Starting a social media content marketing plan.

Deciding on what, where and when you post on social media platforms can seem incredibly daunting at first, but trust me when I say once you start it all becomes very straightforward and will become an easy part of your content marketing strategy. It will drive your branding forward into the digital age accruing a number of benefits for your brand.

First steps.

Starting your social media plan can be confusing to say the least, but once you break it down it'll all become clear and naturally fall into place. To start with, I would suggest figuring out exactly what kind of content you will be producing, this will help you understand which platforms are best for your content. It's a good idea to consider what your brand is trying to achieve and what forms of content you feel comfortable to produce consistently throughout the week (keep in mind you should aim to be posting at least 3 times a week). Once you have a general idea of the previous point it's time to move onto step two.

Benchmarking.

Benchmarking is the best way to get a good understanding of what your competitors are achieving, what you want to achieve and where your starting point stacks up against both of these. To gain insights on competitors using an profile analyzer is the most straightforward option, they give you key insights on reach, engagement, followers and post schedule, these are the same analytics you should be looking at within your own brand to measure your strategies success, you can find your own analytics on a variety of websites (some platforms have them built in), this is key to measuring your success, having a benchmark of what you are already achieving will help set and evaluate your goals which leads me onto point 3.

Setting reasonable goals.

Setting goals is crucial as it helps you understand what is and isn't working in terms of which forms of content are working, what times are optimal to post and if you are on track to reaching goals. To do this make sure you have already benchmarked a competitor and yourselves, and have used this information to figure out what goals are reasonable for you to apply. Set yourself short-term (monthly, quarterly) and long-term (annual) goals to allow you to switch up your strategy if its not working as intended.

How do I use Social media for content marketing?

Once you have figured out what content is going into your strategy, it’s time to get it posted on social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and others. It is a proven, easy and free way to promote your content. Here are a few tips on starting;

Focus on high-potential channels. The best social media outlets for you are the ones frequented by your audience. Consider the big, popular channels, as well as smaller, industry-focused ones that are likely to connect you with good prospects. Ask your audience what channels they favour and build a manageable list based on their preferences.

Craft your copy to fit the channel. Each social media channel has a level of professionalism versus fun, an accepted voice, and other details all its own. Before you write posts for a channel, spend some time reviewing posts to familiarise yourself with these details. Then, give your posts some of your own company spirit.

Test and modify your approach. A winning social media promotion effort involves trial and error. Track responses from the various channels for quantity and quality. Fewer high-potential engagements may mean a channel is a good fit, as opposed to a slew of clicks that never turn into an audience.

How summit can help!

We provide a variety of different products for your brand to use, these are always a great way to promote your brand by having them as a focus point of certain content posts, we also provide design for multiple mediums from graphic design for online content to web design. If you need a hand with the creative processes that content marketing requires, get in touch and we can discuss the opportunities we can provide! Get in touch