Plan your social media strategy like a house party

It’s helpful to view social media marketing as a get-together where you are the host and if you don’t take good care of your guests your party will flop

Social media marketing can be a powerful weapon. If it’s done well, it allows you to connect with your audience, generate leads, drive traffic and build brand awareness. But if it is done sloppily – simply telling people they should purchase your product or your service – it can be quite counterproductive.

It is helpful to view social media marketing like giant party where you are the host – and if you only focus on sending out invites your party will flop.

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Party planning

It is vital to plan your party with clear goals in mind. I suggest focusing on goals that are S.M.A.R.T – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely – such as looking to increase brand awareness or increasing sales.

It is also important to check your guest list and know your guests. What social network is your audience spending most time on? What do they like? What are their interests? What do they need help with and how can you help them? What type of content do they love most?

You don’t have to hold several parties at once; you just have to hold one and be a good host. You need to ensure you have the right message and make sure you talk to the right people.

Do your research. How are other parties going? Have a look at your competitors’ social media marketing efforts. It may help you work out what works and what doesn’t work for your own party.

Party etiquette

As with any gathering, no one wants to listen to a host talk only about themselves. Guests are likely to leave early and complain that the party was boring.

How can you ensure your party is fun and people tell their friends? Make sure your postings on social media are entertaining and engaging – and valuable to your audience. Don’t just post for the sake of posting.

If you provide your audience with worthwhile content, they will return and share the love; they will share it with their followers who will share it with their followers and so on. It is called a ‘social network’ for a reason. Engage your party guests with engaging stories!

By doing so it also boosts your search ranking. Shared content gives you more visibility and signals to Google that your content is relevant. But your content must compel your audience to share it.

Ensure your social media posts are consistent. Don’t be generic; humanise your social media posts and your brand. Be creative! Share entertaining and funny posts… inject some LOLs into your content. (Of course, this does not mean you should try too hard or fake it till you make it.)

Be authentic and be yourself; your audience can smell bullshit from a mile away.

Just like at any party, conversation is a two-way street. Listen to your customers, interact with them, be interested in them and what they want, reply to them.

If your social media presence simply is all about “me me me” your audience could go go go!

Listening and engaging in conversation is vital to gather feedback and information from your audience, it helps you understand your party guests better and what gets them in the partying mood. You can then adjust your social media marketing to make it more relevant for your next party.