The following is a guest post written by Kristie McCollum. Thanks, Kristie!
When I first started blogging, I was doing it for fun. I had no strategy or purpose behind it. I was simply sharing my life experiences. It wasn’t until I left my job to start my business that I had to actually work to get eyeballs on my content outside of my mom and my husband.
Many of you may be in the same place I was:
You know you have great content and you always provide value.
You just need it to get noticed!
When it comes to utilizing social media as a marketing tool, it is important to realize that it’s not all about you. You have to focus less on yourself and your content, and more on others. Your audience, other bloggers, and entrepreneurs, they now matter to you and your brand. You must now take into account that in order for you to grow, you can’t do it on your own.
Before we dive into the basic steps for creating your own social media strategy, you first must understand its importance.
Think about the goals you have for your blog and your business. In order to reach those goals, you have to have a plan. I love the quote that says, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”.
That is so true when it comes to social media marketing. Having a solid social media strategy in place will allow you to grow your audience, bring traffic to your blog space, and increase conversions.
There are so many components to consider when it comes to marketing, but these basic steps will help you get clear and start growing.
Understand Why
Before you even begin thinking about your strategy, you need to know why you are doing it. Think about your audience and how you want to affect them. What is your message? What does your brand represent? Answering questions like these will give you a clear picture of why you are trying to reach your ideal client to begin with.
Acknowledge Who
This is very important. It’s vital for you to know who your target audience is. Understanding that person will allow you to focus on where to reach them and in what way is best to reach them using social media. You have to position yourself in front of your audience; they won’t just appear.
Move to the How
This is the last step. It also takes time to accomplish effectively. I know you have probably heard to only master two social media platforms at a time. I started with Facebook and Instagram and now I am working on building my Pinterest and Twitter. Some tips:
- The best way to determine what platforms to focus on is by (a) checking your insights and engagement levels and (b) noting which platforms bring you the most traffic. Be sure that you’re sharing valuable content from others as well as yourself.
- It is best to have an editorial calendar for your social media so that you know exactly what to promote on which platforms.
- Make sure to ALWAYS lead people to an opt-in or lead magnet. Have a sign-up button on Facebook and opt-in link in your Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest bios.
- Focus on building trust with your audience. Include a live video; let them see you and get to know you. This will make it so much easier for your audience to get to know you and want more from you.
These three basic things will lay the foundation for your social media strategy.
Now that you are ready to create your strategy, you can focus on engaging with your audience, building your email list, collaborating with others, and educating and empowering your audience.
Social media is about being social, building relationships, and getting to know people. As long as you stay visible and take the time to get to know people, you will find it so beneficial to you and to your brand. Step out from behind your blog and begin creating your solid social media strategy. How is your current social media marketing strategy working for you?
Kristie McCollum is a social media strategist, online business consultant, blogger, and now Youtuber. She helps mompreneurs gain clarity on their brand message, build confidence in their expertise, and create epic marketing strategies using social media. She has a passion and heart for moms who want to create an amazing business while raising kids at home. Kristie has spoken at numerous summits, held in-person workshops, and cohosts the Mocha Mommas podcast. She is the mom of three children and wife to a geeky gaming nerd. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram.
