Jan 3, 2024
Feeling glued to your social feed? You’re not alone. In 2023, there are an estimated 4.89 billion social media users worldwide. And the amount of time internet users spend on social media is higher than ever: over 2.5 hours daily. That’s a lot of time to introduce your brand.   

It’s no surprise that every year marketers invest more and more into their social media marketing budgets. Compared to traditional marketing, social media marketing is often more affordable and effective. In fact, the Social Media Examiner found that 66% of social media marketers saw serious lead gen benefits after investing in social media campaigns.

Maybe you’re ready to dive headfirst into social media marketing, but you’re not sure where to start. We got you covered. Here are some key steps to consider as you build out those social content calendars. 

1. Find your audience where they are
What platforms do moms use most? What’s the best way to reach B2B buyers? Are Gen Zers using Instagram as much as Millennials are?

One of the major advantages of social ads is the ability to hyper-target your audience. Too often, brands think they need to be on every social platform all the time. But staying focused on the platforms your audience uses most is the key. So before building out new social accounts, find the best platform to reach your audience and accomplish your marketing goals. 

Start with a social audit to figure out where your audience spends the most time online. Surveying current customers or working with a consumer research partner are great ways to gather insights about your audience and ensure you’re spending your marketing dollars strategically.  

2. Get specific with your marketing goals
Something we’ve talked about in a previous blog post was the difference between an awareness campaign and a sales campaign. While sales campaigns are all about encouraging a purchase step, awareness campaigns introduce your brand and build loyalty with your audience. Social media marketing is all about enticing consumers to take a second step—so do you want to drive your audience’s next step to a specific product page, or general information on your website? Once you get that answer down it’s time to…

3. Put your team together
The most iconic brands have invested serious time and effort into building their social media presence. Just like other essential departments, social media marketing requires a consistent and dedicated team to be successful. Here’s who you need: 
 

  • Community Manager: handles all the posting and ad spend budgeting.
  • The Creative Team (copywriter and graphic designer): puts all of the social posts together.
  • Leadership Team: should be available to give approval and make sure that everything adheres to the brand guidelines and business strategy

Not sure about putting together your own team? Shop around! The right agency partner should have all these resources available and more… 

4. Don't forget your phone
More than 70% of online shoppers shop on their phones. So it’s more important than ever to make sure your social ads are optimized for mobile. Double-check your image and video sizing to make sure it’s mobile-friendly. And make sure that your post copy and CTA are short and direct.

5. Pivoting is part of the game
Do images of people lead to more clicks, or do product images grab your customer’s attention? Does funny copy and puns get more attention than straightforward writing? 

As your campaign continues, you’ll be able to answer questions like these and more. Social media campaigns reveal tons of key metrics like engagement and CTR. You can use these to make adjustments to your images and messaging to optimize your marketing approach over time. 

Whether you’re a large or small business, social marketing offers you a powerful way to build engaging relationships with your audience online. There’s a lot to keep track of when getting started but keeping these reminders top of mind are a great way to make sure you’re on the right path. Ready to build a winning social media strategy? Reach out and learn all about our collaborative approach.