Social media is here to stay. That’s why it’s necessary to put in a lot of time and effort to cultivate a strong presence with the right networks. Not to mention that all the benefits that it brings are all worth the effort.

Just like with any digital marketing services, there are a  lot of advantages when cultivating your brand on social media. It enhances your customer service and lets you communicate and engage with your audience at a whole new level, and engages with them.

It also builds your authority over time, and drive in traffic to your site. Not to mention that social media can help drive sales should you decide to start your own e-commerce site.

So, if you still haven’t optimized your social media, there is still time.

Strategize Your Plan

A good business strategy starts with a great plan. Therefore, it’s no different for social media marketing for small businesses.

It might be tempting at times to use social media immediately because you can start with organic posts for free. However, without a plan in mind, you have no way of knowing what you want to achieve, and no way to measure how you can get there.

So take your time to build your social media plan upfront. That way, your efforts will support your business goals. 

Here are some tips to create an excellent social media marketing plan:

• Set goals and objectives: Go with the SMART framework. Your goal should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. It should be based on metrics that will have a direct impact to your business, like getting more leads instead of just getting likes. 
• Study your competition: What is your competition currently up to on social media? You don’t have to necessarily copy them. Instead, you can learn from their successes and mistakes to decrease your learning curve. 
• Make a social media audit: If you’re already on social media, then you need to evaluate your social media marketing activities regularly (e.g. monthly or quarterly). 
• Look for inspiration: Be inspired with the success of small businesses in different industries. To find these success stories, go to the business section of some social media channels and look for relevant case studies. 
• Build a social media calendar: Having a social media calendar helps you publish the right content on the right platform at the right time. Go with the 80-20 rule. Use the 80 percent of your content to educate, inform, and entertain your audience. Then, the remaining 20 to sell your products and services and to promote your brand. 

If you feel like building a social media strategy on your own is overwhelming, you may opt to hire a service provider. Just make sure that social media marketing is part of their digital marketing packages.

Personalize Your Approach

Social media allows you to micro-target your audience. However, you need to first understand who your audience is.

Gather the data of your existing customers. Then, use social media analytics to dig deeper. That way, you’ll have a clear picture of who’s interacting with and buying from you online.

Then, come up with a strategy on how you can broaden your reach by targeting an audience who are similar to them.

Expand Your Audience

Content is essential on social media. However, it’s not enough that you just publish it and then walk away.

Remember that social media is all about being social. You want to build a connection and foster engagement with your audience. 

Here are some ways to engage your audience:

• Starting or participating in online conversations
• Sharing relevant information and user-generated content. 
• Asking and answering questions
• Commenting on posts
• Addressing and dealing with criticisms and complaints
• Showing how much you appreciate your customers

Increase Conversions

Sometimes, driving high-quality traffic isn’t the only goal. You should also convert that traffic into paying clients. 

To drive high conversion rate on social media, here are two simple yet effective ways:

• Create a strong CTA: A powerful call to action is important because it guides prospects on what to do next. That way, prospects will feel motivated to buy something. 
• Create Contests, Giveaways, Give Discounts: Who doesn’t like contests, giveaways, and discounts? Whatever your business is, this is a cost-effective method to promote your products and generate more sales.

Provide Quality Content

The content that you need to create must always be relevant and high-quality.

For instance, you own a digital marketing company in Delhi, India, you can produce educational content related to digital marketing in general. As much as possible, prioritize video, photos, and other visual content. It’s because they’re generally popular on most audiences and demographics.

Publish social media posts that offer value. If all you ever do is to pitch and sell, then a lot of people won’t be motivated to follow you. 

Keep an Eye Out on Your Competitors

Social media is an excellent tool to keep an eye on your toughest competitors. Spying on your competitors allows you to monitor and then draw information from their performance. It also lets you learn from them.

Just make sure that you don’t merely copy them though. Sometimes, what works best for them won’t work for you. You can gain inspiration from their ideas, but make it your own. 

Monitor Your Progress

As you implement your strategy, it’s crucial that you track what works for you and what doesn’t. Use tools such as social media analytics to measure metrics that you can rely on. That way, you can fine-tune your performance in the long run. 

Once you already have a clear picture of how your strategy is working, look for even better ways to get results. Through A/B testing, you can make little changes that will help you succeed in the long run.

Over to You

Now, you have a greater understanding of how social media works for your business. While there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for everyone, it’s essential that you test each one, learn from it, as you go on making improvements.