The internet has made so many things possible for small brands and businesses. Perhaps the most important is the ability to get the word out about your causes, products or services. Social media exponentially increased the visibility factor for brands, many of which have found their own niches on sites like Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. At the core of any successful online strategy is a marketing effort, and it is no different for social media. Whether you are just getting started or have already been building your marketing efforts, continue reading to find out how you can build and improve your overall strategy beginning today.

Know Your Goals

Social media marketing only works when you know what it is you want. Without proper goals, you will be hard-pressed to monitor progress, track results and understand how you need users to engage. Without an outlined series of goals, you’ll merely be pinging noise at users with each ad or post. You’ll want to make sure that any and all goals in your social media marketing are custom-tailored to reflect the social media network(s) you are currently using. Some goals will make sense on Twitter, for instance, but will not be compatible on Instagram or Snapchat. Be aware of the specifics and differences, and be sure to outline each goal ahead of any paid or organic campaign.

Build Synergy by Networking Appropriately

Social media marketing is a delicate and careful dance with influencers, subscribers, followers and the networks they all use. Organic social media marketing can be especially tricky – but rewarding when done properly. One way to augment your social media marketing efforts is to build relationships and communication with industry influencers. Do you know who the biggest names on social media are in your niche? If so, then be sure to start following and engaging with them (and if you don’t know, then it’s time to do some research). These individuals can help dramatically boost visibility for posts and content when they see your relevant contributions of high-quality; you definitely want to have relationships with them!

Build a Calendar

Social media marketing is all about consistency. While you need to have a varied schedule in terms of the content you produce, staying on track can only be accomplished through proper planning. A social media marketing calendar is crucial in this planning, and can help you to be more organized when it comes to content – both on and off of social media. Start by taking stock of the different subjects, angles and types of content you share and produce. Break down each day and decide what types of content you are going to share on each day, and when. By building such a regimented calendar for your marketing efforts, you can begin to plan ahead and ensure that you are not just pinging noise at random to your audiences.

By building a marketing calendar, connecting with influencers and knowing your goals, you can make sense of the foggy world that is social media marketing. What difficulties have you experienced while marketing your brand on social media? Let us know below.