Social Media posting… We all know we need to be doing it.  And so we post.

But is your posting effective?

Is anyone seeing your posts?

Is the audience you are reaching the audience that can actually be converted to customers?

There is so much more to posting on social media than just shooting a picture on your phone and then putting it on instagram with a catchy caption.  That is, if you want social media to be a vehicle to grow your business (HINT HINT: as business owners this should be your goal!)

Jacqueline Jones of One Degree MMM shared with Forge the Must Do’s for creating a plan before you post anything on social media.

1.  Who

Build a Customer Avatar!!

You must know everything you can know about about your customer.   Everything…

Age.  Gender.  Family Life.  Where they live.  What they do for a living.  When they drive to work.  What they listen to while driving.  How much they spend…

Gather as much data as you can.  Then use that data to inform all decision making.

Do not assume that you are your target customer!  Marketing can often break down when that happens.  Look at your data, see who is buying your product or using your service.  See who is spending the most with you and how often.  This information is going to guide every decision you make for your social media and marketing strategy.

It is possible that you will have a few different avatars.  Know them each and market to them each.

2.  What

What is the goal you are trying to achieve with your marketing efforts.  Pick a goal and then stick with it for a quarter so you can see realistic results.  Now there is always the case where you determine a goal and realize quickly you need to change directions.  But generally speaking, it is best practice to choose a goal, build your strategy and then give your efforts time to perform.  When you do this, you get more QUALIFIED DATA about who your customer really is!

3.  How

How are you going to get in touch with your customer?  How are you going to get your information to your perfect customer.  If you just put out a blanket post (on any platform), you will not be able to reach the people that you really want to reach.  Each post must be intentional.  Your tone and voice must reflect who you want to reach and why you want to reach them.  Speaking of tone… always communicate on your posts the way that you would communicate in person.

4.  Where

Which platform should you use?  The best way to answer this question is to figure out which platforms your customers are on.  And then kill it on those platforms!  Don’t try to be everywhere, you simply cannot do.  Or at least you cannot do it well.

As you are planning out your Social Media strategy, here are a few things that you should CHOOSE NOT to do:

1.  Choose Not To get caught up in frequency suggestions.  Do not be lured in to believe you must follow all the advice out there.  The best thing to do is be consistent.  Consistency for you could mean once a week, once a day or five times a day.  Determine the capacity that you have to create and post meaningful, strategic posts and then stick to it!  When you are building your community on social platforms, this community is built on relationships.  Relationships are trusted through consistency.
2. Choose Not To create blanket content.  Create content that speaks to your Avatar!
3. Choose Not To be everywhere.  Your customers are not everywhere, you should not be everywhere either.
4. Choose Not To be fake.  Do not try to be who you think people want you to be.  They want you!  Be you!
5. Choose Not to be afraid to ask for help or guidance.  As a business owner you cannot do it all.  There is no shame in getting someone to help you with your Social Media Planning and Posting.

We are thankful for the work that Jacqueline is doing to help Small Business Owners grow!  If you would like to contact Jacqueline to get more information or learn how she can help grow your business, you can email Jacqueline at info@onedegreemmm.com.

If you are interested in diving deeper into your business, Jacqueline is hosting Boiling Point: A Group Marketing Strategy Session, at Forge on March 11.  Use the code APLAN to receive a $30 discount!