The Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media Marketing Strategy and Spending

A recent survey conducted by Hootsuite found that 48% of Americans have interacted with at least one company on social media. Social strategy has become a more valuable marketing tool than ever, yet with constantly changing technology and consumer perspectives, it’s often difficult for brands to know what is and isn’t going to move the needle when it comes to social media presence. 

If you are in need of a digital marketing strategy assessment or are looking for ideas on how your brand can utilize social to the best of its ability, here are some things to keep in mind.

DO: Find the Right Platform for Your Audience

Having a preliminary understanding of your target demographic is just as essential as knowing your business. If you know your audience, you will be able to better craft a brand voice, profile and strategy.

“The first step is to make sure that your audience is utilizing the platform,” said Preston Kendig, Manager of Digital Strategy at Webstategies, Inc. “From a very basic level, find out if your audience is on the platform, using the platform and that it makes sense for your client to engage with your product on said platform.”

For example, Kendig said, it makes more sense for some brands to engage on Facebook than others. “Within that, there are so many different variables and approaches, so it is important to find what works best for your brand.”

DO: Look Beyond Surface Metrics

Once your brand determines its online target demographic, making sure that audience is engaging with the content you’re creating on your chosen platform is a whole new challenge. 

“Ultimately, it is all about setting a clear business goal and measuring the impact,” said Kendig. “If it is not working, cut it off—don’t keep trying something that isn’t working. It goes beyond looking at surface metrics.”

Rhonda Sanderson, the owner of PR firm Sanderson & Associates, agrees that companies must dig deeper than just simple metrics. “In their desperation to quantify every result, brands are doing themselves a disservice,” said Sanderson. “There are two sides to this plate. Showcase your company’s valuable attributes, don’t brag about likes and followers.”

While self-promotion is effective, brands should be more concerned with creating an interactive and user-friendly experience in order to ensure their audience is responding to the content. 

According to Kendig, a company can very easily spend a lot of money on social media marketing and receive an influx of impressions and clicks, but if brands want to translate those clicks into sales, they need to track the effectiveness of their posts in more meaningful ways. 

“It is essential that businesses go one step further and find out if those clicks are translating into good leads,” said Kendig. “Are they converting into clients and helping you achieve your business goals? If the answer is no, make a change.” 

DO: Plan Your Budget

Calculating a social media marketing budget varies greatly from franchise to franchise. Larger, more established brands have more freedom to experiment, while emerging brands may need to exert more caution.

“From a business perspective, it is important to calculate how social media fits into your specific budget,” said Kendig. “Think of how much you need to spend on marketing. Within that, how much you need to spend on digital marketing, digital advertising, and finally, social media. Although it is different for every brand, recently we’ve found that around 60% of most of our clients’ digital ad budgets are spent on Google Search,” said Kendig. “About 10% is being spent on things like Google Display and at the most, 30% of their digital advertising budgets are being spent on social media.”

DO: Invest in Creative Elements

“Instead of sales, focus on engagement,” said Sanderson. “People are much quicker to remember one negative comment or bad experience.”

The more a company can invest in creative elements such as storytelling or graphics and imagery, the better the company’s social media presence will perform. 

“The goal is to make sure the customers of these websites such as Facebook or Twitter have a good experience,” said Kendig. “Because of the algorithms that are already in place, if your ad helps drive the customer to have a good experience, then it will be sure to succeed.” 

DON’T: Launch Without Goals

“One common mistake is setting things up without an audience in mind,” said Kendig.

If a company launches a social media marketing strategy without setting clear goals, it can be very difficult to grow. Without an audience in place, too many brands get stuck in a habit simply because it is the way they’ve always done it. Being quick to adjust and try new things is a key component of any successful social media strategy. 

If you are not experienced in social strategy, think about hiring a resource or social media expert that is familiar with your target platforms to make sure your goals are clearly defined and obtainable. 

DON’T: Make Your Social Media Look Like an Advertisement

“You want your advertising to be as native feeling as possible,” said Kendig. ”Instead of making it look like a flashy ad, think about whether or not it is something you would want to see if you were scrolling through your news feed yourself.” 

Sanderson agreed. “If you make a page too sales-y, it doesn’t work on social media. For example, if you are a massage therapy franchise, instead of advertising a coupon on Instagram, ask what your audience is doing to relax that day. You don’t want people to immediately think of a post as an advertisement.”

In Sanderson’s experience, when brands try to mix social media and advertising, it doesn’t work. Instead of subjective marketing, brands should focus on communicating objectively through their social media presence.