Almost all entrepreneurs today know that social media marketing is the ‘next big thing’ and should be taken advantage of. Recent surveys conducted online pointed that “a whopping 92% of marketers claimed that social media marketing proved beneficial for their business as they saw increased traffic to their websites”. Still, a large chunk of entrepreneurs are not aware of the best media tools. Because the capability to grow a business via such networks is limitless. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, Tumblr – these are some of the most popular networks each company needs to have active presence on. Here is a guide with which you can take control of your social channels and give it a much needed facelift for the year 2015.

1. Create social media objectives and goals

Whatever goals you wish to achieve, you need to create them. This allows you to quickly react when you think that your social media campaigns are not going the way you want them to be. Your goals should depend on S.M.A.R.T parameters which ascribe to being Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound.

2. Conduct a social media audit

Before creating your social media marketing strategy, an important social media marketing tip would be that you assess your existing social media use. Obtain answers to questions like –

• Who all are connected to you via social media
• Which social media sites your target audience uses the most
• How is your social media presence when compared to your competitors

Conducting an audit at regular intervals will give you a clear picture of each social account. You will come to know which accounts need to be deleted altogether and which need to be updated.

Source: http://blog.buzzoole.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/social-media-strategy1.jpg

3. Create/Improve your social accounts

As soon as you have audited your social accounts, it is time to hone your web presence. At this point of time, you need to be selective in choosing what networks will meet your social media objectives. If you do have existing accounts, it’s time to update them for best possible results. However, if you do not have, build them from scratch keeping broader objectives and your audience in mind. This is because every social network has different audience which should be treated differently. What is important is that you optimize profiles for SEO that can help generate more web traffic to the site.

4. Create a content plan & editorial calendar for social media channels

If you understand that great content is key to succeeding at social media, you will pass a hurdle with ease. Make content marketing plan a part of your social media marketing campaign which should reflect the mission statement. In that pursuit, your content marketing plan should answer the following questions –

• What type of content you intend to post and promote
• Do you know your target audience well
• How often will you post the content
• How will you promote the content

5. Evaluate & adjust your social media marketing plan

To successfully gauge your success, you need to make your social media marketing strategy accordingly. In this world, only CHANGE is permanent and you need to understand that your social media plan should also change constantly. Track page visits using Google Analytics; record and analyze your successes and failures. Incorporate new social channels as they emerge, you may want to add them to your plan.

Rewrite strategy so that you can reflect the latest business insight and if you are unable to do so all by self, contact your nearest social media marketing services provider.

Author Bio:

Kia Barocha is a content marketing strategist at Digital Success Agency, a leading Digital Marketing Agency in Dallas, providing result-oriented local search engine optimization (SEO), pay per click (PPC) management, social media marketing (SMM) consulting and mobile marketing services.