Getting Started on Social Media– why you need a Marketing Plan

November 6, 2017

So, you’re ready to get started on Social Media marketing? You’ve been using Facebook for years and know it’s the place to go to sell. But, stop for a minute… just because Facebook make it really easy to set up a Business Page, does that mean that it’s the right thing for you to do? The answer is maybe…

Using social media for business is very different from running your personal account (the ones who Facebook really likes and want to keep engaged) Facebook has been around since 2004 and has been growing consistently by putting the user’s experience first- in Autumn 2017 there were 2.07bn monthly active users. The great thing about social media is that it will probably be familiar to you already, but you do need to approach it as you would any other kind of business activity and make sure you have a plan in place for success.

Over 50 million businesses (and growing) have a Facebook page and they all want to do the same as you- sell their products and services. Spending your time crafting a beautiful social media post is no guarantee that anyone who likes your Facebook page will even see it- ‘organic’ reach, posts offered in the newsfeed without any advertising attached, has been recently estimated at just 2%. However, a very small amount of targeted advertising (think £20 rather than £200) will give you access to a large number of potential customers.

Loxley marketing

Before your start investing in your business social media (whether through advertising or you or your team’s valuable time) stop and answer the following based on your business objectives:

  • Who do I want to reach? What types of people are they and where do they hang out digitally? If you’re trying to reach 13- 15 year olds Facebook is unlikely to be your answer.
  • What do I want to achieve? Social media is great for building brand awareness, website traffic and email sign ups.
  • What resources do I have to allocate? Consider your time running the account and creating content and advertising budgets.
  • Who are my competitors for this market and what are they doing on social?
  • How will I know if I’ve been successful? Are you looking for an increase in follower numbers or to sell 500 jumpers by Thursday?
  • How am I going to achieve it? This is where it all comes together- the right type of content on platform, the right message and the right time.

And, as importantly, Social Media is a fantastic part of your digital marketing strategy, but to be honest (as someone who makes a living from specialising in social media) it is only a part of the picture. It could be that for your specific aims and objectives, setting up Social Media accounts won’t be the best place for you to put your energy and budget now and you would be better concentrating on say, email marketing.

Setting up a marketing plan itself will not be complex as you know your business better than anyone else. However, if time means that you need some help, we love to talk social.