Three Key Questions To Plan Your Social Media
How much time do you have?
Social media is not free. It takes time and time is your most precious asset. Therefore it is vitally important that before you begin a substantial online campaign you first quantify how much time you can spare and secondly you schedule it into your day.
We saw a statistic recently that said the average marketing executive now spends three hours a day on social media. Over a month that is a huge amount of time. In fact, it works out at an average of 60 hours a month! If you were to pay someone to do this work at the UK minimum wage of £6.50 it would cost you £390 just to cover their time managing your social media accounts. This is, of course, the best case scenario as you will have to pay an experienced marketing executive quite a bit more than the minimum wage, not to mention the additional cost of graphics and advertising.
What are your Social Media goals?
So you have decided to spare time and potentially a significant amount of money on establishing a presence on social media; what are your goals?
“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” Napoleon Hill
When setting your social media goals it is important to know what you want the finished successful profiles to look like. Maybe your online presence will be a business sector expert. You might become the online brand that consistently supports their community by sharing content from others. Maybe your online communication channel will be a customer care portal where you help solve issues before and after sales.
Fix a strong image in your mind of what you want the end social media profile to look and behave like; write down the details. This document will prove invaluable in the long-term.
Who do you want to target?
Knowing who you wish to target online will streamline your efforts. If Facebook was a country and its users the population it would be the largest country in the world. Trying to send a message to all of these users would be futile. It would take too long and negate the effort needed to achieve the end results.
We always advise targeting content and interactions to location or business sectors. Know how you wish to connect with your target audience and tailor your efforts to achieving this. In essence, it is traditional marketing methods applied to a new medium.
Good luck on your social media journey. Keep in mind that the start is always the easiest and do not fall into the trap of letting it fizzle out. Remain consistent, revisit your goals and maybe adjust your focus every so often. Most of all enjoy your time connecting online. Make it pleasurable rather than a chore.
We hope our blog has been of help to you. If you would like to ask us anything or add any of your own tips please do so below.
