By now, most brands have to some degree or another, understood the importance of social media for their growth and relevance. But not all brands are able to create effective social media marketing strategies.
So, we reached out to Mehar Gulati, Founder of Scarlet Relations, a marketing agency, to help us understand the ways we can ace our social media marketing game. Read on to know the steps that can not just help your brand stay relevant but also thrive in 2022, as shared by Mehar.
1. Know Your Audience
Before you get your brand on a social media platform, the first step is to know the target audience for the products or services you are providing. This will also help you in knowing which social media app to host your brand on. For instance, if you aim to cater to an audience mostly consisting of young adults, a preferable platform would be Instagram. Whereas, if you want to connect with professional organisations, Linkedin is a better option. Defining a core audience will also help you make your content more specific and personal.
2. Know Your Goals
While building a social media presence, it is important to know your goals. Your goals need to be specific to your brand. Do you want your social media to have a certain number of followers by a specific time, or do you want to build a personal connection with your fans who are loyal to you? Would you want brand awareness or growth in sales? Knowing these goals will help you focus your content and efforts on specific things rather than trying to go after multiple things at once.
3. Know Yourself
Once you have an idea about your audience and have set clear goals, the next step is to assess your position. To build a brand, you need to know where you stand. To audit your social media presence, take a look at how many followers you have across all platforms, which accounts are you the most active on, which accounts are serving your target audience, and which platforms are the best for you to invest in. Knowing your present status will help you understand your progress rate.
4. Generate A Content Plan
Once you know the social media app you are going to use to build your brand and core audience, start planning a content strategy. Look at your competitors to understand what is working and what is not. Research about your audience and the type of content they engage with the most. Are they more likely to like personalised stories and posts? Do they prefer posts with texts or pictures? Understanding these facts, develop a strategy that aligns with both your brand and your audience. Also, make sure to use all the social media tools provided by these platforms.
5. Create A Content Calendar
To ensure that you remember to post regularly, and have an idea about what to post, plan ahead. The easiest way to do this is by making a content calendar. You can start planning the different days you will post on different platforms. You can plan your Instagram feed and stories, as well as the release date for new products or activities. Having a planned calendar will also help your audience look forward to new content releases, which will help in creating buzz.
6. Be Consistent
The easiest and most efficient way to build a brand is by being consistent and engaging with your audience. No matter how many algorithm changes a platform goes through, if you are consistent with posting and loyal to your followers, you will get to see your page grow. Make sure to listen to what your followers want and make them a part of your new brands by doing polls and AMAs. Consistent posting and reels will also help you keep up with new trends, which will help you find newer audience.
7. Analyse And Optimise
Once you start posting and creating, the next and the most important step is to track your progress. Keep a check on your engagement status and see what your audience likes and what it doesn’t. Modify and optimise your plans according to these metrics. Trial and error is the only way to learn what works and what doesn’t; don’t be afraid to tweak and change your plans as you go.
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