Blog.

Social media marketing can be daunting for any business.

It’s especially the case if – like many of our clients – you’ve been quite happily running a business for decades and successfully advertising by traditional means.

All of a sudden, everyone’s saying you MUST be on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn…

…the list seems endless.

Perhaps you’re a little overwhelmed by all the technology. Or you’re only just getting to grips with your smartphone, let alone ‘tagging people’ on Instagram.

And more fundamentally, you might be thinking: why does your business even need it?

You’ve been going along OK without having to tweet your every move.

Why change now?

Well, before we say anything else: let us reassure you…

Contrary to what you’ve been told – you do NOT have to jump on every social media platform this minute.

Don’t get us wrong: social media marketing is a HUGE opportunity for any business.

It’s exciting. It’s still so new. And it’s where a lot of your potential customers are – so of course, it’s worth using.

But it’s crucial you approach social media marketing in a calm, organised and strategic way.

Here at The Creative Agency, we can help you do just that.

We’ve been taking this approach for our clients for some time now and it’s working wonders…

• We’re helping clients increase search engine optimised traffic to their websites…
• We’re helping them provide value to existing customers…
• And we’re helping them attract and engage new ones.

But this success all comes down to a sensible and steady approach we’re taking.

Too often so-called marketing ‘gurus’ will tell you it’s make or break that you do everything now or you’ll miss out on the opportunity altogether.

That is just not the case.

Sure, social media marketing is fast moving and changing all the time. Some short-term trends come and go. That’s always been the case with all types of marketing.

But if you pause to think about it in a logical way, it’s just more reason to take a strategic approach based on the needs of your business…not the needs of ever-changing social media platforms.

You see when it comes to social media marketing – it’s important you base your strategy around YOUR business needs.

Start by asking yourself a few simple questions

If you’re a little unsure of how social media marketing could help your business…

Or if you know you want to explore it but aren’t sure where to start…

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here at The Creative Agency, as we’ll be happy to guide you in the right direction.

You can always call us on 01469 574947 or email here.

Right now, though, if you’re thinking about doing some social media marketing or you’ve already started and finding it a struggle and strain…

We recommend asking a few simple questions:

1. Which platforms do our customers use? There is no point in using a youth-focused platform like Snapchat if your customers are mainly over 55 and retired. It’s not about using every platform; it’s about using the right ones.

2. What do you want to communicate with your customers? Think here beyond ‘to sell your product or service’ and consider the kind of thing you want to tell them about. Do you want to show how your business works behind the scenes, or maybe provide some advice in your particular niche?

3. How often do you want to communicate? The fastest way to fail at social media marketing is to do it without a schedule, as it will soon take over all your time. Social means being social, so you need to anticipate how much time you might need to interact if your marketing is successful.

4. Who will do the communicating? You might wish to do all of your social media marketing as an individual, or you might prefer to do it all through the business. Neither option is wrong or right, but each will require a unique approach.

5. What do you want to achieve? You need to establish one or two clear goals. If you’re looking to generate more leads, that will influence your message. If you want to use it purely for generating testimonials, that will require a different approach. Like any marketing channel, you should establish a return on investment the best way you can.

Answer these questions for your business and you’ll already be on the way to establishing a good strategy for your social media marketing.

Remember, just because it seems a little overwhelming and there’s so much noise out there, with different people telling you to do different things – there’s no need to panic.

Social media marketing is just another way of reaching your customers and should be approached in just the same way you would approach any traditional marketing channel.

To discover how we could help you develop a sensible and strategic social media marketing plan, you can get in touch on 01469 574947 or email here.

Handled badly, social media marketing can become a chain around your businesses neck…

But done properly – as we’ve seen for many of our clients – it has the power to transform your business and help take your success to a whole new level.