How Do I Start Social Media Marketing For My Business?
Published: July 28, 2021
Reading Time: 10 minutes
Social media marketing and digital strategies go hand in hand. In fact, when it comes to your digital strategy it is impossible to ignore the importance of social media marketing. With the click of a button, you can tell your brand story, drive engagement with your business account and even grow an online community. It may seem simple enough to manage a social platform, but the reality is building an authentic social media following is harder than it looks. Contrary to popular belief you can’t just hire a young person and call it a day – we’re not all digital experts okay?
Maybe your social media lacks focus and you’re not currently seeing a return on your investment, or perhaps social has never been a part of your digital strategy before and you’d like to implement a bespoke strategy that will drive traffic to your site. Either way, our in-house team can help you and your team understand the power of social media.
Why should I choose Priority Pixels for my social media marketing?
🧠 You’re paying for our brains
We’ve been quite clever about how we’ve built our team. It’s made up of a diverse collection of experts, brainiacs and creatives. When you walk through our door, you’re not just getting a social media plan – think of it as a spa break for your business. We’ll look after everything, from your social media to your web design. Pop some cucumber over your eyes, sit back and relax.
💭 We’re transparent with our clients
Priority Pixels will never kid you into thinking your strategy is already brilliant, and we’re not going to promise that you will go viral. We will however make sure that you have a solid brand identity and online community which can grow sustainably with your business.
👀 Our social media experts are passionate about finding new ways to drive your brand’s visibility
Whether it is keeping on top of changes in algorithms, or spending time testing new features, we’re really excited about putting your brand at the cutting edge of social media.
📈 We’re creative people, but we also understand the importance of your ROI (return on investment)
While there’s nothing better than being driven by inspiration, our team also understands that numbers are crucial to achievement. We will pour over analytics and ensure that we’re using data to drive sales and inform our creativity.
Which platform will suit my business and social media marketing strategy?
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to social media, and often businesses will use a combination of platforms to reach their potential audience. Each platform has a different focus; a different algorithm and a different audience.
With over 2.38 billion monthly active users, Facebook’s usership is truly a global network. Despite whispers that Facebook is only used by your Mum & Dad, the platform’s largest demographic is still populated by a whopping 42% of 18 – 34-year-olds in the UK. Your mum and dad do buy stuff though, which makes it a vital part of your digital marketing strategy.
Twitter is the perfect platform to keep up with the latest trends and communicate with your audience. Content on Twitter tends to be topical and may benefit businesses that have an older audience with more disposable income.
Instagram is probably the most exciting tool in your social media arsenal. A millennial channel, with a dash of self-care culture and a hefty helping of meme culture, Instagram’s visual focus is the perfect shop window for your products. Around 30.1% of Instagram’s users are between the ages of 25 and 34, with women using the channel marginally more than men by just a smidgen. 80% of users actively visit business profiles every day, and if their recently announced strategy is anything to go by, Instagram is fast becoming the platform of small businesses, making it easier than ever to shop on the platform.
When you’re looking to target high net worth individuals or those in a particular field of business, Linkedin should be your go-to platform. Linkedin is the only platform that offers the opportunity to directly target consumers in a professional capacity, making it a stellar choice for any business, but particularly those in the luxury and B2B sectors.
Social media marketing 101: What is the difference between organic and paid social?
At Priority Pixels, we offer both organic and paid social.
Organic social refers to the free content (posts, photos, video, memes, Stories, etc.) that all users, including businesses and brands, share with each other on their feeds. If your channels are growing organically, then that means you are receiving engagement and followers without paying for advertising.
Paid Social includes paid advertising, ‘sponsored’ posts or Influencer Marketing. Whilst this is a slightly different strategy to Organic Social, there are a few overlaps in the way that we approach the process. It is important to note that Paid Social is not included in the monthly Social Package, but can be added as part of your strategy.
Post Creation
Specialist content creation is vital to having a successful social media presence. Our in house team are committed to creating engaging and shareable content for your platform using a variety of techniques.
📸 Photography
Create exciting visual content using stunning stock photography, or images supplied by the client.
📹 Understanding Video
Creating shareable content is key to social media success, and there is nothing more shareable than video content. We can create highly shareable video content using stock video or video supplied by the client. ( We can supply videography at an extra cost)
✍️ Creative copywriting
Developing your online voice is key to social media success. Our creative copywriters will work to deliver a consistent and engaging voice for your brand.
💿 Specialist software and optimal timing
Using specialist software, we can schedule posts ahead of time to ensure that posts get as much engagement as they can.
What next? A bit of banter and a good ol’ cuppa
With our in-house specialists at your disposal, we’ll dig deep into your brand to deliver the best social media strategy for your business.
The best things start with a cup of tea. Before we can begin to work on a strategy, we’ll get to know a bit more about you and your business. You’re welcome to come to the office to meet the team, have a conversation via zoom or on the telephone. At this point, we’re just scratching the surface, but we will need a bit of information about how you’d like to use social media.
A little bit like your GP, we’re going to need some background information before we work on a diagnosis. Some things that you might want to think about before we chat:
⚕️ Where does it hurt? Once we know what you’re struggling with, we’ll know how to help.
🩺 Is it chronic pain or something new? Tell us when your problems started.
👩⚕️ Have you been taking any medication at all? If you have been trying to solve your problems, how have you gone about it?
🏥 What are your goals for your business? Have you set any? How are you working towards these? Tell us what you want, what you really really want. Okay, so this is a bit of a mixed metaphor unless your GP is a Spice Girls fan – but you get it.
Your social media marketing strategy
Once we understand your business goals a little better, we’ll start thinking about your social media strategy. You might want to pin these questions to the fridge and have a ponder over your morning coffee. Don’t worry if you’re still unsure, we can chat about it together when we meet.
🤷♀️ Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. Do these mean anything to you? Is your business currently using any of these in any way?
🥇 Obviously, you want to make more money, but what are your social media goals? Do you want to win friends? Influence people?
👌 If you’ve used social media for business before, how has that worked out for you? Did you get the results you wanted?
⏱ Long or short term? Do you want a complete overhaul of your social brand, or are you looking at a short term social strategy?
💰 Let’s get it out of the way. You should have a budget for your social strategy. If you don’t already have one, you’ll have to put one in place, so we can focus on how we get the most out of your campaign.
Like driving an automatic car for the first time, it can feel a bit alien at first but once you’ve tried, you’ll never drive a manual again. Take it from our director, Mr Paul Clapp, who refused to drive an automatic car for years – until he finally gave in. Now he walks into the office every morning with a big smile on his face.
The audit: research and discovery
Nearly everything we do at Priority Pixels starts with research and discovery.
This is where it gets a bit geeky. Once we’ve had a chat, we’ll start to dig a bit deeper. Some people like to call it an audit but we call it research and discovery.
“If you want to be a good archeologist, you gotta get out of the library!” – One of the Indiana Jones movies
Sure, we’ve got an idea of what your product is, but we’ve still got to get up close and personal with it. We’ll scour your analytics, get to know your brand and pour over any social media accounts that you’re already using. This will give us a good idea of what we’re working with. From these foundations, we’ll begin to build the house.
Knock Knock, who’s there? It’s me, Hetty Hockey sticks! (Or Peter Plumber or Gerry Gentleman… or …)
We never make assumptions about your audience. We’ll collect the data to best determine who your audience might be. This can be a really exciting time! Sometimes it might be who you least expect, ultimately unlocking those dead-end doors you might have been facing.
We’ll create some audience personas so you can understand who your online community might be, and how to talk to them. It might be that each persona lives on a different platform, or that several exist in the same place. You might want to switch up your communication depending on which platform you’re using, but we’ll go through that with you when we chat.
Getting Cosy With The Competition
You can learn a lot from watching what everyone else is up to. We will identify five of your strongest competitors (at a minimum). These may be brands within the same industry or companies with a similar audience to yours. For instance, a candle company might also have things in common with an interior design company or a lifestyle blog. If somebody is successfully reaching your audience, we want to know about it.
Smart Social Media Marketing Goals
Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound. Yes, it sounds like a bit of marketing jargon, but it’s actually a pretty nifty way of ensuring that your strategy maintains a razor-sharp focus.
Ready. Set. Go!
Once we’ve done the geeky bit, we’ll get to work on the creative stuff. It’s time to focus on the story.
Our social media executive will brief the team on your bespoke plan. Every month, we’ll put everything together to build your social brand. We’ll focus on building a community and creating shareable, meaty content which can go the distance.
Although it is not essential, you might want to think about professional photography or videography at this point. Although it’s not a part of our social media package, but it is something we can help with.
Let’s get geeky!
Every month we will schedule content for your channels and constantly monitor your data to ensure maximum engagement. We’ll also maintain consistent communication with your audience.
Using the best analytics tools, we’ll test the effectiveness of the strategy by tracking metrics such as likes, engagement, click-through and conversion rates. Based on that data, we can tweak your strategy accordingly.
Social media strategy never actually ends. It’s about developing a voice that fits seamlessly with the rest of your business goals. For that reason, we’ll schedule regular catch-ups so we can review how it’s going and share ideas for how to develop your strategy.
Social media marketing with Priority Pixels
Priority Pixels is Devon’s best-kept secret. We’ve been engineering bespoke digital and social media marketing strategies since 2016. Our team is small but mighty, boasting a wealth of knowledge and expertise from web design and development to content marketing.
If you are after a social media marketing strategy that really works, please do get in touch.
FAQs
How will you get to know me and my business?
Our Digital Accounts Manager loves a chat. To kick start your relationship with Priority Pixels, our DAM will set up a meeting with you followed by a series of emails with plenty of questions. We have both an informal and formal approach to social media marketing – mostly we just want to know who you are and what it is you really do.
By understanding your business we can better understand your audience – and generally, if your customers are happy then everything else will naturally fall into place.
How do you create a social media strategy?
Creating a social media marketing strategy may look easy but the reality is it’s a lot more complex than most people think. It starts by setting realistic goals accordingly and analysing your target demographic. From there you can gather data and decide which platforms you’d like to use – it’s also crucial to evaluate your competitors. Look at the content they’re creating and the engagement they’re receiving. We’re not suggesting you copy but it’s always worth seeing what your competition is up to. We call this a ‘social media audit’.
Next, a thorough social media strategy is drafted, including content and copy for your posts. Visuals and mockups are created with mood boards – Priority likes to use Pinterest for what our social media manager calls ‘inspo’.
Lastly, we create a content calendar that maps out exactly when your posts are going out and at what time.
What does a social media strategy include?
A social media strategy includes a thorough plan of each social media platform, including a caption and/or content for each post. These strategies are usually prepped months in advance to make time for any changes or nuances to your plan. Visuals are created and approved.
A social media marketing strategy also includes any paid advertising and/or boosted posts that will be implemented.
Will you create social media profiles if I don't have any?
Priority Pixels can build your social media channels from scratch if needed, meaning we can create each account for you using your own email address and other details. You will have full access to the accounts.
What type of content should my business post?
The type of content you create will depend on what your business and organisation offers in terms of services and/products, as well as the type of brand awareness you’d like to cultivate online.
What do you need from me, to create the content?
We can assist you with content creation. Depending on your brand you may want to think about influencer marketing or our photography or copywriting service. All we need from you is an honest and transparent approach – we want to know what makes you and your business tick! What are your goals? Are they realistic? What branding awareness do you want to cultivate? Let’s chat.
How do I send you content?
Priority Pixels use Dropbox to send content to both our clients and each other in the office. We are also experienced with Google Docs and Whatsapp.
How do you schedule posting of content?
We use Facebook Business to schedule on Facebook and Instagram, and TweetDeck to schedule posts on Twitter.
In the past, we’ve also used Sprout Social and Hootsuite.
How many times a day should I post content?
Working out how often to post to your social media channels can be a tricky business, and usually comes down to the needs of your business. A newspaper might post as much as six to eight times a day while a small bakery might only post once or twice a day. Post too often and your audience will feel bombarded and may even unfollow you, but post too little and your audience may disengage and lose interest.
We recommend posting at least once a day Monday through to Friday, with the option of posting on Saturday and/or Sunday if you wish. It’s also important to factor in ‘topical’ posts such as relevant news stories and other spontaneous content that can’t be planned for,
Can I delete or change posts?
Depending on your chosen social media channels you may be able to edit your posts after publishing them – however, we don’t recommend it. It’s better to build a thorough and well thought out social media strategy.
Instagram does have a fantastic ‘archiving’ feature that allows you to ‘archive’ your posts without deleting anything. If you’re concerned about your Insta-grid then archiving can help you work out what to remove and what is worth keeping
When do you begin scheduling posts?
Priority will begin scheduling posts after your social media audit has given us the data we need. Only after we’ve planned your content calendar and had it approved by you will we start posting and scheduling content.
How do you measure the success of my social media campaign?
We measure the success of the campaign by looking at two important factors:
How much engagement have you received on your post?
How many likes, comments and shares are you receiving? Has your post reached the right people? We analyse this information to make sure we’re on the right track.
How much traffic has been driven to your site?
Secondly, how much traffic has been driven to your site? Are you generating leads and conversions? What’s your bounce rate? We can use this information to tailor your website and social media channels to the needs of your business.
How do you handle negative comments received on social media?
Depending on the negative comments you receive, the team have the expertise with any hate you are having to deal with.
The odd comment here and there can be dealt with in a swift and efficient manner, usually with a simple yet effective reply asking the user to send their feedback through to us directly.
In contrast, continued hate comments can be monitored and limited without the user knowing.
Do you offer paid social media advertising?
Priority Pixels offers assistance with paid social advertising. We can set up and monitor/track your campaigns.
Why should I consider boosting my posts?
Boosting your posts helps to widen the reach of your social media. We can help analyse your current audience using analytics from your social media channels and website, and then use paid advertising to target specific demographics.
While it’s important to engage with your current audience, boosting your posts can help get the message out there that you have a product or service worth following.
Can you help me run a competition on social media?
The team at Priority boasts a wealth of knowledge and expertise when it comes to social media, including the management of campaigns and competitions.
We can assist and advise you on your competition, including prizes and how often you should post.
Why is social media important for businesses?
Consumers these days are demanding more transparency and honesty from brands. With so much fierce competition online, it’s safe to say without a social media presence you will be left behind.
Social media allows businesses and organisations to build brand awareness and recognition by interacting directly with their audience. Utilising your channels is more than just replying to comments and posting the odd meme – by curating a well thought out, on-brand social media presence you can drive traffic to your website, generate leads and conversions and gain valuable insights into your target audience.
Why should I outsource social media management?
While you could just hire a young person and call it a day (they all know about the internet right?), outsourcing your social media management to a professional agency gives your business or organisation access to an entire team of knowledgeable experts with a wealth of experience – for a fraction of the cost.
Passing the management of your online channels to a social media marketing agency also means you’ll have more time to focus on the important stuff – like growing your business.
Can you help our in-house social media planner?
Our own team can work closely with your in-house rep to build a functioning social media marketing strategy that will build the engagement and brand awareness you’re seeking.
What social media platforms do you work with?
Priority Pixels works with Facebook, Linked In, Twitter and Instagram.
What social media platforms should I choose?
Say you’re a tailor who crafts beautiful suits and your target audience is professional men and women between the ages of 25 and 44, then you may prefer LinkedIn and Facebook. It may also be worth checking out Instagram to show the visual aspect of your brand.
In contrast, if you run a small vegan bakery with an audience predominantly comprised of women between the ages of 18 and 34, then Instagram and Facebook are perfect for reaching your target audience.
Choosing the platform that is right for the needs of you and your business is hugely important. At the end of the day, it comes down to what product or service you’re providing and who your target audience is.
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