Everyone knows how important social media is for business today.
That’s where your customers are. That is where prospects go for information. If you aren’t using social media, then those prospects and customers will find your competitor – not you.
To grow your business you need to implement a social media plan. You must set goals and execute. This is where many marketing teams struggle.
Not to worry – we have easy-to-use strategies that will put your social media marketing into overdrive.
SMART Social Media Marketing Goals
Many companies struggle to make an impact with social media. Making an impact starts with goals.
Basing your goals around “likes” for a post isn’t going to change the fortune of your company. That’s where SMART goals can help. A SMART goal is:
- Specific – the team should know exactly what the goal is.
- Measurable – you should have a quantifiable measure of progress.
- Attainable – Unrealistic goals do nothing to benefit your business.
- Relevant – Every goal should present a clear benefit.
- Timely – Set a deadline that your team can work to achieve.
How to Use SMART Goals for Social Media Marketing
SMART goals guide your social media marketing, and your marketing team, toward success. When used successfully, they ensure work is focused on growing the business, and not just posting updates for the sake of filling your feed.
Let’s look at how you leverage SMART goals in Social Media Marketing:
Start with your business goals
Before setting any social goals, ask yourself where your business wants to go. Do you need more business and more leads? Are you entering a new market or launching a new service? Your social goals should be based around the business goals – growing the business.
How can we get there?
Once you know the business goal, consider how your social media marketing can get you there. What objectives do you need to reach to achieve your goal? These objectives should be your Social Media Marketing goals. Sharpen that goal by making sure they fit the criteria of a SMART goal.
Measure and track progress
Set measurements that track progress toward objectives. Regularly assess progress – check early and often. Use the assessments to determine if you need to make an adjustment in your strategy.
Determine and forecast the ROI for Social Media Marketing
Consider your expected ROI for any social media marketing campaign. You should forecast an ROI (profit or otherwise) for any social media activity, and then track progress toward that return. Ultimately, the success or failure of any marketing campaign is determined by the ROI.
Social Media Goals for your Marketing
Let’s take a look at a few useful goals you can use in your social media marketing. Keep in mind, every business is different, and your goals may not exactly match the goals we have here, but they’ll provide guidance as you set your objectives:
Conversions and sales
Look for sales-focused metrics like your click-through rate on an ad. Another metric might be how many conversions were generated with an ad, and how many of those leads led to a sale.
Community engagement
Smart marketing companies like Hubspot have adopted a flywheel model for business growth. That requires an engaged community. Track community engagement with metrics like audience growth, net promoter score, or the amplification rate.
Brand awareness
You can’t make a sale if no one knows your business exists, or what products or services you sell. Track the shares, the number of impressions, and the reach of posts to measure brand awareness.
Lead nurturing
For most products and services, a sales is no longer a single event. This is where lead nurturing comes in. Track prospects social engagement during the buyer’s journey – impressions and touchpoints. Is the lead engaged with your content?
Using SMART Goals and Social Media
By linking your business goals and your social media marketing, you can turn your social feeds into a driver for business growth.
Contact the experts on the digital marketing team at GO2 for more tips and strategies for growing your business with social media marketing.
