Whatever the size of your business, January is the best time to take a good look at your social media channels. By looking back at insights from 2019 and figuring out where you want your accounts to be performing better, you can then create a new social media strategy for this year.

Not sure where to get started? Break the process down into these simple steps…

The Good, The Bad and the Algorithm

What do you want from your social media strategy? Traffic? Sales conversions? Engagements? Reach? Brand Awareness? Perhaps it’s all of the above!

Once you’ve identified which key performance indicators (KPIs) you want to measure, you can check the analytics on each channel to compare performance compare month on month or year on year.

It’s a good idea to look at where peaks appear and identify what content or events where happening around then. If you notice certain patterns, either by type of content, or by the time of year, note these down!

If you don’t know me by now…

You know your audience best, so think about what times they’ll be online and what they want to see. Try and think about your content from a user’s perspective, not a business. What makes you interact with a post on social media?

Plan of attack!

Consistency is key here. Whether you’ll be posting yourself or getting someone else (like us!) to post for you – you need to be realistic about how active you’ll be. Even if it’s just one post a week, make it a good one!

But – what should I write?!

Social media shouldn’t just be a sales tool. In fact, consumers respond with way more positive sentiment when the personality of your brand shines through and you’re part of the conversation. Here’s some regular ideas to include in your strategy:

• Keep your followers updated on what you’re up to – post success stories, order updates, transformations, product shots etc…
• Respond punctually and positively to questions and reviews and handle complaints – take these into messages and out of the public eye if you can though!
• React to current events in your sector, or in the wider world. Reactive social media is a great way to go viral and boost your numbers.
• Are you optimising your posts for each channel? Something that performs really well for Facebook won’t necessarily work on LinkedIn or Instagram. Make sure your image sizes are right, your hashtags are popular (if you’re using them) and your link previews work!

To advertise, or not to advertise?

In 2019, Facebook reported digital advertising revenue in the UK of £2.5 billion – a 37% increase compared to 2017. This shows that more and more businesses are spending on Facebook ads, but it’s wasted money if they’re not performing right!

We see lots of clients ‘boosting’ posts at random hoping that this will improve results. This is a bit like shooting at a basketball hoop blindfolded! There’s the off chance that it might land, but you’re at a real disadvantage if you’re not optimising what you’re doing first.

Still not sure what you’re doing? Our social media experts are experienced in creating and reworking social media strategies for a range of clients from all different sectors. With an experienced team (including Facebook Certified professionals), we can also help you to create successful social media advertising campaigns that give you a real return on investment.

If you’d like an informal chat with one of our team, email us today.