Social media is a powerful tool to reach your customer base. Whether you want to keep existing customers engaged or attract new ones, an effective social media strategy will help ensure you post the right content for the right reasons.
One way to think about social media goals is as a ladder – the best possible outcomes are at the top, but we also need lower commitment steps that guide and nurture our audiences along the way. Those lower rungs have significant value on their own, and a great social media strategy has something for everyone on the ladder.
Here’s an example ladder, answering the question, “What do you want your audience to do?”
- Become a fanatic – referrals and praise
- Leave a review – leads to more sales and reduces competition
- Make a purchase – become a customer
- Schedule an appointment / get an estimate – become a prospect
- Inquire about a product or service – become a lead
- Click through to our website – learn more about the company, products and services
- Share our content – tell the story
- Comment on our content – support the story
- Become a fan – like and follow profiles
- Click on our content – see the photos, watch the videos, open the PDF
- Like our content – show you like the story
- See our content – learn the story
If you only post content designed for the top rungs of the social marketing ladder, you are pushing advertising, which has limited appeal and value to your customers. Sure, a promotion or special offer may provide short-term benefits, but people will only stick around for discounts – and if they come to you for the price, they’ll leave you for someone else’s lower price.
Most of your content should be designed to engage your audience so when they are ready to start their purchase journey, they are familiar with your brand and company, and already have an emotional bias in your favor.
On its own, an effective social media strategy rarely results in a direct purchase. But when you combine a social media ladder approach with other marketing efforts, the closing rate increases exponentially and you are far more likely to generate repeat business and customer loyalty.
