Social Media: What's Your Plan?

Set goals with social media instead of posting at random. Proactively choose your audience, methodology, content and schedule.

Do you find yourself selecting posts based on what's caught your attention lately, what seems fun, and what appears to relate to the day's hot topics? For personal accounts, this is perfectly fine. But for business, last-minute decisions won't get you where you want to go.

First, you need to identify your primary and secondary audiences, understand them, and know how they operate on social media. Second, you need to pinpoint your specific business goals in connection with these audiences. Do you want to drive traffic to a particular site? Do you want viewers to contact you directly for information? Are you simply trying to stimulate general interest in your social media accounts? Make up your mind, so that you can create posts that will support your goals.

Next, figure out the kinds of content that will appeal to your target audiences and will also direct people to the actions or behavior you're trying to encourage. Finally, set up a posting routine that will reach your audiences at optimum times, and that you feel you can manage successfully based on your available time, energy and finances. If you can't reach everyone on all platforms within your existing budget and personal schedule, set priorities and be clear about where you want to focus your resources.

If you create and follow a smart plan for your social media activities, they're much more likely to deliver results.

Have you already discovered a social media schedule that works for you? Or, alternatively, have you had to discard a posting method that wasn't working? Feel free to comment below. And check the blog for other tips on social media, copywriting and SEO.