How to Build Your Social Media Marketing Strategy For 2020

If you have yet to build your social marketing strategy for 2020, you are not alone. Owning a business requires a ton of work and a lot of marketing in general. Therefore, it’s easy to fall behind on your social media marketing strategy. In addition to falling behind, you might be a little confused as to where to go from here with all the new changes in the social media industry. 

In 2018 Facebook changed its algorithm, which would prioritize consumers’ friends and family’s posts over public content, and Instagram reached 1 billion users. All of these changes have left businesses confused and hesitant to develop an effective marketing plan. Whether you are looking to improve the social media marketing strategy you have in place or just now jumping into your 2020 plan, we have some ways to build a successful social media marketing strategy this year.

Set Attainable Goals

Before you begin building your strategy, you’ll need to determine what it is you want to get out of social media. When thinking of your goals, remember that social media planning is a marathon and not a sprint. All the goals that are set should be ones that are realistic and attainable. Setting goals like gaining millions of followers will most likely not happen, so think of smaller goals. If you’re thinking of using an increase of followers to measure your success, try shooting for increased brand awareness. You might not have the millions of followers you were hoping for, but you will get a heavy increase in brand awareness, which can not only contribute to an increase in followers but revenue too. 

Another realistic goal is to improve ROI. This improvement doesn’t have to be a crazy number but remembers it’s a marathon, not a sprint…so you have to start somewhere. Perhaps the greatest advantage of marketing strategies today is the ability to measure its success. Almost all social media platforms allow you to track your success. By staying on top of analytics, you will be able to see exactly how your strategy is benefitting your business. Without staying up to date on reports, you wouldn’t know whether your ROI is improving or not. 

Know Your Audience

Another great benefit of the social media strategy is the insight it gives you to your followers. The demographics you need to know about your audience are out there and available to you in the click of a button.  By having this information, not only can you develop better content that is relevant to your audience but determines the best platform to use depending on the data that shows where your audience is. 

Those with successful social media marketing strategies utilize a social media dashboard. A social media dashboard is your one spot for seeing how your social media is performing and will show you information such as the number of followers gained on each platform, the number of interactions and much more. Before setting any social media marketing plan into place, be sure to ensure it aligns with your audience.

What Metrics Matter the Most? 

A common misunderstanding is the importance of likes, followers, and shares versus other metrics. Why? If you have a million followers and only a hundred likes on posts, what good are your million followers? Or if you have a ton of interaction but have noticed a decrease in sales. Not to confuse you, because likes, shares, and followers are important when it comes to building relationships with your customers, but in 2020 try focusing on other metrics. These other metrics can include your reach and identifying how many people saw your post and how it’s spreading across social media. You can also focus on the number of clicks on your content to determine what information is most appealing to users. By determining that information, you’ll have a better chance to develop high-quality content. 

Evaluate Your Competitors

Every successful marketing campaign has more than likely evaluated its competitors. Businesses don’t look to competitors to steal marketing ideas but rather to see what’s working in the industry and what’s not. By researching your competitors, you also have the opportunity to discover any potential marketing strategies. Maybe they are not doing something that you think could be successful. Use the information found in your research to find a way to set your business apart from its competitors. 

Use Social Media As a Network

Another great advantage of social media is the improved customer service you can provide through your platforms. Customers today expect quick and timely responses and in addition, meaningful conversations on a regular basis. It doesn’t take more than a few seconds to respond to a comment or simply “like” a customer comment. Social media is a two-way street, and once you use it as a form of communication with your audience, you will begin to notice an increase in customers and overall sales.

Post at the Best Times

As a business, your posts should rarely be posted out of the blue. There are times out of the day where your audience is more active on social media, and this is when you should be posting- to ensure your content is being seen by a large majority of your followers. Social media programs such as Sprout has the data you need to know when the best time is to post. 

Looking to build your social media marketing strategy for 2020 but don’t know where to start? Joseph Studios has a team of marketing experts that are caught up on all the trends for this year, including the tips above. We know what it takes to build a successful marketing strategy and what works for each of our clients. To learn more about our social media solutions or more about what to expect when you work with us, visit our website and contact a marketing expert today. Its never too late to jump into your social media marketing strategy!