Do you hear a lot about social media strategy but don't know how to apply it to your business? In this note we provide you with the answers.

You have a product or service ready to go out into the world but you don't know how to make it known. If this scenario sounds familiar to you, we invite you to continue reading because we have information that could be of great help here. It is that, if you did not know, part of having a brand implies thinking about its promotion and dissemination. For this reason, from Sabio Marketing we want to stop and tell you about the social media strategy and the value it will bring to your company. It will be a pleasant tour that we recommend you take into account before disembarking with your ideas on any platform.

Our great purpose is for you to stand out from the competition in the most original and effective way possible.. But before making it happen we need you to do a exhaustive study about certain aspects of your business and those that are not related to your business. This will allow you to provide your customers with better content that also meets their needs and interests. It is not about jumping into the water without a prior plan to follow. Better still, we have to think coldly what to publish, through which channel and why to do it. And you will find all these answers by paying attention to each of the following sections. 

Why do they talk to me about social media strategy if I only want to sell?

One thing will lead to another. It is no secret that virtual platforms opened the way to a new type of market capable of blowing up sales. However, Reaching the right audience with the right message is no easy matter, much less a friend of chance. In this sense, the strategy in social networks that you apply will be the ally so that your efforts become future recognition. 

Study what happens inside and outside

To develop a social media strategys that is oriented to your company, you should carry out a internal and external analysis. In the first case, it will be focused on the current state of your business, while the second will be on the competition. 

What tools and movements have been developed so far in the brand's social networks? Did they give results or were they lost in time? These triggers can help you when visualizing How do you position yourself on virtual platforms?. On the other hand, observing the performance of your competitors will also be useful to measure if you are doing things right. And in the event that this is not the case, you can improve your strategy in social networks by comparing it with those of the rest. Although it is not about copying, or obsessing; but it will be one more parameter. 

What good is the show without an audience?

There is a famous saying that says: “He who covers a lot does not squeeze much”. Now it's time to apply it to your brand and to your customers. What do we mean by this? you will need to outline with specificity who you will target on social media. Which it involves go out and find your target audience, which will be real people, with unique lifestyles and interests. If we are not clear about this aspect, we will run the risk of our message being lost among the wrong recipients. 

Turn weaknesses into strengths

Have you ever heard of the SWOT analysis? It consists of a complete scheme used to study in depth the strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats that concern your company. Although this system is popular in the business world, you can also apply it to your social media strategy.

Now, strengths and weaknesses will require you to take a look inside your brand. While you can only find threats and opportunities if you investigate your competition. In summary, in the first point we will analyze the internal factors of your business, and in the second, the external ones. And don't forget: where you run into your failures, don't be discouraged; better think about what is material to evolve.

Never lose sight of the target

Have breakfast, lunch, dinner and dream at night thinking about the objectives of your brand until you define them. But not only the general ones and those related to financial aspects, but those strictly related to social networks. What do you expect from them? What are the purposes you intend to use them in your brand?

A valid way to answer could be using the SMART rule. Which indicates with its acronym in English that your objectives must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and applicable over time. Although you can also make use of your SWOT framework to gain inspiration. If you follow these guidelines, your social media strategy will be very clear about where to act.

Choose your social network wisely

We believe that knowledge is power, so we invite you to find out more about the available platforms. One of the purposes of your social media strategy is to decide what will be the right scenario to communicate with your target audience..

We know that social networks allow us to connect with other people, but not all do it the same way. It will be your clients who guide the compass of your business, indicating the platform that they prefer the most. So you will have to listen to them and pay attention to them to know where to land successfully. 

It is useless to be in five places at the same time if our public is concentrated in only one. Don't rush, take the time to study the available options. 

There is no social media strategy worth without quality content

Content, content and more content. The time has come to start thinking about the type of content you want to publish through the chosen platform. Also the message that you will send to your current and potential clients. Here it will be extremely important that whatever you decide walks hand in hand with the objectives of your business.

Posting random information will only serve to misstep you. So you should first consider the types of content that exist in the market. Then, you can determine which of all will best suit your brand and serve the public. Finally, whatever your social media strategy, focus on making it valuable and not just for promotional purposes.

Calendar so you don't waste time

You have already defined the types of topics you want to address and it remains to be determined when do it. The content calendar will help you to organize yourself in the actions and movements that you have armed for your company. That is, a roadmap that will contain the publications that you will share through your networks, and according to their order of priority.

The frequency and dates will also be recorded there, which will allow you to visualize the tasks planned for each day of the week. Likewise, it will include the objective to which the action responds and the description of the consigned work. And no less important, you will be able to incorporate in writing the hashtags that you will use in each publication. Have you seen? A very complete social media strategy so you don't miss anything.

Promotion and diffusion so that everyone talks about your brand

How will you put your business on people's lips? Yes, planning. An infallible pillar within the strategy in social networks is the diffusion and promotion. Hey, we are as eager as you are for you to rise to fame for the excellence of your products or services. We are on this journey together, now we just have to launch it to conquer the world. So this step will be essential to achieve it.

To reach your audience and increase sales, you have paid and free options. Within the first group you will have platforms such as Instagram or Facebook that offer you their advertising proposals. But if you still have a limited budget you can use other ways. For example, hashtags will help you gain visibility, as well as contests and raffles. While the discounts will help you buy more. Keep digging and you will find endless useful ideas for your social media strategy in this section.

Measure the performance of your social media strategy

Your business will require a constant search to improve and improve with each movement. For this, you will need measurement parameters that indicate if your strategies in social networks Are they performing well or not?. It consists of the last step of the process in which you have been working with such enthusiasm.

Each platform has its own statistics so that users can analyze the impact of their publications. Likewise, there are tools and applications that will bring you the specific information you need. This will make it possible for you to observe at what times it is convenient for you to post the content, as well as segment your customers through various features. For example, you will be able to determine their age range, sex and even place of residence.

Finally, the measurement will be useful to establish what types of content generate more interaction among your audience. That is, what information they prefer to see and is useful to them, to the point of saving the publications in their accounts. We recommend that you regularly monitor the data, whether weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. So you can compare the evolution in a stable index of time. 

Bonus track 1: never stop updating yourself

In this tour you were able to learn everything you need to build your strategy on social networks. However, the technological world is constantly being updated, which generates changes that you have to be aware of. You should not rest on your laurels of what you are doing well because your business can always be better. Although we are not making a call to nonconformity, quite the contrary.

We would like to invite you to study and inquire about the resources and advances that are coming to the digital market. Make it a habit for your brand from here on out. That way you will be the first to find out about the news available and you will move safely on the social networks of your business. 

Bonus track 2: tools that will become your best friends

Did you think we were going to say goodbye without throwing you a few winks? Applications to improve your social media strategy? Of course not, so let's continue: 

• hootsuit: It is one of the most popular social media management apps. It allows you to manage various platforms, such as YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, etc., within the same panel. Although it offers paid options, it also has a very convenient free plan, where it is possible to manage up to three simultaneous accounts.
• Metricool: It allows you to organize and plan content, as well as keep track of your social networks. It is an intuitive platform, easy to use and free. Thanks to it, you will be able to evaluate in real time the impact that your social media strategies are having on your audience. 
• Later: Excellent option to manage your brand's Instagram account. With its help you can easily publish and schedule content. One of its particularities is that it recommends the best times to make your posts. In addition, it allows you to use it from a PC or from your mobile. 
• Canvas: We love Canva! It is that creativity was never so close to his hand. Easy to learn, this tool opens the way to designing original graphic publications and calls for inspiration. The program is very simple and contains tricks to make you stand out from the competition.  

It was time to leave, although we would love for you to continue learning with our company in the future. As you have seen, the strategy in social networks is an art in itself that it is convenient to know how to exploit. The options of making your business successful are multiplying more and more. It is only a matter of making friends with new technologies and updating yourself with the news they have to offer us. And remember: if you need help, Sabio Marketing will be your best ally during the process.. See you soon!