Strategizing for Social Media Success

One of the most common issues we face with social media is determining the return on investment for our clients. At Etna Interactive, we are a very data-driven marketing company. Any chance we have, we are collecting stats, monitoring Google Analytics, tracking site visitation, and — most importantly — pulling keyword rankings. With social media, though, proving value behind our efforts has been a challenge.

To help solve this dilemma, we have been proactively planning social media strategy plans for our clients that range from 3 to 12 months in duration. This allows us to do a few things:

1. Analyze their current social media presence. What platforms are they active on? How many fans or followers do they have? What is their demographic? How are they performing compared with their competition?
2. Set goals. Popular goals for our clients include: increase the number of fans, increase leads from social media, increase fan engagement, and drive product sales.
3. Develop a plan that promotes cross-promotion and proactive planning. Would they benefit most from us doing their daily posting and monitoring of fan comments? Are we going to focus on optimizing their Twitter presence? Should we run a quarterly campaign through Facebook and email marketing?
4. Measure progress! Facebook Insights has metrics for reach, engagement, people talking about this, and more, which help to show our clients that there is far more to the puzzle than just increasing your fan numbers. (Facebook just recently updated the tool to also include a People Engaged report.) Getting an understanding of your audience members and how they differ between the platforms will help you better reach your customers and attract new followers.

After the plan is complete, we sit down and evaluate our progress so we can restrategize for the next plan. Social media is typically a slow-growing process. It’s about word-of-mouth, building brand loyalty, and developing a community for your customers to share their experiences and reconnect. Don’t rush the process — grow organically and enjoy the ride!

Take a look at one of our longtime clients, Kaufman & Clark Plastic Surgery, for some content ideas for your own Facebook page!