As a busy small business owner, it's common to get in the habit of posting on social media with no clear direction or goals in mind. If this is the case, consider making one of your main business goals to define measurable social media goals for your business. We outline how to set smart social media goals in this article, but we've included three common ones here to explore.
Below, we've outlined three common social media goals for small businesses and how to achieve those goals on social media. Use these examples to build out your social media strategy.
Goal #1: generate more leads on social media
One of your main objectives of using social media may be to generate more leads and sales. If this is the case, incorporate some of these strategies into your social media plan:
Make sure your contact information is front and center
Potential clients want to know how they can contact you. Be sure to include your contact information on every social media page you run for your business so you don't miss out on any new leads!
Seek out potential clients yourself
Take some time to do some outreach. Explore real estate area groups (or other relevant groups) on Facebook, search for relevant hashtags on Instagram and use posts in those hashtags to reach out to folks, and find potential clients through community pages. Come up with a quick pitch to streamline your messaging.
Decide on your content strategy, then implement it
Build out a content calendar with a mix of content to support your goal. Include virtual tours of new properties, go live on social, or start a referral program for your clients.
Gather contact information from interested users
There are many ways to gather information from interested parties to turn them into clients. Include gated content on your website that allows you to collect contact information, encourage followers to sign up for your newsletter and collect their emails, or ask folks to RSVP to a webinar or Live event. You can use their contact information to reach out to them with promotional content at a later date.
Always respond quickly
Don't miss out on a potential new client—always respond to comments and direct messages in a timely manner!
Include action buttons with lead-focused CTAs
Including "book now" or "send a message" action buttons on your profiles make it easy for interested parties to get in touch with you. You can learn more about these action buttons here.
Advertise on social media
Try out paid advertising to get more leads! Read our guides to learn how to set up a Facebook ad campaign or how to advertise on Pinterest.
Goal #2: improve engagement of current follower base
One of the most common goals of social media marketing is to increase engagement. Keep reading for strategies to achieve this goal.
Before you post something, you should ask yourself "what is the primary goal of posting it?" If your post doesn't have a clear call to action (CTA) or message, reconsider posting it.
Interact with users in real time
Answer questions, share content, and encourage engagement in real time with your followers. Staying active on your social channels, not just in terms of posting but also in engaging users, will set the standard that your followers can interact with you and your brand on a consistent basis and you're there to respond to their inquiries, questions, and comments.
Track engagement metrics
The most common engagement metrics on social media are likes, shares, and comments. However, there are many different metrics you can track depending on your specific goal:
Follower growth
How many people view and interact with your stories
How many users messaged you through social media
Number of conversations or posts in your Facebook group
Number of referrals on social media
Impressions and reach
Number of retweets on Twitter
Number of pinned pins on Pinterest
How many positive reviews you've received on social media
Your brand mentions
Test different types of content
What types of content performs better? Static images or animated images? Exterior shots properties or interior photos of homes? Stories that include polls or stories that include sliding scales? Analyze your performance and adjust your approach as needed.
Goal #3: build your brand awareness on social media
Brand awareness involves the amount of brand recognition consumers have about your business. It's important to build out your brand on social media to gain more recognition and followers, which will directly contribute to your other business goals.
Nailing down brand awareness can sometimes be challenging. It can't be directly quantified, but it's important to monitor it. Brand awareness can be monitored through your brand mentions, likes, shares, and impressions. You can also implement these strategies to build your brand on social media:
Build out your social media profiles
When was the last time you refreshed the "about" or "bio" section of your social media pages? It's important to refresh your social pages on a regular basis, but you'll also want to make sure your profiles are optimized for business success.
Read through our optimization post for Facebook to make sure you have included all of the following in your Facebook business page:
about section, which includes your contact information, website link, and more
username
custom URL
profile image and cover image
call to action button
customize your page tabs
pinned post
Update the following to optimize your Instagram business page:
profile picture
category
your bio
website link
contact info
action button
Refresh the following pieces of your Twitter page to optimize for success:
username
banner image
profile image
page link
bio
pinned tweet
Stick to a consistent brand image on social media
Build your brand recognition by posting across different channels in a consistent tone and a consistent look and feel. This means nailing down your brand voice and deciding on what types of imagery you want to include on your pages, then staying consistent. Ripl makes it easy to set and save your brand settings like brand colors, fonts, and logos so every post you create in Ripl stays consistent.
Level up your hashtag game
Hashtags can be a powerful tool on the path to increased brand recognition on social media. Think about what types of hashtags you might see potential clients or competitors using, and then explore those hashtags on social media. See what people are posting, what they're saying, and who dominates those hashtags. Learn more about the do's and don'ts of hashtags before getting started.
Implement social listening
Similar to leveling up your hashtag game, you should consistently monitor relevant hashtags and your brand mentions (@yourprofilename) across different social media platforms. Learning what people are saying about your industry and your brand can help you build out strategies to get your brand in front of more people on social media.
Humanize your brand
Show followers who you are behind the logo or headshot. Share personal anecdotes, favorites or recommendations, and get yourself in front of the camera. This shows users that you're human and relatable, which makes them more likely to interact with your brand.
