Social Media Planning Tips

What was once considered a passing craze among teenagers is now a staple in many marketing plans. If you haven’t made the decision to jump on the social media bandwagon already, chances are good you’re considering it now. Then comes the million-dollar hold-up question: Where do I start? I have business owners ask me this question every day. And every day I give them the same advice I’ll give you. Start small, stay consistent and be yourself. With a little monitoring, the rest will fall into place.

Start small

You don’t have to do it all. Just because you’re on Facebook doesn’t mean you have to be on Twitter. And just because your neighbor is on LinkedIn doesn’t mean you should be, too. Choose the network that best matches your ideal customer so you can write for that specific audience. Look at their demographics, psychographics and lifestyle.

I ran this idea by Collin Bunch, an adviser at the Small Business Development Center. Bunch teaches classes to business owners covering this topic, one of which I’ve attended. “A big thing people miss with social is being extremely targeted and focused,” Bunch says. “You should really ‘get it’ and have some results before trying too many things.”

Taking this approach is about testing and monitoring. All networks display information differently, and not all audiences react to information in the same way. Start small with one or two targeted networks, and master them before moving on to more.

Stay consistent


Your social media strategy should consistently promote a targeted and balanced content mix. This starts by setting goals about what to post and how often — and sticking to it.

“Ultimately, what is your strategy?” Bunch asks. “Posting random inspirational quotes is neat, but consistently hitting content and messages that your customers value will grow your business.”

As mentioned earlier, success is network and audience dependent. Consider posting a mix of content, including: industry news or advice from outside sources; fun personality-establishing posts such as photos, thoughts or less business-related links from an outside source; brand-promoting posts such as blog posts, event promos or specials.

For example, an active Facebook page may be most successful with two posts per day using a balanced mix of content types. “It’s a huge red flag when a company’s tweets are all about them,” Bunch says. In his experience, a thriving Twitter audience may appreciate three posts per day and respond better to a content mix with very little brand-promoting posts.

Determining the perfect content balance for your audience may require a little trial and error. Keep track of the type of content your audience responds to best, and adjust your mix accordingly.

Bunch educates his students about consistently creating the perfect post:

• Write your posts for a specific audience; your Facebook audience may be different from your Twitter followers, so make sure your posts reflect their specific interests.
• Add a visual with each post, such as a picture, infographic or video.
• Further engage your audience with an implicit call to action.
• Always follow up with people who engage with you.

Strive for frequency consistency as well. One hundred posts in one day and nothing for three months isn’t the same as 100 posts over the course of three months. Consistent posting improves your company’s visibility and develops credibility with your audience. Following up with the people who engage with you is another way to position yourself as a trustworthy, credible source. Last but not least, consistently measure, monitor and test.

Keeping a pulse on your campaigns helps you understand which information is engaging.

Be yourself

Your business is special because it’s yours. Don’t be afraid to be yourself in any marketing endeavor, especially in social media.

“Customers want to hear from the owners and as authentic people, not some mix-up of buzzwords,” Bunch says. “When owners get over their fear/shyness and jump in, they end up owning the space.”

If you have a team contributing to social media, set rules for how you talk about your business and service. Guidelines create checks and balances to keep your business’s voice consistent.

Like all other new business endeavors, social media is best tackled one piece at a time. Break down your social media launch into smaller tasks, and as you’re planning, keep in mind: Start small, stay consistent and be yourself. You can do it!