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The Secret Formula for Meaningful Social Media Goals

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Want to spend less time on social media and get better results? You can. Start by setting social media marketing goals that align to business objectives.

The more specific your strategy is, the more effective the execution will be. The secret to success is taking time to define complete and meaningful goals. A good goal is more than a string of words. They are SMART.

Set SMART Goals

The first step to creating a social media marketing strategy is to establish your goals. Without goals, you have no way to measure your success. You will be spending time and money and have no idea of the impact.

Each of your goals should be:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable
  • Relevant
  • Time-bound

An example of a SMART goal might be “Post to Facebook once a week with a call to action that leads people to the website.”

Track Metrics

Your SMART goals should set you up to track meaningful metrics. In the example above, you can compare web metrics on days that you have a Facebook post. Do the numbers increase?

Every goal should lend itself to its own metrics.

Content Marketing Beyond Words

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Is your content marketing all about words? It’s often easiest to create content in article form:  a headline, a few subheads and a couple of paragraphs of text and you are done!

The problem is that this is boring! Research by the Content Marketing Institute consistently shows that interactive, non-static content grabs attention. Content that moves beyond static words is effective at getting the attention of people at all stages – from those just getting to know you to those who love you best.

Create Short Videos

More than 100 million hours of video are watched daily on Facebook alone. Most people recall content from video more readily than content they have read.

The popularity of video content has lead most social channels to add support for video. And, they give more play to video-based posts.

The ideal is about 30 seconds. All you need to do is grab your smartphone, record something interesting, and post.

If you create long-form videos such as webinars, you can snip smaller segments to use on social media. Dividing longer videos into short, shareable clips is an effective way to generate a library of content.

Illustrate Your Point

Infographics and illustrations can be great ways to make a point visually. The human brain processes images much faster than text. Retention of visual information is better than text-based.

Poll the Audience

Quizzes, calculators, assessments and contests all consistently attract attention. I know my Facebook feed is filled with results of quizzes and assessments that my connections have taken. People can’t seem to get enough!

Think about ways to present your content in these interactive formats. Pose a question and let people pick the best answer. Set up a tool that let’s them test their knowledge or find out something about their own interests.

Talk About It

Consider adding podcasts to your content mix. Talk about a topic, either as the sole expert or bring one or more guests into the conversation. There is no better way to inject personality into your content marketing than to let people listen to what’s on your mind.

15 Great Things to Tweet About

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Looking for Twitter content ideas for your digital strategy? Here are 25 ideas to consider. Any of these should be able be used in ways that support your online goals.

Remember that Twitter users expect a stream of content, so plan for more than one post each business day.

  1. Respond to something someone else says about you
  2. Follow relevant hashtags and participate in the conversation by adding your take
  3. Thank a customer, partner, etc for something great they did to support your biz
  4. Recognize a customer or partner for something they do well
  5. Share a photo from the view from your office today
  6. Share your agenda – where are you headed next and why
  7. Ask a question to learn more about what your followers (and the twitterverse) thinks
  8. Share something that made you laugh
  9. Recommend a person or a brand to follow
  10. Celebrate a business or personal milestone
  11. Discuss a book you just read and why it matters
  12. Share insight into one of your products or services
  13. Take inspiration from a current event to illustrate where your business fits in
  14. Share something you just learned
  15. Dig out a photo from the past