Social Media Marketing: Make It Work for You
Social media marketing is an excellent strategy for building your brand and connecting with the right people – but only if you have a plan. Without one, it’s easy to fall into the trap of posting for the sake of it, chasing likes without any real outcome.
Here’s how to make your social media marketing work harder for you.
Start with clear goals
Before you post anything, get clear on what you want social media to do for your business. Is it about getting your name out there? Driving traffic to your website? Encouraging people to book a discovery call?
If you know what success looks like, it’s much easier to create content that supports that goal – and measure whether it’s working.
Know who you’re talking to
Understanding your audience is key. What platforms are they using? What kind of content do they like? What challenges are they facing?
The more you know about your potential customers, the easier it is to show up in a relevant and helpful way – rather than just adding to the noise. (You ideally want to cut through this noise.)
Choose your platforms wisely
You don’t have to be on every platform. In fact, spreading yourself too thin can do more harm than good. Focus on the channels that make sense for your business and where your audience is most active.
Look at where your audience already spends time and how they use each platform. Are they asking questions, comparing options, looking for ideas or keeping up with people in their industry? That behaviour gives you something useful to work with.
Then consider what you can produce consistently. If useful conversations happen around written posts and you enjoy writing, start there. If demonstrating your product visually helps people understand it, explore formats that let you do that. Choose a channel because it suits your audience and the work you can maintain.
Post content people want to see
Sounds obvious, but it’s worth repeating: your content should be effective: useful, interesting or entertaining. Ideally, a mix of all three.
Try sharing a mix of tips, behind-the-scenes posts, client wins, FAQs and the occasional opinion piece. And don’t be afraid to show a bit of personality – people want to get to know the human behind the brand.
Connect a post with a business goal
Imagine an independent consultant wants to attract suitable enquiries for a workshop. Their audience is active on LinkedIn and often asks how to handle a particular workplace challenge. A useful post could explain one practical way to approach that challenge and invite readers to share where they get stuck.
Where the workshop would help, the consultant can explain that connection and link to the details. They can then look at the questions, relevant page visits and enquiries that follow. The post has a clear audience, a useful subject and a next step that supports the business goal.
Use paid ads (but don’t rely on them)
Running ads on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn can be a smart way to boost your reach and get in front of the right people. But don’t throw money at it without a strategy.
Set a budget, be clear about what you want your ad to achieve and test what works. Paid ads can be one part of the puzzle – not the whole strategy. They will drain your bank account and aren’t always best as a sole option to drive enquiries and leads.
Keep an eye on what’s working
Use platform insights or tools like Buffer or Hootsuite to track how your content is performing. Look at things like engagement, reach, click-throughs and conversions.
Don’t be afraid to tweak things. If something’s not landing, change it. Social media should evolve with your audience and your goals.
Stay on top of trends – but don’t chase them all
It’s good to know what’s new – algorithm changes, new features, content trends. But don’t feel pressured to jump on every trend or challenge.
Only get involved if it makes sense for your brand. You’re better off doing your thing well than getting caught up in content FOMO (fear of missing out).
Social Media Marketing - a few quick wins:
Be consistent – not just in posting, but in tone of voice and visuals. And if posting 2-3 times a week is enough for you and the time you have, that’s ok. But be consistent with it.
Encourage useful conversation – ask a question your audience has a reason to answer, then take time to respond. Their replies can help you understand what matters to them and what to cover in future content.
Collaborate – partner with people who speak to the same audience, like member networks, your colleagues and/or your clients. (Remember, client and colleague advocacy is like gold dust.)
Be real – share a bit of what goes on behind the scenes and be open about what you stand for.
Social media marketing doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Keep it focused, be yourself and post with purpose. When you’re clear on what you want to achieve and who you’re speaking to, it becomes a whole lot easier (and a lot more fun).
Want to talk social media strategy in more detail? Drop me a line, and we can schedule a Power Hour – we can map it out together and take the stress out of it.