Those who are looking to run a small business in the modern era need to make sure they understand how marketing has changed during the last few years. In the past, business owners used to rely on TV commercials, radio spots, and direct mail marketing to reach potential customers. While these tools still certainly have their place in a comprehensive advertising campaign, the cornerstone of most digital marketing campaigns today is digital marketing.
One of the most important tools that business owners need to leverage in their digital marketing plans is a social media marketing package. Social media is a powerful tool that business owners can use to reach an unprecedented number of people with the click of a button. When looking at a social media marketing plan, there are a few key tips to keep in mind.
Why Do Small Business Owners Need a Social Media Marketing Plan?
There are numerous reasons why small business owners need to have a plan when it comes to social media marketing; however, the biggest reason is the sheer number of people who use social media on a daily basis. There are hundreds of millions of people who use social media platforms regularly and some of the most popular platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. While small businesses do not have to have a profile on all of these platforms, small business owners need to have profiles on the platforms that their potential customers use. How can small business owners figure out which platforms their target market uses? This is where a social media marketing plan is helpful.
In addition to figuring out how to reach the target market, a social media marketing plan will also help small business owners figure out how to allocate their resources, how to reach their followers, and how to collect their feedback. All of this will help small business owners maximize their social media marketing investment.
What Are the Best Plans for Social Media Marketing?
There are numerous ways that small business owners can approach social media marketing; however, the best plans are going to have a few common themes. First, the best social media marketing plans are going to have goals that are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-related
This will help business owners define their social media marketing plans in an objective way. In this manner, their social media marketing plans will be easier to track. By tracking the right metrics, small business owners, will be able to tell whether or not their social media marketing plans are meeting their goals. Some of the most important metrics that small business owners need to track include:
- Followers
- Shares
- Comments
- Likes
- Mentions
- Clicks
- Subscriptions
- Dwell time
- Bounce rate
Even though there are lots of ways to come up with a social media marketing plan, the best plans are going to share these common themes. When social media marketing plans are objective in nature, they are more effective.
5 Best Social Media Marketing Plan Templates
When coming up with a social media marketing plan, it is a good idea to work with a template that will help business owners structure their plans in a consistent manner. Some of the best templates for social media marketing plans include:
1. The Social Media Strategy Template:
The social media strategy template helps small business owners align their social media marketing plans with the goals of the business. With this template, it is easy to see how each goal is tied to specific metrics. This plan makes it easier for businesses to target their ideal customers and gather intelligence on the competition, allowing them to remain ahead.
2. The Social Media Audit Template:
The goal of this template is to show what is and is not working with regard to the business’s social media marketing plan. Then, by seeing the pros and cons of the current plan, small business owners can figure out what to do next.
3. The Social Media Content Calendar:
This is a critical social media marketing plan that helps business owners remain organized. This template can help business owners identify gaps in their marketing and publishing dates, helping them fill up their event calendars with an ideal content mix. With this social media marketing template, it is possible for business owners to keep their content fresh.
4. The Social Media Analytics Report Template:
We live in an era of big data and this data is relevant to the world of social media marketing as well. Some of the analytics that small business owners can track using this social media marketing template include followers gained, followers, lost, shares, engagement, views, clicks, and conversions.
5. Social Media Image Sizes:
Images and videos are among the most important parts of every social media marketing campaign. At the same time, marketers need to make sure they know how big the images should be for each platform. This type of social media marketing template is relevant to just about every social media strategy because it focuses on the importance of graphics.
These are just a few of the top social media marketing templates that business owners can use. Because every small business is different, some templates might work better for some businesses than others. Take the time to review some of these templates and find the social media marketing plan that works best for the company’s goals.
Rely on Trained Professionals for Social Media Marketing
When it comes to social media marketing, there is a lot to keep in mind. Business owners are busy trying to run a company, so it makes sense that they might not have a chance to keep up with the latest trends in social media marketing. That is where trained professionals can be helpful. Anyone who is looking for professionals who can handle social media marketing should rely on the services from BizIQ. With exceptional customer service and unparalleled results, it is easy to see why social media marketing services from BizIQ are in such high demand.