Are you a social media manager looking to advance your business development plan? Do you want to understand more ways to use social media for personal and professional growth? Read on to find out why a strong social media strategy is essential for your business development and long-term career goals.
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Why Does Social Media Strategy Matter for Professional Growth?
In such a saturated online market, it is important to understand what key areas to focus on within your social media strategy. Social media continues to be a fundamental platform for business development and meeting personal career aspirations, but when there are so many opportunities to be explored, how can you know you’re going in the right direction? These are some of our favourite tips and tricks to take both your career and business to the next level.
7 Key Areas to Focus on As Part of Your Social Media Strategy
When progressing your social media strategy, it is essential to take a forward-thinking approach to optimise your opportunities for success online. Some fundamental questions to ask yourself would be:
- How do I reach my target audience on social media?
- What types of content should I be posting and when?
- What action am I wanting consumers to make?
- Why will people choose me over the competition?
1. Social Media Branding for Company Awareness and Career Development
It is critical to establish a thorough brand kit for your social media strategy with features such as font, colour palette and logo. It should also include consistent key messages with personalised hashtags and phrases, so that your narrative on social media is clear and concise. Taking the time to construct original campaigns, including using targeted hashtags, could initiate a buzz for your company. This is also a great way to track what your target audience is talking about on social media. TIP: You can gather great ideas for content creation also!
Brand kits aren’t just an essential element for your business’s social media strategy, they can also be utilised for individual use to support you in your career aspirations. Use a brand kit as part of your career development plan and you can stand out from the crowd and establish a bold presence on social media.
2. Networking to Increase Social Media Engagement
Networking on social media can be very much like networking IRL, you need to get out of your (online) house to make those meaningful connections. Stepping off your page and placing yourself within suitable online arenas will draw your audience to you and amplify your business.
Consumers won’t be captured if you’re only having conversations with yourself, so collaboration is key to sparking intrigue and engaging audiences on social media. Develop relevant partnerships within the community, provide proactive customer service, position yourself in front of the target audience’s eyes, and draw them in with quality content and engagement. Of course, this can be done using targeted ads, but driving organic traffic to you is often the most successful way of generating life-long consumers. Social media networking is vital to increase awareness and engagement around you and your business online and beyond.
3. How Blogging Can Enhance Your Social Media Strategy
An important aspect of increasing your visibility on social media is using keywords and SEO to ensure that your target audience will find you. It is crucial to thoroughly research trending keywords so that you are up to date with what your customers are searching for online. You can then implement target keywords throughout your website and social media pages.
A great free tool to generate ideas of what people are searching for would be Answer The Public. It will give you some suggestions around what is being searched for online so that you can create content which answers those questions and gives your consumers what they are looking for.
4. Analysing and Reporting to Showcase Social Media Results
Social media and website analytics can produce excellent data for reviewing and reporting your social media strategy. You can navigate your customers’ journey and identify any errors that may be preventing transactions from occurring. Social media analytics builds a greater understanding of your target audience and the types of people who are showing interest in your business. For further information, we have a great blog post about using analytics to amplify your e-commerce sales.
5. Developing Your Voice and Managing Your Reputation on Social Media
Developing your presence on social media can be a very empowering process. When you focus on creating quality content and representing you and your organisation with confidence and pride, your audience will pick up on this throughout your social media content. It is important to consider the subliminal messages that may be emerging from your content and what feelings you are hoping to instil in your consumers.
Finding your voice on social media can also be intimidating. People are often afraid to make mistakes on social media in case it negatively impacts their reputation. As part of your digital marketing strategy, you should prepare a policy that covers risk management to future proof in case any mishaps should occur. Preparing how, what and when you will communicate in an emergency will help you and your team to remain calm and respond from a place of ease. This will translate across social media and will help to build respect and trust amongst your consumers. We all make mistakes; it’s how we respond to them that matters!
6. Generating Business Leads Through Social Media Strategy
Social media strategy can often be about driving traffic onto your website for a specific Call-To-Action. Create compelling content that engages consumers and navigates them across your online platforms. Carry them on a journey that leads them to the action you would like them to take. You can also collaborate with influencers and content creators to build awareness and generate leads. Some ideas to entice your audience could be:
- Free resources such as guides and webinars
- Discount codes specific to your social media pages
- Hosting live events and conferences online
- Pre-populated forms to save your consumer’s time
- Affiliate links and sponsorships with content creators
7. Recruiting for business development on social media
With more companies continuing to work from home, social media can be a great platform for recruitment. Targeted ads can ensure that your job opportunities are seen by potential candidates so that the best people for the roles can find their way to you.
If you are an individual seeking employment, then optimising your social media pages will mean that you spark intrigue and stand out to recruitment departments online. Use social media to land that dream job by showcasing your digital marketing skills on your personal page.
Conclusion
Any social media strategy will be ever-evolving and develop over time. The important thing is that you continue to engage with your audience in an authentic way that resonates with them. Prioritise quality content and trustworthy communication, with the balance of analysis and evidence to showcase it, and you will be on your way to finding success across your social media platforms.
How can we help you to develop your social media strategy?
SocialB believes in enabling a better future together by empowering people to develop the digital marketing skills they need to thrive online.
We have developed our Social Media Advanced Training Course which will give you the knowledge and strategic ideas to take your business’s social media to the next level and the tools to measure your success. Please feel welcome to contact us for further information and we will be happy to answer any questions you have.
