Do This Before Starting Your Business Social Media Account
Like most newcomers to the social media for business game, I dove in. I had big ideas, and I was ready to start up these accounts and watch the business come pouring in. My knowledge of social media extended to the use of my own personal accounts, so in my mind, I was a Social Media Marketing guru — after all, I had grown up using Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. How could social media for a business be that different? Turns out, it is. Here are three things I wish I would have done before starting my business accounts.
Strategize
Before creating my pages, I had a broad outline of what my goals were and what my posts would look like, but I didn’t have a detailed plan. As a result, my posts did not always reflect my business goals. Learn to ask very specific, detailed questions before venturing on a social media journey. Whether working for a brand or creating these pages for your own company, it’s important to know exactly what you want to achieve from your social media presence. Get all the details on the “why/what” (ex: what does the audience look that you’re hoping to attract through social media?), and then start strategizing on your “how” (ex: How will I reflect my company goals/values through social media?). Understanding your goals fully will help you create content that is not only valuable, but also leading you toward your ultimate objectives for your brand.
Understand Your KPIs
Metrics are an amazing tool, and social media platforms have plenty of them. Metrics make it so easy to know and understand your audience, and this knowledge helps you better target them with future posts. But when you’re staring at a dashboard full of numbers, it isn’t always easy to determine what they all mean and how that relates to you. In my early social media days, I was working with a brand who’s primary goal was brand awareness, so I watched our post impressions like a hawk. I spent too much time thinking that the higher my impressions, the better. Turns out, I later learned that if post impressions are becoming too high, the consumer is seeing the same content over and over... and that’s boring for the consumer. Impressions are an important piece, but they aren’t the full picture. Be sure to identify which KPIs will be the most impactful information for your brand, and then take the time to learn about them. Trust me, you could avoid months of confusion and frustration just by taking a little extra time to brush up.
Facebook Business Manager is your Friend
If you are working for a brand who is interested in paid content, you will likely have some experience or knowledge of Business Manager. If not, it is the ad center for Facebook where business pages can create and run ad content. And although it is extremely useful, it is also pretty daunting. It isn’t the most user-friendly platform, and navigating the campaign tabs can feel like a chore. Spend some time getting to know Facebook for Business now, rather than later when you have to use it for a client. Hop onto Youtube and type in “Facebook business manager tutorials”. There are plenty of videos out there to help you learn the ins-and-outs of the system, and Facebook has a help center to assist with questions and issues that may arise. Your advertising abilities become significantly greater once you’re using Business Manager, you can run split tests on ads, and audiences can become much more narrow and tailored to your target. So even though it has some user pitfalls, it is absolutely worth the hassle in the long run.
What have you learned during your social media journey that you wish you knew at the beginning?
