Step 1: Create a plan

How will you do start on your plan? Before embarking upon the task of developing a simple and successful social media strategy for your business, it is important to first identify and list all the products / services your firm offers.

Listing all your products and services, will lead you into asking yourself: Who buys my products / services? Why do they buy my products / services? What’s their motivation?

When answering these questions, really sit down and think. Provide multiple answers to these questions in order to understand all of the motivation for the purchase of your product or service. Understanding your product helps you form a communications strategy that will fully utilize social media. Otherwise you will end up setting up social media accounts that will not benefit your organisation (in terms of sales).

For example, if you sell websites; why do your customers purchase websites? Some probably purchase for prestige, some for marketing purposes, some in order to promote something they do as a hobby. Once again, remember that the answers to these questions are what will guide you when posting content to your social media platforms. Traditionally, marketing was a one-way dialogue, but social media has changed it to a two-way communication between your organisation and your clients. You need fresh and interesting content to share every day in order to keep your following. For example, clients who have a website just for prestige will be interested in knowing the latest features being offered in web design such as responsive themes, sites of the day, etc. Those interested in functionality will want to know new security features or how to do something in an easier way. This is the content you will provide on a regular basis. So do your homework well, know your product / service and why your customers want it.

Tomorrow we take a look at Step 2: How to engage your audience. Remember to post your feedback.