5 Questions to Ask When Creating a Social-Media Marketing Plan

"Failing to plan is planning to fail" is an old but wise adage that often rings true when it comes to social-media marketing. Creating a detailed, goal-oriented social-media strategy is just as important as having a rock solid business plan.

To attract and engage your social-media audience -- and ideally convert them into customers -- you must carefully map out a clear, effective social-media strategy. Here are some questions you should ask when building your social-marketing plan:

1. What should my company aim to achieve with social media?
That depends on the type of business you're in. You may want to use social media to gain exposure for your brand, to directly interact with your customers or to promote specific products and services.

Define how your social-media marketing will provide value to your customers. Specifically, think about how you can use social media to solve your customers' problems.

2. Who should set up and maintain my company's social media accounts?
If you're a small company with few employees, consider hiring a social-media marketing consultant. They will have the time and ability to create and implement effective social-media campaigns.

3. Should my company have a presence on all of the popular social-media networks?
Small businesses should start with a blog and a presence on just one social network, at least for the first few months. Which network? Find out what by surveying your customers about which social media platforms they use the most.

The more your company grows the more social networks you can experiment with.

4. What types of content should I post on which social platforms?
Certain types of content generally work better on certain social-media platforms. Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ and Instagram are inherently visual, so striking, memorable images of your products, company events and perhaps behind-the-scenes snapshots of employees at work can be effective choices for those particular platforms. But text-only status updates on Facebook without an accompanying link also trend well, especially when asking questions.

On Twitter, aim for a good balance of tweeting about your company and retweeting others' content, including that of your business partners and industry influencers. LinkedIn is popular for sharing company news, productivity tips and thought leadership articles.

A diverse mix of content types (standout photos, short videos, useful links, helpful tips, thoughtful question, etc.) across your social-media platforms will keep things interesting and fresh. When you do this, your followers will come back for more.

5. How can I convert social-media followers into customers?
There aren't any surefire tricks to convert fans and followers into customers, though some tactics seem to work better than others. For example, Facebook ads can be an easy, inexpensive way to grow your fan base, increase engagement and collect sales leads. It's up to you to convert those sales leads.

Blue Dog Marketing is an expert social media marketing firm. We can help you create and implement your social media marketing plan. You should focus on your growing your business and creating new products. Let us handle the marketing for you!