Originally published on theodysseyonline.com

Social media is the image a company gives to the world, and it's often the best way to reach potential new clients. However, in the same way a person can like or dislike another person based on their social media profile, customers can make up their minds on a brand based only on their perception of it. Social media gives a voice to brands, and if people don't relate to a brand's voice, they won't support it.

Many factors can determine whether a company's social media marketing succeeds or fails, but the number one is not having a plan. Here, Christoper Lee, WNY Holdings' marketing manager, details five reasons why a company should have a strategic social media plan:

Consistency

Consistency is key to brand awareness and might be the most critical element for social media success. Without consistency, a brand's marketing efforts will go unnoticed. Through a strategic marketing plan and well-executed content schedules, businesses can plan future posts and increase their brand awareness. There is a reason why prominent and small corporations invest as many resources in social media, and that is to maintain consistency.

Reaching Goals

One of the first steps to a social media plan is deciding what a company wants to get out of it. By establishing goals, businesses can develop a strategy to reach them. Whether the goal is increasing conversions, building brand awareness, or gaining insights on customers, the strategy must be optimized.

Effective Targeting

Companies need to know their audience. Generalized posts or haphazardly copying a competitor's content won't have a real impact on the audience. Once a company knows who they are trying to target and understands their market's mindset, it will be easier to create social media content that speaks directly to them.

An effective plan involves thoroughly researching the target market to ensure the right people hear the message.

Better Content

Quality content goes a long way. If a company does not know what type of media it needs, it will waste valuable resources creating mediocre content. With a plan, businesses can focus on the kind of content that best suits their goals and can invest time and money in maintaining quality. Quality can determine whether a consumer trusts a brand or not, so it should be a priority in any social media strategy.

Measuring Success

A company can't just hope for the best; marketing is a game of numbers, and businesses need to know what's working to improve future marketing efforts. It's essential first to establish KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to know if a social media strategy will help reach a goal.

Among others, these could be:

●New followers

●Brand mentions

●Clicks

●Shares

●Conversions

Knowing which KPIs to track will help brands understand what they are doing right and what could be improved.

Social media marketing isn't just about posting images or updates every once in a while. Every step takes planning and careful execution to give a business the best chance of success.

About Christopher Lee

Christopher Lee is the Marketing Manager at WNY Holdings LLC, a customer-focused digital marketing company that was started in 2018 to provide tailored marketing strategies for small businesses. Christopher Lee assists clients with all their digital marketing needs, from content marketing, web, and graphic design, media creation, SEO, all the way to Facebook advertising.