In this post I outline the five stages on the social media map. A simple, top-level process<\/strong>, to help you structure your social activities and increase your chances of ongoing success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The social media strategy map<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s plot our course from creating awareness to inspiring advocacy, using a real world example just 3-months in the making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What you\u2019ll learn:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- The complete customer journey<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Social media marketing tactics for each step<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The metrics that matter<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- And the business results, in real terms \u2013 revenue!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
What you\u2019ll produce (aside from the results, of course), a map of your strategy<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"social-media-map\"](\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nI understand a lot of people are looking for social media marketing tips are also less likely to be enterprise level businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Therefore I\u2019ve got a success story that comes from a humble beginning, doesn\u2019t shout about a billion visits and quadrillion dollars in mere seconds,<\/strong> and I\u2019d like to think proves that no matter your size or budget \u2013 you too, can make it work.
Even so, this plan will scale to practically any size business.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe case study subject<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Enter stage left our case study subject, a small circa $1,000,000 turnover 3D printing retailer called Technology Outlet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The platforms we used are Twitter and Facebook. Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We like Facebook because of its large audience and powerful targeting. We like Twitter because \u2013 well – we\u2019re good at it, and we know how to make it work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s look at the starting numbers, which were miserable:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
27 followers on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n72 people like this (1 of those being me).<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nSocial media-driven traffic wasn\u2019t much better:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nAnd revenue?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zilch. Zip. Nada. Nowt\u2026 nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before this gets too depressing, let\u2019s hit the road and show you how we fixed this\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Built awareness – respect thy audience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The simplest aspect of the journey is building brand awareness. It\u2019s also tricky to meaningfully<\/em> measure and often carries the least value in terms of business understanding – \u201cWhat does a \u2018like\u2019 achieve for my bottom line?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just building awareness, for the sake of awareness, is a resource-intensive proposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The problem with social media is noise; people are getting harder to reach. What do I mean? Twitter is a stampede of tweets and information, and Facebook is more difficult than ever to generate organic reach<\/a>, to name just two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As marketers, we must treat our new audiences with respect – the initial content you post will be the prelude to someone either tuning in or turning off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Therefore, at the awareness stage I would highly recommend you avoid self-promotional<\/em> content.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
That means no mention of sales in sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead we want to ingratiate your brand with your new audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The awareness stage metrics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not just about impressions or engagement\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Engagement <\/strong>gets a lot of flak for being a bit woolly. After all, on the surface 1,000 \u2018likes\u2019 might look impressive, but not if 1 million people saw the post. We could look at share of voice<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 but that too can be easily manipulated, and is even more of a vanity metric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The better option is your engagement rate<\/em>. <\/strong>The percentage of engagements based on exposure (impressions).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When people engage with brands, they\u2019re indicating more than casual interest. Understanding that level of engagement and interest versus total exposure is a solid metric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is all well and good, but let\u2019s put it into practice:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Awareness competition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Everyone likes to win something, right? We ran a competition on Tech Outlet\u2019s best-selling product, an entry-level 3D printer:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nA pretty interesting and valuable prize, emphasized by the subsequent engagement seen on each related post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To give the new page some legs, we created a custom audience to suit and threw a little Facebook ad spend at it. The total spend for the period was \u00a3244.59 (around $340). The results were compelling:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Engagement<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Total reach = 89,530 (14,872 organic)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Total clicks = 3,345<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Total engagements (reactions, comments, shares) = 1,167<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Twitter growth from competition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Tweets = 278<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Twitter followers = 377<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Data capture via competition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Total entries = 1,377 emails captured<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Cost per click? 7p<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Cost per engagement? 17p<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Cost per email captured? Just 18 pence each.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Negative sentiment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We did a good job on targeting \u2013 0 spam reports, and 5 negatives (post hidden) out of nearly 90K impressions!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, as this blog post goes live we\u2019ve yet to see the knock-on value of these emails. But considering the average order size, we\u2019re confident of multiple returns here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Get topical<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, the client didn\u2019t have an active blog, so we curated some useful content from around the web. This content related to and resonated with their product offering, providing informational or entertainment value.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nTech Outlet\u2019s following on Twitter was modest but growing fast, and with relevant hashtag injection we gained a decent uplift in engagement. More notably, this also introduced new traffic to the website.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhat about wastage?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t want all those reactions going to waste? A nifty little Facebook trick<\/strong> is to click your total reactions and invite each person one-by-one to like your page.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWe see around a 20-30% uptake in this, so up to 300 new likes for every 1,000 engagements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ll take that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Generated demand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The demand generation phase of social media is where we start looking at engagement as a way to drive traffic to the website, by intertwining branded content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It can feel a little like awareness and indeed there\u2019s cross-over, but the important metric at this stage is traffic to your website from your social updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consider how many and what type of engagements are lending themselves to clicks and driving visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Intersperse branded content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We used a few key elements in our social media plan<\/a>, which mainly focused around Facebook ads and audiences supported by Twitter organic reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Facebook knows what you did last summer\u2026 and who you\u2019ve been stalking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m just kidding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or am I?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Either way, their behavioral data is a bounty of low-hanging fruit for advertisers who are selective and savvy with the targeting options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pay (a little) to play<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s the outline for quick custom audiences that won\u2019t flop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or in other words – avoid a flop by using the powerful tools at your disposal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Use customer emails<\/strong>, upload them to Facebook audience\u2019s manager<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Use remarketing<\/strong> audiences, by placing a tracking pixel on your website<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Use lookalikes<\/strong>, built off the above two audiences<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
If you don\u2019t<\/em> have customer emails or have yet to implement your Facebook tracking pixel, then fear not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your fourth option is to create a custom audience by selecting age range, location, demographics and behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With so many options available, where to start with custom audiences can be daunting. Your analytics data is your friend here.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have ecommerce tracking enabled or conversion tracking setup, you can look at your geographic and performance data to understand which segments perform best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You will find areas of the country and age ranges that convert better than others. Combine this information with topical data such as people interested in industry publications, industry experts, and competitor pages, and you\u2019ll have a solid footing to test ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But first, a quick custom audience lesson. Don\u2019t be these guys:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThey\u2019re targeting a relatively niche \u2018marketing\u2019 product at every-single-English-speaking-person in the UK, of the age 24 and older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seriously?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how to kill your click-through rate, annoy people, and take a relevance slap from Facebook, which in turn increases cost per click \u2013 not the way to go!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With patience, the right way pays<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Use your new Facebook audiences to boost post exposure and drive engagement. Remember the metric here is clicks to your site; more clicks often equate to increased engagement, and visits to your website are more eyes on your product.
In addition, these visits also start to top-up your remarketing audience too. That\u2019s a win-win scenario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. Transaction – show me the money<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re building impressions and engagement, visits to the website are slowly building. Now what?
It\u2019s direct product promotion time \u2013 and remaining cautious – at this stage we dangled a toe in the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe \u201cdip a toe\u201d offer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We used a try \u201cbefore you buy\u201d offer, because product trials work. They\u2019re low risk, low commitment, and they don\u2019t have to be free to be effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tech Outlet offers a printing hub facility where customers can upload their own design, and it gets printed in their color of choice and sent to them days later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All for a modest sum around 10% the cost of the cheapest printer for sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s the offer using the carousel advert option:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nJust \u00a310 to a lookalike audience achieved 51 engagements, 147 post clicks and 94 clicks to the website. 10 pence per click is cheap, especially this targeted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But did they purchase?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Okay, that\u2019s all well and good \u2013 even at this early stage we\u2019re seeing lots of engagement. But what does all this social activity actually mean in terms of revenue?<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThese numbers aren\u2019t going to set the world on fire, sure. However, remember that this social media campaign has only been running for 3 months at this stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, that\u2019s last-click attribution, i.e. sales driven directly from social, what about traffic that visited from social and therefore assisted sales?<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nNearly another \u00a312,000<\/strong> in revenue.
Total ad spend on Facebook was under \u00a3500 ($700).
Total revenue was (with assists) ~\u00a324,000 ($35,000).<\/p>\n\n\n\nI\u2019ll take that, especially as the trend is going up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We anticipate these numbers doubling again over the next quarter \u2013 compounding our efforts and returning in excess of \u00a315,000 per month just from social media traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who says social media doesn\u2019t drive sales for small business?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before we crack open the champagne, we need to remember that a social media marketing strategy doesn\u2019t stop at mere sales\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Adoption of your brand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The purpose of the adoption stage is to make existing fans and customers feel good about being, fans and customers. It increases brand loyalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re looking to drive further engagement through answering customer questions and queries, offering after-sales support via social channels and just generally being timely to respond to our new audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adoption comes full-circle on the initial awareness phase, working hand in hand. Where awareness is driving new eyeballs to you, adoption is about keeping and delighting the audience you\u2019ve built up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Invite opinions from new followers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What do they say about opinions? We all have one!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The release of a new logo and branding offered a prime opportunity to ask the newly built audience for their opinion \u2013 simple, but effective:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWith a reach of 699 people – 14 comments and 63 reactions in just 24 hours from a brand who barely touches 1,000 page likes – who said organic reach on Facebook was dead?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The metric that matters at this stage is satisfaction<\/strong>, or as it\u2019s often called, sentiment. The swing of positive versus negative comments and engagements can make or break your social media success.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe simplest way to stifle adoption is to become overzealous with your promotional posts. We set expectations early on by committing to no more than 20% branded, directly promotional posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stick to that rule and people won\u2019t tire of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Always consider why people are on social networks in the first place; respect their space and retain their trust by sharing interesting and insightful information that they\u2019ll want to read and engage with.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nIn doing so, they\u2019ll allow<\/em> you to push more promotional pieces to them.
Remember: their terms \u2013 not yours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n5. Advocacy – the ultimate win<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The toughest part of the map to discover is positive word of mouth and evangelism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When every element aligns, you will inspire certain members of your audience to engage beyond the norm. They will go out of their way to check out what you\u2019re doing, they\u2019ll engage, talk about and share your stuff<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c83% of people trust recommendations from friends and families\u201d – Nielsen<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThese extended engagements act as endorsements and make your loyal followers true brand advocates<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This, of course, extends your reach and will influence others.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n - Use remarketing<\/strong> audiences, by placing a tracking pixel on your website<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Use customer emails<\/strong>, upload them to Facebook audience\u2019s manager<\/li>\n\n\n\n
![\"social-media-map\"](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/social-media-map.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"tech](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/tech-outlet-twitter-1024x538.png\")
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