A Complete Guide to Social Media Management
Effective social media management is crucial for a small local business owner looking to grow an online presence.
To engage and convert your target audience, you must create content that resonates with them at every stage of their consumer journey.
In this blog article, we will provide editorial guidelines tailored to each stage of the consumer journey, helping optimize your social media strategy for maximum impact.
Discovery Stage: Infotainment that Captivates
In the discovery stage, the goal is to create an instant and quick connection with your audience through infotainment.
Platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels are perfect for sharing simple, quick, and short content.
Follow these editorial guidelines to capture attention and lead your prospects to explore your brand further:
Trending: Connect your content with the most popular topics on each social media platform.
Explore:
“Trending Topics” on TikTok and Twitter;
“Explore” and “Trending” sections on YouTube.
DIY (Do It Yourself): Share content that teaches people how to do something related to your niche.
For example, create tutorials on website creation, funnel building, or other relevant skills.
Identification: Create content that resonates with your audience by discussing everyday topics they can relate to.
Instant identification fosters a stronger connection with your brand.
Popular Searches: Stay up-to-date with subjects actively searched for on search engines. Incorporate these topics into your content to attract organic traffic.
Remember, your content in this stage should inform, educate, and entertain. It should be attention-grabbing, providing enough value to prompt your audience to visit your brand profile or website and continue their consumer journey.
Consideration Stage: Education and Enchantment
In the consideration stage, your content should be focused on educating your audience further while enchanting them with your brand experience.
Use these editorial guidelines to engage your audience and build authority:
Leads: Share tips and guidance related to your products or services. For example, if you sell t-shirts, provide advice on making colours last longer. Create content that keeps your audience looking for more from your brand.
Announcements: Anticipate trends and share updates on tools, launches, or other topics of interest to your buyer persona. This type of content helps establish your brand as an authority in your niche.
Reviews: Offer insights and comparisons, such as reviewing new tools or products in your industry. Provide unbiased opinions and add value to your audience's decision-making process.
Blog: Publish in-depth, SEO-optimized content on your blog. Utilize storytelling techniques and share valuable knowledge to attract organic traffic and position your brand as an industry expert.
In this stage, strike a balance between informative and captivating content. Use your social media feed and Stories to deliver content that intrigues and educates, making your audience want to learn more about your offerings.
Conversion / Purchase Stage: Persuasion and Social Proof
In the conversion and purchase stage, the content should be focused on persuasion and providing social proof.
Use success stories and testimonials to convince your prospects that your product or service is the right choice for them.
Consider these editorial guidelines:
Success Stories: Describe how your product or service has solved a specific client's needs or pain points.
Present the strategy used and explain the problem-solving process step-by-step.
Highlight these success stories on your website, blog, or social media platforms.
Testimonials: Share testimonials from satisfied customers, highlighting successful results they've achieved with your product or service.
Incorporate these testimonials into your lead and sales funnels and display them on your product pages.
Product/Service: Describe your product or service creatively, focusing on its benefits and features.
Avoid a sales pitch and focus on providing helpful tips and insights related to your offerings.
Launches: Promote new product or service launches each month.
Highlight the features, benefits, and unique selling points to attract new customers and generate excitement.
Remember, showcasing positive experiences and demonstrating how your offerings meet your customers' needs and desires will help overcome any lingering doubts and encourage conversions.
Own Experience Stage: Exceptional Brand Education
In the own experience stage, your goal is to provide exceptional brand education to first-time buyers.
Guide them from their initial purchase to a remarkable first impression, encouraging them to become brand ambassadors.
Consider these editorial guidelines:
Culture: Share content about your company's values and mission, fostering a sense of community and inspiring your audience to connect and become part of your movement.
Behind the Scenes: Humanize your brand by showing the behind-the-scenes of your business, products, or services.
This creates transparency and builds trust with your audience.
Own Studies: Utilize your CRM data to show trends and results that align with your customer's interests.
For example, share reports on valuable properties sold in specific regions for a real estate agency's clients.
Provide exclusive content or promotions for existing customers to enhance their experience and encourage them to share their positive experiences with your product or service on their social networks.
Shared Experience Stage: Inspire and Encourage Expression
In the shared experience stage, your content should inspire and encourage your customers to share their experiences with your brand.
Leverage user-generated content and customer tips to foster community and engagement sense.
Consider these editorial guidelines:
UGC (User Generated Content): Share content created by your customers, such as reviews, analyses, stories, or tips on using your product or service.
Tag the customers who created the content to encourage them to comment and share it on their networks.
Customer Tips: Highlight content created by customers who have had positive experiences with your brand.
Share their tips on getting better results with your specific product or service, increasing customer engagement.
Chains/Challenges: Create challenge-based content to strengthen the connection between your customers and your brand.
Inspire them to participate and share content related to your products or services, fostering a sense of community.
Inspiring and enabling your customers to share their experiences generate engagement, establish social proof and expands your brand's reach.
Conclusion
These editorial guidelines for each stage of the consumer journey will help you create relevant, engaging, and optimized social media content.
Remember to adapt the guidelines to your specific niche and audience preferences.
By understanding and addressing your customers' needs at every stage, you can build a successful social media management strategy that drives growth for your small local business.