Is Social Media Spreading You Too Thin?

When social media is done effectively its importance cannot be argued. In order to use social media effectively you need to be able to focus time and energy on it. Just like every one of your clients requires a different approach, each social media outlet should be used differently and attracts a different type of audience.

So instead of having a small presence on multiple social platforms why not have an engaging presence on a few sites? Even better, why not have an engaging presence on the social media sites that your target audience is using? Here's what you need to do to narrow down your social media efforts:

1. Identify Your Target Audience

You want to be as specific as possible with your target audience and then just as specific with your social media efforts. What are the demographics of the clients you are targeting? What problems do they have that your expertise can solve? What social media sites are they the most active on?

2. Identify Your Competition

You probably already have an idea of who your competitors are, but are you following their social media efforts? See where they are putting forth a real effort and consider doing the same thing yourself.

3. Create a Social Media Strategy

Now you are ready to create a social strategy. You should NEVER be posting just for the sake of posting. Each and every post should be planned out. You need to consistently post photos to Instagram and tips and tricks to Twitter. You can post the same content on multiple sites but it needs to be portrayed differently based on the platform you're using.

4. Hire Someone to Implement Your Social Strategy

Social marketing is so much more than just posting content. You will most likely need more than one person to properly manage your social media efforts. Whoever is managing your social should be provided with guidelines on how to handle responding to negative or positive comments. Talk to your team and make sure each person know what they are responsible for.

5. Set Up Goals and Measure Your Success

Why are you taking the time to have a social media presence in the first place? Are you trying to create a place to get feedback from your target audience? Are you trying to drive more traffic to your website? Are you trying to showcase your expertise? These goals must be kept at the forefront of your social media efforts. Take the time each month to measure the effectiveness of your social media marketing and adjust if needed.

With these steps in mind, you will be able to identify the sites you should be active on and you will have a better idea of the work needed to keep your sites from looking abandoned. Good luck!

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