Before embarking on social media engagement, it’s important to take a step back and review the success of what you're currently doing, gain an insight into competitor activities (and their success) and understand where and how your prospective customers are engaging (it might not be where you are!).
With this insight it’s possible to then plan an effective social media strategy that will focus on results and not just a presence for the sake of one.
So, let's start!
Your current social media success
The first thing to do is to see where your time is currently being spent best.
Take a look at each platform you're on (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram etc.) - do you have a decent number of followers? Which one stands out to you and why? What about the level of engagement with people who follow you - do people regularly not only like what you're saying/posting but are also bothering to comment and share?
Of those posts that are being commented and shared, what are they?
Make a note of as much as you can to get a great idea of how well you're performing where. Create a mind-map (spider diagram in old money) so that you can see a snapshot of what's currently happening.
Your Competitors' current social media success
Chose up to five (max) competitors. People or businesses that your customers have mentioned, that you've heard of on the grapevine, that tend to advertise in your area... however you collate the list, hopefully it will include at least one business that you're secretly envious of.
Map-out their social media channels (usually the main website has a link to the ones that they're on).
Take a look at the number of followers they have on each. Then look at which posts they tend to get the most interaction from - remember, not just likes but comments and shares.
What are they doing that seems to be going down well with their followers? What might you take inspiration from?
Reviewing where to spend your time in the future
So you've looked at where your efforts are working best (and why) and where your competitors are spending their time to best effect.
Are there any gaps with what you're doing/achieving and what your competitors are doing?
Has this narrowed down which social media channels you should focus your time on?
In the least, how about the types of posts you should consider doing more often? And which ones just aren't worth your time?
At the end of the day, the more comments and shares your posts have the greater the chance of future customers getting to hear about you.
Looking ahead
So.... which channel or channels have the best opportunity with the followers you have and could grow and what type of posts should you concentrate on creating on each?
It might be enough to just focus on one channel for now, and then increase this in time. The goal is always to have quality over quantity - there's no point spreading your precious time too thinly!
That's it for this whistle-stop tour. Look out next time for a quick overview on each social media channel. Just in case it helps!
Take care xx
Before embarking on social media engagement, it’s important to take a step back and review the success of what you're currently doing, gain an insight into competitor activities (and their success) and understand where and how your prospective customers are engaging (it might not be where you are!).
With this insight it’s possible to then plan an effective social media strategy that will focus on results and not just a presence for the sake of one.
So, let's start!
Your current social media success
The first thing to do is to see where your time is currently being spent best.
Take a look at each platform you're on (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram etc.) - do you have a decent number of followers? Which one stands out to you and why? What about the level of engagement with people who follow you - do people regularly not only like what you're saying/posting but are also bothering to comment and share?
Of those posts that are being commented and shared, what are they?
Make a note of as much as you can to get a great idea of how well you're performing where. Create a mind-map (spider diagram in old money) so that you can see a snapshot of what's currently happening.
Your Competitors' current social media success
Chose up to five (max) competitors. People or businesses that your customers have mentioned, that you've heard of on the grapevine, that tend to advertise in your area... however you collate the list, hopefully it will include at least one business that you're secretly envious of.
Map-out their social media channels (usually the main website has a link to the ones that they're on).
Take a look at the number of followers they have on each. Then look at which posts they tend to get the most interaction from - remember, not just likes but comments and shares.
What are they doing that seems to be going down well with their followers? What might you take inspiration from?
Reviewing where to spend your time in the future
So you've looked at where your efforts are working best (and why) and where your competitors are spending their time to best effect.
Are there any gaps with what you're doing/achieving and what your competitors are doing?
Has this narrowed down which social media channels you should focus your time on?
In the least, how about the types of posts you should consider doing more often? And which ones just aren't worth your time?
At the end of the day, the more comments and shares your posts have the greater the chance of future customers getting to hear about you.
Looking ahead
So.... which channel or channels have the best opportunity with the followers you have and could grow and what type of posts should you concentrate on creating on each?
It might be enough to just focus on one channel for now, and then increase this in time. The goal is always to have quality over quantity - there's no point spreading your precious time too thinly!
That's it for this whistle-stop tour. Look out next time for a quick overview on each social media channel. Just in case it helps!
Take care xx