I have been involved in business since the age of 19 and working with SME’s on their social media for over 6 years. I know how great it is when a client executes their social media strategy and sees the results.
However, on various occasions I see so much potential in a company but for some reason, they can turn their potential into success. Here are 6 factors that is the difference between a social media strategy that struggles and a strategy that succeeds.
1. Everyone MUST be onboard
For any kind of strategy to work, not just in social media – you need everyone in the business to be on board; even the MD or CEO. When I work with clients to manage their social media, I won’t draft the contract until I know the highest ranked person in that company is 100% on board.
2. “Can you just do this for us?”
When I hear this question, I know straight away it isn’t going to work. It’s all well and good paying someone to create a strategy for your social media but if you aren’t involved or committed, it will never succeed. I only work with clients for at most 6 months. This is because I want them to learn something, not just throw their money at the first strategist that comes their way.
3. It takes Patience and Resources
Whether you are starting a social media strategy from scratch or with some experience, you first need patience. You should be working with your team to get the most done with the resources you have. If it is just you and your business, ask your friends and the people around you for their assistance. The social media strategy should not be dramatic, it is just an add on to your already in place marketing strategy.
4. Focus
If you have done all the research and planning for your social media strategy, you should be confident enough to follow the plan through – making sure it has an impact. This doesn’t just happen… it takes focus. You’re social media strategy isn’t the only thing that needs focus, you must be concentrated on your business from day one otherwise everything you do from then, will fall apart.
A great video created by Google Analytics shows a real life version of the issues we all have when shopping online. It is a hilarious must see video that businesses need to look at as a realistic target of what NOT to do. See the video here.
5. Be Creative
Looking back, this wasn’t so important but now, with images and video being so influential in how a person perceives a brand, you need to think creatively. This means having a designer create images for your business to use on your social media platforms. You need to stand out on social media otherwise you will fall in the background and your competitors will have the upper hand.
6. Measure your results
With tools like Google Analytics available to us free of charge, there is no excuse for not measuring your results. You will never know if your social media strategy is working if you don’t measure your outcomes.
I hope these 6 factors will help you improve or even create your social media strategy and follow it through to give you business the best opportunity for success.