Long Term Social Media Strategies

There is a lot more to social marketing than just posting a few updates on social media networks and blogging a few times a week. In order to develop implementable strategies to scale your social efforts for the long term and for a wide scope, you have to understand the why of everything that you do.

While getting traction with social media is not easy, it is very possible. You just need to know what your goals are, and then use the right content to help you reach those goals. Social media is supremely important today in any marketing plan – whether or not you have an online business or a bricks and mortar business.

Here’s what to do to make your social marketing work.

Be Consistent

Realize that you need to stick to whatever you decide to do over the long term, and not just do it sporadically. Only consistent and purposeful action will get the results you desire so that you can reach your goals.

Know Your Why

This is not a “woo” question. When it comes to marketing, there are three reasons that you do it: to build awareness, to develop credibility or to make more sales. When you share any type of content anyplace, know what your point is.

Understand Your Audience

Even if you studied your audience when you first started, you must continue to study them. While demographics may remain the same, your audience’s morals and values may change with each generation.

Choose the Most Effective Channels

Your audience is not likely on every single social media network, and even if they are they’re going to be more active on one over the other. This will require some research in your industry. Focus first on the most effective network, then the top three.

Create Valuable Content

The content you create needs to add value to your audience’s lives. In addition, it should live on your website or blog and not on LinkedIn, Facebook or elsewhere.

Consistently Build a Following

Don’t buy fake followers on Fiverr or anywhere else. Instead, take the time to slowly build a following. Invite people to follow you on your various social media networks from your blog and email interactions. Plus, you can use promoted posts on various social networks. Or better yet, host a webinar and promote that.

Share Just the Right Amount

It’s tempting to start sharing many times a day, filling up your followers’ feeds with your content, but this would be a mistake. Each social media account has different levels that their audience enjoys, so learn about each network’s preferences and stick to that. Share your content, old and new, as well as relevant content from others.

Automate Strategically

It’s important to automate some action, but it’s also important not to automate anything that should be a personal action. Think carefully about how you incorporate automation into your social strategy. Remember: if it’s systematic, automate, and if it’s personal, don’t automate.

Finally, track everything you do to ensure that it’s working as planned. Remember that social media marketing is a long-term game plan that you need to stick to and be consistent at over time. A good social strategy bypasses the problems with search engine algorithm changes and even changes on social networks, because it all starts with your own online real estate: your blog or website.