creative=216444988048&AdEx","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["Sprout Social"]}," is a great tool to use. It gathers all relevant engagement information, then creates charts and reports that are easy to understand. By tracking and analyzing impressions, shares, conversion rates and more, a social media analytics programs becomes vital to measuring the impact of your strategy."]},{"component":"p","children":["Of course, it's difficult to measure results if you have no way to determine if the numbers are good or bad. This is why you need to have clear-cut goals and milestones for each campaign. These should be specific and measurable. For instance, if your goal is to improve reach, pick an attainable number. This can be something like gaining 1,000 followers per quarter. These types of numbers can easily be measured and are crucial for measuring success and ROI."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"in-conclusion"},"children":["In conclusion"]},{"component":"p","children":["Social media is designed to create personal connections with your audience. In fact, if a customer experiences a positive interaction with a brand on social media, they are ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.getambassador.com/blog/social-customer-service-infographic","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["more likely to purchase"]}," and recommend that brand to others. This is why social media strategies are so important for small businesses. This type of marketing strategy is not easy; there is a lot of planning and tracking that goes into creating a strong and successful presence, but the payoff can be momentous."]}]},"resource":null,"sponsorship":null,"thumbnail":{"path":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/59e/e376251ee47687b8b4567/1500-0-","caption":"mama mia/Shutterstock","isBlurred":true},"bestPicks":null},"related":{"relatedArticles":[{"title":"From Hashtags to Tweets: Your Guide to Retail Social Media Marketing","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/amy-nichol-smith-guide-to-social-media-marketing/","slug":"amy-nichol-smith-guide-to-social-media-marketing","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/595/a91d11039ebda218b45ac/1500-0-","dek":"Finding your niche in the social media world","lastModified":"2017-07-19T07:00:00Z","published":"2017-07-19T07:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"A Marketer's Guide to Social Media Marketing","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/guide-to-social-media-marketing/","slug":"guide-to-social-media-marketing","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/596/907b951ee4731778b456b/1500-0-","dek":"Businesses can no longer ignore the power of social media marketing","lastModified":"2017-07-27T07:00:00Z","published":"2017-07-27T07:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"The Power of Instagram Influencers (and How to Find the Right Ones)","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/guide-to-influencer-marketing/","slug":"guide-to-influencer-marketing","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5c1/8397d9c658a8c718b4587/1500-0-","dek":"Learn how you can start and benefit from an influencer marketing campaign.","lastModified":"2018-12-18T18:00:00Z","published":"2018-12-18T18:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Step-by-Step Guide to Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/social-media-marketing-guide/","slug":"social-media-marketing-guide","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5f2/b26d79c658aa0158b4567/1500-0-","dek":"Social media marketing is a key part of modern business. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to start a successful strategy.","lastModified":"2020-08-06T10:36:00Z","published":"2020-08-06T10:36:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"How to Get More Instagram Followers for Your Business Page","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/how-to-get-instagram-followers/","slug":"how-to-get-instagram-followers","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/599/dd9281039ebde2b8b456a/1500-0-","dek":"Follow these 5 tips for wider exposure on this image-sharing platform.","lastModified":"2017-08-23T22:00:00Z","published":"2017-08-23T22:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"6 Incredibly Easy & Effective Social Media Marketing Tips and Tools for E-commerce Businesses","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/6-incredibly-easy-and-effective-social-media-marketing-tips-and-tools-for-e-commerce-businesses/","slug":"6-incredibly-easy-and-effective-social-media-marketing-tips-and-tools-for-e-commerce-businesses","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/channel/marketing.jpg","dek":"An effectively managed social media presence can help you create buzz for your business. 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