Social media is taking over the online world. We’re finding more and more influencers stepping into the scene to inspire consumers and market new products. And for the modern business, that means developing a comprehensive and workable social media marketing strategy. Let’s take a look at how to create a solid social media marketing strategy in just eight simple steps.

Step 1: Set Goals

Have you ever heard of setting SMART goals? No, that doesn’t mean coming up with a goal involving Google Smart Home devices. What it means is creating goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timed – SMART. Think about how each of these features can apply to your social media strategy and how you can implement a marketing idea that moves toward success.

Step 2: Know Your Audience

When it comes to creating a lasting strategy, you need to know your audience. For example, putting out pictures of dentures on Instagram to bring millennials into your dental practice probably isn’t the best idea. The posts that you make should be relevant to the needs and interests of the customers you’re trying to bring in.

Step 3: Check Out The Competition

While you’re probably trying to stay clear of the competition so you can focus on your own efforts, checking out what your competitors are doing can actually help you be more successful. Analyzing what your competitors are doing can help you get a better idea of what works and what doesn’t.

Step 4: Do An Audit

The moment you start a new social media strategy is the moment you need to take a deep dive into what you’re already doing. Look at what posts bring in likes and comments and which ones don’t. Take a look at the networks your company is succeeding in. By auditing your current efforts you can find new avenues for improvement.

Step 5: Improve on Old Profiles

If you’re going to get to work on social media profiles, you might as well start by improving on what’s already there. Look into your profiles and look for ways you can make them even better. Are you missing a business description? Add one! Have tons of images on Facebook but no video? Link to your youtube channel!

Step 6: Build A Content Calendar

Part of launching a successful social media strategy is planning. Setting up a content calendar that outlines posts you plan to make and creates a timeline helps you to tell a story with your social media profiles. Plus, you can increase posts during popular times of the day.

Step 7: Find Inspiration

The great thing about social media is that there are plenty of ideas out there to get you inspired! Take a look at what the competition is doing or look through influencer posts to draw inspiration and get new ideas for your own strategies.

Step 8: Test, Measure, Adjust

Once you’ve created and implemented your strategy, it’s time to test your progress. Measure your results and see where you’ve made progress and where you’ve had setbacks. Then, adjust your strategy accordingly so that you can keep on moving toward success.