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Social Media Marketing Business Plan

If you are planning to start a new social media marketing or digital marketing company, the first thing you will need is a business plan. Use our sample social media marketing business plan created using Upmetrics business plan software to start writing your business plan in no time.

Before you start writing your business plan for your new social media marketing agency, spend as much time as you can reading through some examples of  advertising and marketing-related business plans.

Reading sample business plans will give you a good idea of what you’re aiming for, and also it will show you the different sections that different entrepreneurs include and the language they use to write about themselves and their business plans.

We have created this sample Social Media Marketing Business Plan for you to get a good idea about what a perfect social media marketing business plan should look like and what details you will need to include in your stunning business plan.

Social Media Marketing Business Plan Outline

This is the standard social media marketing business plan outline which will cover all important sections that you should include in your business plan.

• The Business
• 3 Year profit forecast
• Company Owner
• Why the business is being started?
• Startup cost
• Startup Requirements
• Products and services
• Market Trends
• Marketing Share
• Institutions & Organizations
• Media & Celebrities
• Business Target
• Product Pricing
• Competitive Analysis
• Sales Monthly
• Sales Yearly
• Sales Forecast
• Company Staff
• Average Salary of Employees
• Important Assumptions
• Brake-even Analysis
• Profit Yearly
• Gross Margin Yearly
• Projected Cash Flow
• Projected Balance Sheet
• Business Ratios

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After getting started with Upmetrics , you can copy this sample business plan into your business plan and modify the required information and download your social media marketing business plan pdf or doc file. It’s the fastest and easiest way to start writing your business plan.

Download a sample social media marketing business plan

Need help writing your business plan from scratch? Here you go;  download our free social media marketing business plan pdf  to start.

It’s a modern business plan template specifically designed for your house-flipping business. Use the example business plan as a guide for writing your own.

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About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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Social Media Marketing Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Social Media Marketing Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their social media marketing businesses. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a social media marketing business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What Is a Social Media Marketing Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your social media marketing agency as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Social Media Marketing Agency

If you’re looking to start a social media marketing business or grow your existing company, you need a business plan. A social media marketing business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your business in order to improve your chances of success. Your business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your social media marketing agency grows and changes.

Funding Sources for Social Media Marketing Agencies

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a social media marketing business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings and bank loans are the most common funding paths for social media marketing agencies.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

How to write a business plan for a social media marketing agency.

If you want to start a business or expand your current one, you need a business plan. Below we detail what should be included in each section of your own social media marketing business plan:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of social media marketing business you are operating and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a social media marketing business that you would like to grow, or are you operating social media marketing in multiple markets?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the social media marketing industry. Discuss the type of social media marketing business you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.  

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of social media marketing business you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types of social media marketing businesses, or a full-service agency:

• Paid Ads : this type of marketing business focuses on creating social media ads and optimizing social media ad campaigns. A social media marketing agency may specialize in ads for one platform in particular or across all platforms.
• Content: this type of business focuses on creating content, either for specific platforms or across all platforms.
• Strategy: this type of marketing is where campaigns are created around specific goals that help businesses or individuals tailor where and how to best achieve results that will help them succeed.

In addition to explaining the type of social media marketing business you will operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to questions such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of customers served, number of positive reviews, total campaigns, etc.
• Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the social media marketing industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the social media marketing industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy, particularly if your research identifies market trends.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your social media marketing business plan:

• How big is the social media marketing industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your social media marketing business? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: corporations, small business owners, nonprofits and individuals. Customers may also be segmented by industry, such as healthcare, technology, beauty, restaurants, music, B2B, and more.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of marketing business you operate. Clearly, individuals in the music industry would respond to different marketing promotions than corporations in the healthcare industry, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve. Only select social media marketing agencies primarily serve customers living in their same city or town. However, if your niche is to provide social media services to local businesses, such demographic information is easy to find on government websites.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.  

With Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template you can finish your plan in just 8 hours or less!

Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other social media marketing agencies.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t direct competitors. This includes digital freelance platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr. You need to mention such competition as well.

With regards to direct competition, you want to describe the other businesses with which you compete. Most likely, your direct competitors will have a similar niche audience.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

• What types of customers do they serve?
• What types of social media services do they provide?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide better social media strategy, content and ad services?
• Will you provide services that your competitors don’t offer?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.  

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a social media marketing business, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of social media marketing agency that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products you will be offering. For example, in addition to social media marketing, will you provide web design services, copywriting or any other services?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your agency. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your business located in a busy professional district (good if targeting local businesses), or is it fully remote (good if targeting clients that aren’t place-specific). Discuss how your location might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertising in local papers and magazines
• Reaching out to local websites
• Social media marketing
• Local radio advertising

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your business, including discovery calls, onboarding new clients, attending campaign meetings, managing employees and working on campaigns.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to take on your 10th client, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your social media marketing business into a new market.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your social media marketing business’ ability to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally, you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing social media marketing businesses. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing social media marketing agencies or successfully running small businesses.  

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Income Statement : an income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you gain one new client per month or per quarter? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets : Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your social media marketing business, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a social media marketing business:

• Location build-out including design fees, construction, etc. (if there will be a physical location)
• Cost of equipment and supplies (including hardware and software)
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your office location lease or outlines of campaigns you are currently working on.   Summary Putting together a business plan for your social media marketing business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the social media marketing industry, your competition, and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful social media marketing business.  

Social Media Marketing Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my social media marketing business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily complete your Social Media Marketing Business Plan.

Where Can I Download a Social Media Management Business Plan PDF?

You can download our Social Media Management business plan PDF  here. This is a business plan template you can use in PDF format.

What is the Goal of a Business Plan's Executive Summary?

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of social media marketing business you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a social media marketing business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of social media marketing businesses?

  OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.

Click here to see how Growthink’s professional business plan consulting services can create your business plan for you.   Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

5 Business Models for Social Media Startups

1 min. read

Updated October 29, 2023

Are you looking at social media startup opportunities? How are you going to make money?

There’s a good practical list of Five Common Business Models for Social Media Startups by Jun Loayza on Mashable . A good reminder that business models–how you get paid–are part of the game. All five will seem familiar: There’s freemium (give a standard version free, charge for more users or more features), affiliate, subscription, virtual goods (add-ons to free games, like swords and shields and such), and the old standard, advertising.

Facebook, for example, uses advertising to get revenue, and gets relatively little per user. There are a lot of freemium sites, and fewer examples of affiliates and subscriptions.

One of the business plans I reviewed recently had an interesting explanation of why freemium wouldn’t work, and it went subscription only. I worry about that, because there are so many freemium sites.

There’s another common model that this list doesn’t include: Raise investment money, get traffic but no money, raise more money, increasing valuation, get more traffic, raise more money . . . all in the hope that there’s money at the end, when some bigger venture acquires all the stock. Actually, I think we need a tricky word for that business model . . . kite-up? Musical shares? I like that one, because, so often, whoever gets caught with the shares at the end loses.

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Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software , a co-founder of Borland International, and a recognized expert in business planning. He has an MBA from Stanford and degrees with honors from the University of Oregon and the University of Notre Dame. Today, Tim dedicates most of his time to blogging, teaching and evangelizing for business planning.

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Home » Sample Business Plans » Online Startups

How to Write a Social Media Startup Business Plan [Sample Template]

Are you about starting a social media company? If YES, here is a complete sample social media startup business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE . With the level of exposure to the Internet, just any one can start a social media site. Starting a social media business can never be much easier as it is now, since many applications are now available to aid you with setting up a social media business.

This business is no longer capital intensive as it used to be, your only concern should be your advertisement and publicity. A social media business is something you can start as a one-man business and you can strive to grow it comfortably.

The social media industry is very competitive without doubt but most importantly, you can start your own social media business successfully, without competing directly with the big fishes in the industry, you just need to step up your marketing.

The internet remains one of the things that have set the present age apart from the medieval age. The social media is now as vast as the earth itself, and it makes business, life and communication easier, creating a perfect platform for you to make more money. If you’re interested in this business, read as we present to you a well detailed business plan template.

A Sample Social Media Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

It is very important to explain that the social media came into existence about 10 years ago when chat messengers that gave individuals the opportunity to communicate and share content with each other surfaced on the internet. But now this industry houses Facebook and Twitter under its wings.

This industry has become so popular that individuals and businesses have no choice other than to focus on strategically placing ads on these platforms as advertisement and publicity stunts. The big fishes in this industry are still very young; however, a few stylized facts about these players seem to have emerged in the last few years.

Companies in the Social Media industry all compete to present content in a manner that will generate the highest level of user interest, and also lead increased user engagement. This is because user engagement without doubt is the most valuable revenue generating source.

Also, businesses in this industry operate in a rapidly innovating, emerging field that is subject to significant investment and technological change. The major key of competition in the industry includes the size of a network’s user base, innovative product features and integration with other websites.

The Social Media industry is currently rife with mergers and acquisition. The biggest acquisition to date is that of WhatsApp. Facebook acquired the messaging app for $19 billion in February 2014. Also international players have acquired some companies like the Japanese internet giant; Rakuten acquired Viber for $900 million in 2014. Alibaba acquired an 18% stake in Chinese Twitter-like service Weibo, followed by a 20-25% stake in a popular chat-app by the name of Tango in 2014.It has been estimated that 65% of online adults (50% of all adults) use social media sites in the united states alone.  This shows that the industry is open and willing for focused entrepreneurs.

2. Executive Summary

Bizworld.com is a U.S based standard social media company that focuses on bringing business lovers together to discuss ideas, share knowledge and experiences and help each other solve challenges wouldn’t be such a bad idea. This company did not just come for the social media but also for the good of the economy generally.

We have also secured a standard and well – positioned office facility that will serve as our head office in Downtown, Washington DC. This location is the business district of Washington DC and it’s known for its great traffic and business processes.

Bizworld.com is a business social media company that is very much ready to enter the social media industry, which we all know is vast and highly competitive, but we believe we can comfortably take over the business niche of social media industry.

Bizworld.com will create a very inspiring and comfortable social media platform to corporate organization, entrepreneurs, prospective entrepreneurs, and anyone will to try the business lane. Our goal is to become one of the leading social media companies in the world and to be able to compete without much weakness in this market.

To attract massive attention to our social media site, we had to come up with a unique concept and a niche focus that will differentiate us from others and we believe that our desired niche is large and comprehensive enough. We also plan to make our customers interest out top priority and we also hope to do everything in accordance to values and professional ethics. We also plan to make our website standard, well designed and moderate for our customers to share ideas and innovations.

Bizworld.com is the brain work of Donald Benjamin. Donald Benjamin we believe can guild the Bizworld.com team to its launch and is the lead concept champion. He has an astounding 14 years of high-tech industry experience, specializing in sales and marketing concept development, consumer behaviour, and user interface development.

He has held many leadership positions within the high-tech community and concurrently holds a marketing management position with a leading high-tech services company. Donald Benjamin brings his unique brand of creative talent and multiple years of professional business influences to the Bizworld.com creative and business strategy.

3. Our Products and Services

We at Bizworld.com plan to build an online consumer database of 4 million subscribers within our first 18 months of launch. Our social media will have four main areas of unique offerings:

• We will be offering a way-point marking through GPS and integrated wireless devices, including emerging PDAs used in the hunting of jobs and business lifestyle.
• We will concentrate on becoming the place to come for all location to assess information and opportunities related to the business world
• We also plan to make use of a subscription-based e-mail newsletter/news alert system which will bring our subscriber’s love for business and the economy close to him/her on a daily basis or as the news breaks.
• We plan to make this service attain the height of the “CNN” for just the business world.
• We also hope to build Bizworld.com as a consumer brand that will also be built describe and make open the pervasive availability of content and brand e-commerce/e-retailing as it relates to the business world.
• We will act as the members’ advocate and generate commissions and fees. Affiliates will also be sought in the travel, lodging, and guide and related industries.
• We will also be offering chatting platforms to our customers to enable them engage in discussions and open talks.
• We will also create an opportunity for our clients to boost their image in the business world and gain more connects.

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

• Our vision at Bizworld.com is to create an online community focused on serving and supporting the well established, easily identifiable market of business Men and women.
• Our mission at Bizworld.com is to serve the highly brand conscious and affiliation of loyal individuals and organizations whose members live and breathe the business world and the economies of the world by providing an explicit platform of value-added, special interest content, valuable information resources, e-commerce capabilities, and user information sharing opportunities through the use of advanced technologies.

Our Business Structure

The business structure ofBizworld.com is intended to be a flexible version of a normal business structure. We at Bizworld.com believe that a learning and cross-functional workforce is key to our success. The leadership or any staff team community of Bizworld.com must be able to perform related tasks when the needs or technical crises arise. Listed below are the portfolios we wish to start Bizworld.com with;

Internet Commerce Manager

Marketing and Brand Manger

• Company lawyer

Chief Technology Officer

• Application and content Developer
• Technical and infrastructural manager

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

• His in charge of Overseeing all other executives and staff within the organization.
• He is Tasked with board of directors and other executives to determine if company is in accordance with goals and policies.
• Charged with encouraging business investment.
• He also promotes economic development within communities.
• His in charge of directing the organization’s financial goals, objectives, and budgets.
• Implement the organization’s guidelines on a day-to-day basis.
• Preside over quality control.
• In charge of Hiring, training, and terminating employees.
• In charge of developing and implementing strategies and set the overall direction of a certain area of the company or organization.
• Provide visionary and strategic leadership for the organization.
• Collaborate with the board of directors to develop the policies and direction of the organization.
• He makes sure that the members of the Board of Directors have the information necessary to perform their fiduciary duties and other governance responsibilities.
• He also Provide adequate and timely information to the Board to enable it to effectively execute its oversight role.
• Direct staff, including organizational structure, professional development, motivation, performance evaluation, discipline, compensation, personnel policies, and procedures.
• Charged with establishing governance processes of direction and control to ensure that objectives are achieved.
• He directs and development a security plan.
• He protects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the company’s data and servers.
• He Identifies and implement technology trends and platforms.
• He also Communicate the company’s technology strategy to investors, management, staff, partners, customers, and stakeholders.
• Evaluate and recommend technologies.
• Select and register company’s domain names.
• Tasked with Establishing email service.
• Implement web-based internal communications system.
• He oversees graphic designer’s efforts to create a company corporate identity and website.
• Manage vendor relationships.
• Conduct code reviews and specification conformance testing.
• Establish quality assurance process.
• Establish an application deployment process.
• Monitor web analytics regime to ascertain site traffic.
• Implement technical requirements for Internet marketing and search engine optimization.
• Integrate customer service and support with the software engineering process to support resolution of customer issues and improve application usability.

Application and Content Developer

• Manage web traffic and analyse alterations accordingly to improve the Return on Investment.
• Project management along with front-end development advertising using Ad words and other tools, implementation and optimization.
• Validating contents for accuracy and usability using support communications and ensure adherence to goals set by the higher officials.
• To find out the right place for the placement of contents in the website to develop the business and act as a traffic manager for supplier online marketing operations.
• In charge of meeting the sales targets of the organization through effective planning and budgeting.
• In charge of deciding strategies and techniques necessary for achieving the sales targets. He is the one who decides the future course of action for his team members.
• In charge of mapping potential customers and generate leads for the organization. He should look forward to generating new opportunities for the organization.
• In charge of brand promotion.
• Tasked with motivating team members is one of the most important duties of a sales manager.
• It’s the duty of the sales manager to ensure his team is delivering desired results.
• In charge of not only selling but also maintaining and improving relationships with the client.
• In charge of keeping the necessary data and records for future reference.

Technical and Infrastructural manager

• Responsible for all IT systems within a company, including hardware, software, and security systems.
• Spend a lot of time meeting with employees from various departments to discuss how to make the company’s data more accessible and secure, and how to make business operations run more smoothly and efficiently.
• Other duties assigned by the president
• Develop an Online business strategy in collaboration with product and marketing managers.
• Work with designers, website developers and content providers, such as copywriters and photographers, to create or improve the site.
• Work with payment providers to develop payment mechanisms that are secure and that protect customers’ personal details when they pay by debit or credit card.
• Check site content and systems regularly to ensure that they are working properly
• Monitor site metrics, such as time for Web pages to load, total numbers of site visitors, and visitors by product or page.
• Analyse the information and recommend changes to improve performance.
• Make sure that any stored customer data is secure against threats from cyber criminals
• Helps to develop or recommend marketing programs to increase sales.
• Analyse metrics, such as the number of visitors who just browse, rather than place orders.
• Identify products that took increased revenue following a promotion, or products where sales declined following a price increase.

Company Lawyer

• Ensures that our business transactions are in compliance with the law.
• Researches the law implicated by that transaction and advise on any negative effects it might create.
• Ensures that our legal decisions translate to a strong bottom line.

Security Guard

• In charge of protecting the agency and its environs
• Controls traffic and organize parking
• Give security tips when necessary
• Patrols around the building on a 24 hours basis
• Presents security reports weekly

6. SWOT Analysis

Just like the popular sayings ‘the journey of a thousand miles starts with a step’ and ‘nothing good comes easy’, we at Bizworld.com decided not to make mistakes right from the very foundation of our business. We decided and we did employed the services of a well known consultancy firm know for its marketing and business promotion ideas to aid us with our SWOT Analysis.

This consultancy firm during the time of their research were very thorough and straight. They had to make use of our available workforce to really understand how eager and competent they are to the success of Bizworld.com. Properly summarized below is the result of their SWOT Analysis for Bizworld.com;

According to the SWOT Analysis our strengths lies on our zeal, publicity budget and our workforce. They believe we have a team of standard A list team with excellent qualifications and experience in their various niche areas in the social media industry. They believe that our workforce is made up of competent, result driven, eager and we’ll educative individuals.

It was very easy to note in the SWOT Analysis that the social media industry is very competitive. It was also noted that our weakness include the time it might take us to  development an identity and consumer brand acceptance, develop and execute effective marketing communications, Identify and execute ongoing affiliate revenue generation, advertising, and ecommerce revenue stream. We believe all these are issues we can handle properly and very fast.

• Opportunities

It was also note categorically that the opportunity available in the social media industry is so large that it will remain open even if ten new social media sites are to join the industry every year. It is sincerely true if we consider the number of individuals and corporate organizations with active presence on the internet and the vast numbers of people who visit the internet and social media platforms daily. We have established plans to make use of this opportunity and many more opportunities that may come our way.

The SWOT Analysis conducted for us also pointed out the threats we might be facing in the industry. It pointed out clearly that we may encounter threats like acquiring strategic investment and consistent funding stream, enforcing a tech2and strategic site development and content planning, developing of content/link generation, User functionality and programming development and execution, the vast nature of the industry, and the level of competition in the social media industry.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

• Market Trend

There’s no argument that video content is growing rapidly, in popularity and importance. People Now have fast and reliable mobile internet connections, and the flood of written content on the web has left users hungry for something more visually engaging.

In this age, video content is becoming more significant in the social realm did to mobile experiences and constant communication. Also digital assistants like Siri and Cortana have been steadily rising in sophistication and user adoption for the past several years, and now a new kind of digital assistant is emerging — the home unit. We hope to adjust our business to these new trends.

The internet or the social media platforms do not lack information from brands and users, but now that features like Facebook’s Instant Articles are emerging, the social media industry is expecting a new kind of social content develop. People have already started to warm to the idea that videos automatically play in their newsfeeds, and full-fledged articles are available without users ever having to leave a social app. And it has put an increased demand on brands to provide content through social channels first, which as you might imagine, also has implications for traditional on-site SEO.

8. Our Target Market

We are very comfortable that a lot of people are looking to start businesses no matter how small and those in the industry already are striving to connect to other business Men and woman. We are very straight with what we want and we hope to get it in due time.

We have designed strategies that will enable us reach out to various corporate organizations and individual who will benefit exclusively for our services. Outlined below is a list of the people and organizations that we hope to create a social platform for;

• Banks, Insurance Companies and other related Financial Institutions
• Blue Chips Companies
• Corporate Organizations
• Manufacturers and Distributors
• Research and Development Companies
• The Government (Economy, Chambers of Commerce)
• Start up businesses
• Prospective entrepreneurs
• Students and teachers
• Schools (High Schools, Colleges and Universities)

Our Competitive Advantage

Starting a social media company doesn’t need just your Internet expertise, but your ability to put other peoples need way before yours, create a better place for them to enjoy even if it’s not a hobby of yours, and also to have them ability to convince people that a dog has two legs (advertising).

We at Bizworld.com understand how competitive the social media industry is and we know what to expect, which is why we believe we can be able to take over our niche and provide good and unadulterated services. We are focused and zealous, we know what to expect and how to create more opportunities that will suit our niche market.

Going by our SWOT Analysis, we choose to believe that our competitive advantage lies in our workforce and publicity budget. Bizworld.com is made up of creative, result driven and highly proficient, excellent qualifications and experience workers, who we believe came do anything within their reach to boost our business.

Also another advantage is the kind of website we will be lunching and the business niche we choose, we believe that Bizworld.com will be offering a service that is second to none in the industry.

We will be offering our employees a platform that will give the vibe to flow with Bizworld.com, we hope to make them comfortable enough to want to start and end their careers in Bizworld.com. Bizworld.com is a business that was established to reach the nook and crannies of the world and we can’t achieve that if we don’t have the very best. We are very prepared for what is to come in the industry.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

• Sources of Income

Bizworld.com is a business we believe will reach all continents of the world and we have plans of using our own funds. Our source of income is focused strictly on the business niche of the industry. We hope to get our income and maximize profits by offering the following services;

• Specials Deals
• Subscription fees
• Commissions from travel, e-sales
• Advertising banners
• Advertising focused on special needs of recipients of outbound materials
• Private-brand Bizworld.com products

10. Sales Forecast

We are a business that is vigilant of the new trends in the industry. At Bizworld.com, a prototype site has been developed and is up and running in a privately hosted environment and prospective customer and partner lists have been developed and several have been contacted for establishing an emerging business relationship. We have also established agreement have been with several vendor partners to offer ecommerce opportunities within the online community

We have also created a business management team has been created, consisting of business and technical professionals, also Focus groups have been established and are currently providing ongoing insight and consumer end-user feedback into the online community development cycle.

Initial market acceptance tests have indicated a warm welcome of the concept for potential. This is to show that we are bent on making Bizworld.com the best. Below is the sales forecast of Bizworld.com within the next three years;

• First Year-: $560,000
• Second Year-: $1,000,000
• Third Year-: $2,400,000

Note : it is worthwhile to note that this sales forecast was done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that all our threats will be a stepping stone for us.

• Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

Bizworld.com being a business forged on tryst and hard work will not be leaving any stone unturned to become and remain the best in the industry. We understand how competitive the industry is and we hope to make it our hub and zone.

We hope to employ our sales and marketing team based on their vast experience in the social media industry and they will be trained on a regular basis so as to be well equipped to meet their targets and the overall business goal of Bizworld.com.

We all at Bizworld.com hope to fulfil our business goal which is to take over the Industry and becoming relevant in the world market. We hope to make use of the following strategies to become the king of the business social media industry;

• We plan to attract and leverage current outdoor industry leaders for content and co-brand association
• We will leverage branding efforts in marketplace across multiple media and technologies
• Introduce our social media marketing company by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to individuals, corporate organizations, religious organizations and key stake holders.
• Promptness in bidding for social media marketing contracts from the government and other cooperate organizations
• Advertise our business in relevant business magazines, newspapers, TV stations, and radio station.
• List our business on yellow pages ads (local directories)
• Attend relevant international and local expos, seminars, and business fairs et al
• Create different packages for different category of clients in order to work with their budgets and still deliver excellent design and services
• Leverage on the internet to promote our business
• Engage direct marketing approach

Make use of referrals

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

We at Bizworld.com have created unique and well budgeted publicity strategies to boost our business. Just we have said many times in this business plan, our publicity budget gives us nothing less than a 70% chance of survival in this industry.

Our publicity and awareness strategies will rely on the power of targeted online messaging tools, strategies, and word-of-mouth references, followed up with directed traditional media promotional strategies, such as outdoor advertising, periodicals, and network and cable sponsorships. Outlined below are the strategies we hope to adopt at Bizworld.com

• We plan to Place adverts on both print (newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms
• We hope to Sponsor relevant community based events/programs
• We will make use of the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook , twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote our services
• We all also install Bill Boards on strategic locations all around Washington DC
• We will also make sure we engage in road show from time to time in targeted neighbourhoods
• Deep will distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas
• Contact corporate organizations by calling them up and informing them of our business
• List our web cum graphic design company in local directories/yellow pages
• Advertise our social media marketing company in our official website and employ strategies that will help us pull traffic to the site.
• Ensure that all our staff members wear our branded shirts and all our vehicles are well branded with our company logo et al.

12. Our Pricing Strategy

We at Bizworld.com will be keeping our prices for now below the average market rate to attract customers and clients. We also plan to inculcate promos on in our subscription fees for the main time. Bizworld.com we believe will grow to what we dream it to be and we hope to be part of the future of the social media industry.

We at Bizworld.com understand the nook and crannies of the industry, and we believe in what we can do. We hope to provide distinctive services that will shake the social media industry from its roots.

• Payment Options

Bizworld.com being a business we hope to take over the world, we plan to create payment options that will favour all our customers right from the south of Africa up to the Antarctica. We will be creating online payment options that will be very secured and easy to access. We have partnered with a well known bank in the United States to enable us provide the following services;

• Payment via cards (credit cards, debit cards, smart cards etc.)
• Mobile banking
• Other electronic payment procedures

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

In starting Bizworld.com, the price or cost depends explicitly on the approach and size, which we believe will be very large. Finance is indeed in any business venture, funds are needed for renting office space, and buying equipment, advertising et al, and any start-up can either be low or high depending on the goals, vision and aspirations for the business.

We believe we will earn back any cent we spend as start up capital. Listed below are the ways we expect to spend our start up capital;

• Business incorporating fees in the United States of America will cost – $750.
• Our price for Liability insurance, permits and license will cost – $10,000
• Our budget for acquiring an office space or warehouse that will accommodate the number of employees for at least 6 months (Re – Construction of the facility inclusive) will cost – $100,000.
• Equipping the office (computers, printers, projectors, markers, servers/internet facility, furniture, telephones, filing cabinets, and electronics) will cost – $100,000
• Amount required to purchase the needed software applications – $3,500
• Launching an official Website will cost – $4,000
• Our price need to pay bills and staff members for at least 2 to 3 months – $70,000
• Additional Expenditure such as Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions will cost – $5,000
• Our publicity and marketing budget – $2,000,000
• Miscellaneous – $10,000

From our detailed analysis above, we need $2,303,250 to start Bizworld.com. This business will be a world class business that will reach all the corners of the world.

Generating Funding/Start-up Capital for Bizworld.com

Bizworld.com is the idea and sole business of Donald Benjamin. The business being a huge business won’t be easy for just one man to fund, which is why we hope to attract more funds. These are the areas we intend generating our start – up capital;

• Raise part of the start – up capital from personal savings and sale of his stocks
• Raise part of the start – up capital from friends and other extended family members
• Attract angel investors and venture capitalists
• Raise a larger chunk of the start up capital from the bank (loan facility).

Note : we are hoping to raise $1million – $1.5 million for the development, launch, and 5-year ongoing expense outlook of the company expenses. Additional funding requirements will potentially be required for consumer brand and related, currently unseen partnership development opportunity investments.

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

Bizworld.com we believe to build is a global business that will surpass the territories of United States; we will expand Bizworld.com to all the ends of the world. Bizworld.com will start its expansion plans by next three years when we must have established a first class corporate identity.

We will also make sure that we constantly engage in continuous capacity building of our workforce; we will not relent in training and re – training of every of our employees. We also plan to create good incentives that will keep them with us and not just only that, but give their best to the business. We have made sure that our workforce will remain the best in the coupon industry.

Our tactical execution activities will continue as follows in support of what is obtainable in the industry. Our website will be launched no later than mid October. Bizworld.com website will have an estimated 75 percent portion of initial “look and feel” issues resolved, 75-90 percent portion of content/links available, 70 percent of interactive functional issues resolved, and 80 percent of revenue-generating affiliate partner programs in activation.

Checklist/Milestone

• Business Name Availability Check: Completed
• Business Incorporation: Completed
• Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts various banks in the United States: Completed
• Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
• Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
• Application for business license and permit: Completed
• Purchase of All form of Insurance for the Business: Completed
• Conducting feasibility studies: Completed
• Leasing, renovating and equipping our facility: Completed
• Generating part of the start – up capital from the founder: Completed
• Applications for Loan from our Bankers: In Progress
• writing of business plan: Completed
• Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
• Drafting of Contract Documents: In Progress
• Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
• Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing/Promotional Materials: Completed
• Recruitment of employees: In Progress
• Purchase of the Needed software applications, furniture, office equipment, electronic appliances and facility facelift: In progress
• Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
• Creating Awareness for the business (Business PR): In Progress
• Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement: In Progress
• Establishing business relationship with banks, financial lending institutions, vendors and key players in the industry: In Progress

More on Online Startups

Social Media Marketing For Startups: A Beginner’s Guide

People ideate a thousand things, and a handful of them evolve in the form of startups. But unlike an already established business, startups demand laser-focused attention.

Out of all the crucial aspects of building a startup, marketing plays the most dynamic role in its success . And in today’s digital world, social media marketing company is the go-to for brands to start their marketing.

And that’s obvious! If people are not aware of your existence, then how will your startup grow? How will you get a client and proceed any further?

Marketing is the essential kick-starter in bringing out your business in front of the world. As per stats, 56.9% of the startups have dedicated marketing teams. At the same time, many take the help of a social media marketing company.

These numbers are enough to prove that marketing, especially social media marketing, can take your startup to new heights if executed correctly. Moreover, various new trends have emerged to make your SMM campaign a lead booster.

In the succeeding sections, we shall discuss how to market your startup using the latest trends. So, let’s just dive in!

Why is social media marketing important?

Without any additional jibber-jabber, here are some points that are worth noticing:

• There are 4.48 billion people on social media websites.
• Facebook, YouTube, Instagram are the top social media platforms to be used daily.
• Around 73% of marketers say that SMM has been effective for their business.

So, why are we discussing these random stats out of nowhere? Well, they paint a clear picture that social media marketing for startups can guarantee to get your sales and revenue sky high. And social media marketing companies are great for assisting new brands to do so.

1. Brand awareness

Brand awareness is the number one factor that governs the importance of social media marketing for startups. Many global brands rely solely on social media channels like Facebook and Instagram to market their business proactively.

For example, Clinique leverages Facebook ad campaigns to launch a new line of products in 20 international markets with a 13-point lift average in ad recall and a 36-point lift average in add to cart.

Other than this, 44% of local businesses rely on social media for brand awareness . So, to put it plainly, social media channels are accessed every day by billions of users across the globe. Thus, making them a hotspot for marketing your business.

2. Direct communication

Communication is the key to every relationship, and it works best in the case of consumers and suppliers. With the help of social media, one can let go of the middle man. Thus, brands can interact directly with their customers.

These days Google comes after social networks for product search and service hunt. 90% of customers have used social media channels to communicate with the brand. Moreover, 63% of users expect that brands should provide customer service via social networks.

Hence, along with building brand value, you must harness social media to, ask customers for reviews  and resolve their issues.

3. High traffic at a low price

It’s common for startups to have a resource crunch. Hence, it becomes quite critical to spend your penny wisely while planning your marketing strategy. While most media can cost you an arm and a leg, social media marketing fits the bill in tactful promotions.

It is highly cost-effective. However, social media channels like Facebook and Instagram charge for the marketing campaign. The good thing is that one can decide his or her budget. Moreover, other than paid campaigns, it will still show you decent results if you take an organic approach.

If you plan and produce your content correctly, marketing on social media can bring you a higher return on investments. It will attract the audience that is most likely to convert into customers. Make sure that you create and include striking visual content , as it is most likely to get the user’s attention.

All these reasons sum up the importance of social media marketing for startups. And if you are unsure, go ahead and employ a social media marketing company to help you.

What to do before you start social media marketing?

Well, SMM is not just creating an ad on Facebook and BOOM! You are on the top. Wish it was that easy!

There are multiple attributes that you need to analyze carefully before going for the marketing streak. Here are some of those factors you ought to consider.

1. ICP (Ideal customer profile)

When you go on a social network, there are many types of users on it. Just like their distribution category, there are also different content preferences. All of them will not be interested in your startup with just one type of content.

Hence, it is necessary to check various attributes. After you have an insight into the customer’s behaviour, you can get a better understanding of:

• The type of content that needs to be developed
• The segment of the audience to target
• The specific location

And others, then only you will be able to formulate a strategy for social media marketing .

Moreover, you need to list the customers and firms based on your ICP, research the common links between the customers, and filter out key people you need to target.

2. Core values

The second in line aspect that you need to be sure about before you begin social media marketing is the core values of the campaign. This should include everything that you need from your SMM campaign.

Some firms create online pages on Facebook to gather feedback for their products. This helps them understand the demand and market of the product clearly , thus helps them visualize their goal. Based on this, they set future goals that they need to achieve.

After all, if you will be clear about your expectations, whether it is boosting app installs, raising user awareness, generating leads, etc. You will be able to plan your SMM campaign easily.

3. Think through customer preferences on groups and communities

Well, as teased above in the ICP part of social media strategy for startups, this factor will benefit you a lot, provided you have done your homework. While recognizing the ICP for your SMM campaign, it is necessary to research individual users, local and foreign communities, and groups most likely to convert into customers.

You can easily find these tribes on Facebook groups, LinkedIn communities, and websites like Growth Hackers, Indie hacker, Hackernoon, Slack, and many others. It is necessary to discover these social media groups to grow your brand as they are the primary hotspots for your business success.

One crucial thing that you need to make sure of is the activity level of the communities. There will be no benefit in targeting groups that have sluggish engagement and little response.

Launching a social media marketing campaign

Now that you are well-versed with the concept of finding groups and communities on social networks, it is time to check what channels you need to leverage for the outreach.

1. Decide the channels

There are various social media channels that you can leverage for your business. The point that will help you decide is the niche of your startup. For example, if you have an educational startup, you can go for LinkedIn ads or Facebook ads.

As per Statista, 29.4% of Facebook users are between 13-24 years of age . So, Facebook can be one of the prime channels for marketing your startup.

If you are a recruitment startup, choosing LinkedIn will be like hitting the bull’s eye for you. LinkedIn is a professional platform with over 756 million users and will serve you great for getting quality leads.

Facebook, with monthly active users of over 2.70 billion , is ideal for almost all sorts of businesses. Here are some of the best examples of it:

• Under Armour, an American sportswear maker, had a 35% increase in conversion rate and a 2X increase in return on investment via its Facebook ad campaign.
• Invstr, an investing app, received a 2.8X boost in registrations and a 2.5X boost in app installs.

Apart from this, you will find umpteen classic examples that prove the dominance of social media in marketing.

To make your marketing campaign more attractive and interactive, you can leverage the latest trends like:

• AR (Augmented reality) in Facebook stories, Instagram, and Snapchat stories.
• Run direct shoppable ads.
• Hire an influencer who has a high following on social networks.
• Let users interact with chatbots for their issues and concerns. This will help handle user complaints after regular working hours.
• Utilize lead magnets like free webinars, free whitepapers, free PowerPoint templates, and other useful sorts of content for branding.

2. Focus on organic growth of the brand

Now, SMM is not just about running high-quality ads on social media. You need to do a lot more to make people aware of your startup. For example, you must have noticed that many brands interact with their audience via Facebook posts. People tell their problems in the comments, and the concerned person responds.

As 80% of people use social media to communicate with the brand , it becomes necessary for you to use them. Moreover, once you are aware of the customer’s issues via social media you can create an organic social media strategy . Content like a blog post or a video highlighting their issues and their respective solutions can be shared with the targeted groups, pages, and communities.

This method of interacting with your target audience will help in the organic growth of your startup . Plus, it will also help in attracting quality traffic to your business website.

For example, let’s say you promote a new platform for marketers. Then, you need to research Facebook communities using keywords like digital marketing, SEO marketing, social media marketing, B2B marketing, and so on.

Then, you need to check if this group is alive: how often there are publications, how many likes and comments they collect, and so on.

Create a relevant post you wanted to write about. Ensure to check the reaction of the community. Important note: you need to answer each commentary.

It saves you from being moderated, boosts engagement, and drives traffic for free.

3. Toolkits for social media marketing for startups

As your business grows with time, it will become necessary for you to keep your social media channel updated after regular working hours. And working out of your time zone can affect your body as well as your mind.

So, here arises the need to identify the best time to post on social media and utilize tools to automate the timely sharing of content.

There are various tools on the web that you can use:

• SocialPilot: This is an awesome tool that can be used to schedule posts on multiple social media platforms, and analyze results for multiple accounts. With this tool, you can also reply to comments and messages on Facebook. One can also collaborate with their team using SocialPilot .
• Hubspot: Hubspot is a Customer Relationship Management software useful in maintaining coordinated communication with the customers. The tool features aspects like customer interactions, a track record of sales, and collaboration with your team. Hubspot is the best for B2B communication and management.
• Lempod: As per the general definition, Lempod is a chrome extension that helps in enhancing LinkedIn engagement. With Lempod, you can find groups and communities on LinkedIn that will support your curated content. You can filter those groups by using a location filter or based on the industry. The tool will help you foster likes and comments on your post. It will also enhance the visibility of the campaign.

Techniques that strengthen social media marketing

Now, as you know the what and how of social media marketing, you will be able to design and run a highly productive SMM campaign. But, if you want to strengthen it further, you can club with other marketing techniques. Here are some of the activities that you can undertake along with SMM to power up your marketing process:

• Retargeting: This is the phase that comes after you have attracted enough traffic to your website via your regular ads. Statistics suggest that the average click-through rate (CTR) of retargeting ads is 10 times more than the regular ads. Hence, make sure you focus on this too.
• Email marketing: The process of pitching potential clients with your products and services via email is known as email marketing. You can implement this besides your campaign as the market is expected to go up to $9 billion by 2027.
• SEO: As mentioned above in the reasons to choose SMM, SEO plays an important role while creating content for your marketing campaign. Embedding the right keywords and phrases in your content helps in boosting your site’s rank in Google search results, thus, making your site easy to find.

Final advice

Social media marketing for startups can be tricky on multiple levels. The reach might pose an issue, targeting can be a challenge, and setting budgets with dismal results might beat you down.

But with apt experimentation and continual efforts, you can achieve the needed results. Another thing to bear in mind is that social media is rewarding to those who are consistent. And the is always a perfect social media marketing company out there to help if you are a new brand looking to establish yourself.

That’s where SocialPilot comes in. It is one of the best social media management tools to create an everlasting presence on the social media forefront. Take its free trial for a blazing performance!

Frequently Asked Questions

🌟 How can social media help startups?

Social media can help startups connect with the target audience, find leads, collect feedback, launch new products and services, and run ad campaigns. They can additionally use social media for competitive analysis to watch out for their competitors.

🌟 What do startups post on social media?

Startups can share a plethora of posts on social media. Some of them are:

• Tutorial videos
• Promo videos
• Infographics
• Case studies

🌟 Do startups need social media?

Yes, startups need social media to spread the word about their existence. Unlike established brands, startups struggle to be recognized at their nascent stage. However, if they use social media actively, they can quickly become popular among their target audience.

🌟 What’s the best social media platform for business?

Different businesses perform differently on social media platforms because of the niche audience demographics. However, the most popular social media platforms that go down well for most businesses are Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

🌟 How do startups do social media marketing?

Social media marketing for startups needs more effort towards content creation as they are yet to figure out what engages their audience the most. Startups can have a dedicated team to create content calendars and synchronize the development of the content piece with its visual elements. Once this is done, they can use a scheduling tool to share these posts and use analytics to measure their social media performance.

🌟 Which is the best social media scheduling tool for startups?

SocialPilot is one of the best social media scheduling tools for startups and agencies. It is pretty affordable, with truckloads of features that are required to manage multiple social media accounts. It also has team collaboration capabilities for a seamless workflow.

About the Author

Maksym Babych

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Small Business Trends

How to create a business plan: examples & free template.

This guide has been designed to help you create a winning plan that stands out in the ever-evolving marketplace. U sing real-world examples and a free downloadable template, it will walk you through each step of the process.

Table of Contents

How to Write a Business Plan

Executive summary.

The Executive Summary serves as the gateway to your business plan, offering a snapshot of your venture’s core aspects. This section should captivate and inform, succinctly summarizing the essence of your plan.

Example: EcoTech is a technology company specializing in eco-friendly and sustainable products designed to reduce energy consumption and minimize waste. Our mission is to create innovative solutions that contribute to a cleaner, greener environment.

Overview and Business Objectives

This part of the plan demonstrates to investors and stakeholders your vision for growth and the practical steps you’ll take to get there.

Company Description

Include information about the company’s founders, their expertise, and why they are suited to lead the business to success. This section should paint a vivid picture of your business, its values, and its place in the industry.

Define Your Target Market

Example: Our target market comprises environmentally conscious consumers and businesses looking for innovative solutions to reduce their carbon footprint. Our ideal customers are those who prioritize sustainability and are willing to invest in eco-friendly products.

Market Analysis

Our research indicates a gap in the market for high-quality, innovative eco-friendly technology products that cater to both individual and business clients.

SWOT Analysis

Competitive analysis.

In this section, you’ll analyze your competitors in-depth, examining their products, services, market positioning, and pricing strategies. Understanding your competition allows you to identify gaps in the market and tailor your offerings to outperform them.

Organization and Management Team

Example: EcoTech’s organizational structure comprises the following key roles: CEO, CTO, CFO, Sales Director, Marketing Director, and R&D Manager. Our management team has extensive experience in technology, sustainability, and business development, ensuring that we are well-equipped to execute our business plan successfully.

Products and Services Offered

Marketing and sales strategy.

Describe the nature of your advertising campaigns and promotional activities, explaining how they will capture the attention of your target audience and convey the value of your products or services. Outline your sales strategy, including your sales process, team structure, and sales targets.

Logistics and Operations Plan

Inventory control is another crucial aspect, where you explain strategies for inventory management to ensure efficiency and reduce wastage. The section should also describe your production processes, emphasizing scalability and adaptability to meet changing market demands.

Financial Projections Plan

In the Financial Projections Plan, lay out a clear and realistic financial future for your business. This should include detailed projections for revenue, costs, and profitability over the next three to five years.

Income Statement

The income statement , also known as the profit and loss statement, provides a summary of your company’s revenues and expenses over a specified period. It helps you track your business’s financial performance and identify trends, ensuring you stay on track to achieve your financial goals.

Cash Flow Statement

Tips on Writing a Business Plan

3. Set realistic goals: Your business plan should outline achievable objectives that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Setting realistic goals demonstrates your understanding of the market and increases the likelihood of success.

FREE Business Plan Template

To help you get started on your business plan, we have created a template that includes all the essential components discussed in the “How to Write a Business Plan” section. This easy-to-use template will guide you through each step of the process, ensuring you don’t miss any critical details.

What is a Business Plan?

Why you should write a business plan, what are the different types of business plans.

In today’s fast-paced business world, having a well-structured roadmap is more important than ever. A traditional business plan provides a comprehensive overview of your company’s goals and strategies, helping you make informed decisions and achieve long-term success. There are various types of business plans, each designed to suit different needs and purposes. Let’s explore the main types:

Using Business Plan Software

Enloop is a robust business plan software that automatically generates a tailored plan based on your inputs. It provides industry-specific templates, financial forecasting, and a unique performance score that updates as you make changes to your plan. Enloop also offers a free version, making it accessible for businesses on a budget.

Business Plan FAQs

What is a good business plan, what are the 3 main purposes of a business plan, can i write a business plan by myself.

We also have examples for specific industries, including a using food truck business plan , salon business plan , farm business plan , daycare business plan , and restaurant business plan .

Is it possible to create a one-page business plan?

How long should a business plan be, what is a business plan outline, what are the 5 most common business plan mistakes, what questions should be asked in a business plan.

A business plan should address questions such as: What problem does the business solve? Who is the specific target market ? What is the unique selling proposition? What are the company’s objectives? How will it achieve those objectives?

What’s the difference between a business plan and a strategic plan?

How is business planning for a nonprofit different.

• Start a Chapter
• Startup Membership
• Investor Program (for Investors)
• Become a Sponsor
• Cities / Chapters
• SG Women's Month
• Global Conference
• Become a Speaker
• Partner Benefits
• Get Discounts

How to Build a Social Media Strategy for Your Startup

Do you own a startup? Do you want to make it successful?

“Running A Business Is Easy.” -- Nobody ever said this.

You have created a great product or service, but that's not the hard part. The hard part is to convince people why should they care about your business and tell them what it can do for them.  According to this report , “Generating relevant traffic and leads are the top marketing challenges for a business.”

• Social Media

Social media can be your secret weapon to increase brand awareness and lead generation for your startup. The best part? It’s cost-effective mean of marketing. It’s not a channel that you SHOULD use, it has become a channel that you MUST use. It’s the most popular and effective medium to connect with your target audience and get your brand in front of them.

“Almost all the businesses and startups have social media profiles, then why do most of them fail?” I hear you ask.

You’re right, startups have social media pages, but the most common mistake they make is: NOT having a social media strategy. Only a correct plan and strategy can help you to improve brand awareness, customer acquisition, and lead generation.

71 percent of customers  who have had a good social media service experience with a brand are likely to recommend it to others. Don’t worry! In this article, you’ll find five proven ways to build a social media strategy for your startup.

1. Build (or improve) Social Media Profiles

As I mentioned, social media has immense power to attract people, generate new leads and increase revenue. But it only works when you do it right, otherwise you’ll struggle to get desired results. What to do then?

Before creating a social media strategy establish your mission, objectives and goals that you need to achieve. Now check which social media platforms meet your objectives. You don’t have to be on every social network because each platform has its own audience and USP. Build yourself a strong social media page with each platform your enter. Make your social media page with complete business information and proper image sizes. Here’s a  guide for social media image sizes .

It’s Time To Improve And Update Them.

Do you have existing social media accounts? It’s time to improve and update them. Take a look at your social media statistics and demographics to understand your audience’s behavior and how it’s working. Choose the platform that meets your needs.

Julia C. Campbell as a voice for social media updates and improvements put it best  here :

“Pick one network and do it well first. Choose one that you like to use personally and are comfortable using. Master it.”

Facebook’s Audience Insights tool  allows you to check comprehensive demographics information.

Image via my personal Facebook account

2. Create a Content Strategy

You must create a content strategy and distribution plan before starting posts on your company’s social media accounts. Without a definite direction, you’ll be distracted. A clear definition of your desired state is going to allow you to use gap analysis to create  a laser-focused action plan  that is going to take you to your destination.

Here are some questions to get started:

Who’s your target audience for a particular content?

What types of content do you need to publish on social media?

What’s the frequency of your content?

What’s your plan to promote it?

First, answer these questions. Build a strategy and share the content your audience will enjoy. “I don’t know what to post on social media,” I hear you say.

A Few Ideas

If you have a startup for a marketing tool, start sharing content about marketing in form of blog content, videos, infographics, podcasts, presentations, etc. You can also share “Motivational Monday” images. Share inside photos of your office culture, this will give your followers insight into your company.

I recommend you to share relevant content from other sources regularly.

Always be consistent with your content. Follow the most popular 80-20 rule. 80 percent of your content should be informative and the other 20 percent can be promotional.

Piktochart regularly shares graphics on their  Twitter page .

3. Engage with your audience

Social media is for conversations. Engaging your audience on this channel can help you to build a community of fans for your brand. It can also help create fruitful relationships with your customers.

First, you need to post interesting content that encourages people to take an action. It could be a Twitter poll, a funny graphic, a video, or a product photo that encourages your audience to tag their friends.

How do you feel when people engage with your posts and comments? It feels awesome, right?

It gives you an opportunity to make a conversation and understand your audience. Here are some ways that you can consider:

Respond to these interactions appropriate and answer their queries.

Take the conversation further by asking a question.

There’s a negative comment. Don’t rush, respond positively and try to resolve the issue.

Run contests, ask people to take a specific action, and offer incentives.

When you respond to customers, they’ll more likely to purchase from you and will share a positive experience with more people.

Check out this Facebook Post of Modcloth. They did a great job here:

4. Go Live!

It doesn’t matter what type of business you’re, startups always look for a cost-effective social media marketing strategy. We live in the fast food world where people need everything instant. Facebook live is a great medium to produce instant content. You MUST include live video in your content plan.

It’s a fresh and unique way to provide appealing content to your audience. Popular brands already suing Facebook Live across the globe.  Livestream  discovered 80 percent consumers would rather watch live video from a brand than read a blog and 82 percent prefer live video from a brand to social posts.

Use Live videos to ask questions, company culture, event, or product launch. It drives real-time engagement. Encourage your audience to comment and respond to their questions. Don’t forget to calling out their names. It makes people feel special to hear their names in your live video.

Here’s an example: Embed Code

<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ftarget%2Fvideos%2F10154487189168120%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe>

5. Use Email to Support your Social Media

Do you think email and social media as a competing channels? You’re making a BIG mistake. Smart businessmen take these two channels as a team player to fulfil their purpose. Be a smart marketer and use the power of email to support your social media marketing.

Jay Baer put it best at  MarketingSherpa Email Summit :

“Email and social media have an important part to play in the conversation between company and consumer. They are strategically, operationally and tactically aligned — or if they aren't, they should be.”

Don’t forget to place social media follow button in your email campaigns and make it shareable. This act will help you to generate more reach and fans. Where you need to place the buttons in email: Above the fold OR below the fold?

I recommend you to Run an A/B test - Place the buttons above the fold in email A and below the fold in email B. And see the results.

In one study , marketers were asked: “Which marketing channels does your organization integrate with your email program?”

You can also send a dedicated email campaign to your subscribers and ask them to follow you. See how crocs does a great job:

I hope these five social media strategies will help you to grow your startup. Do you want to share something? Please drop your views here.

• Entrepreneurship
• growth opportunities
• relationships

About the Author

Megha Parikh is an experienced digital marketing specialist handles many aspects of marketing such as identifying a target market, helping to create a brand image, creating marketing campaigns and tracking marketing effectiveness.

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21 Tips to Use Social Media Marketing for Startup in 2023

Updated on January 7, 2022

[Updated] Facebook has over two billion active users. Instagram’s audience is 800 million. Twitter’s followers are crossing 330 million marks, while LinkedIn is home to 500 million professionals today. Social media marketing for startup has now become more important than ever. These huge numbers are proof of how social media has taken over traditional marketing methods and has become a world in itself.

Importance of Marketing Through Social Media

Yes, it is now more important than ever. The numbers speak for themselves how social media has taken over traditional marketing methods and has become a world in itself.

Digital marketing for startups is crucial today and many startups have failed due to the absence of an effective social media strategy. If you’d like to know how to use social media marketing for startups, we’d like to help. The use of social media in digital marketing plays a vital role, hence, we created a list of the best social media marketing tips for startups which can help you make social media a dependable channel of marketing for your business.

• Identify Best Social Media Marketing Channels
• Focus on Target Market
• Do Live Video Streamings
• Create Visually Attractive Content
• Capitalize on What’s Trending
• Use Snap Stories
• Focus on Mobile Audience
• Take Advantage of AI
• Use Virtual Reality
• Make a Content Publishing Calendar
• Create Engaging Posts
• Leverage Influencer Marketing
• A/B Test Your Campaigns
• Share Coupon and Sweepstakes
• Build a Community Around Your Brand
• Use Social Media to Improve Customer Service
• Identify Best Timings to Post
• Follow Top Accounts of Your Niche
• Develop Relations Not Followers
• Stay Active

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1.Identify Best Social Media Marketing Channels for Your Startup

What you need to identify at first is ‘What are the best social media marketing channels for my startup’. You can’t have an answer to this question without trying out the best social media channels  which generate a positive impact on businesses such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

According to Neal Taparia from  Play-minesweeper , “Given the social and multiplayer nature of playing Hearts, focusing on community building on Facebook and Instagram has helped our game get its first users and create an engaged community of players online. Moreover, we find that our most passionate users continue to spread the word on our games via social channels.” If you could do this today itself that would be golden.

Along with the abovementioned major social media platforms for business, there are niche specific platforms. These channels would be specific to your brand or industry. Some examples are Inbound.org, GrowthHackers.com, Dribbble, or Ravelry.

Before pursuing any network what you need to determine is where your startup’s related audience exists.

Shortlist at most four to five social media marketing channels where you find an audience which might be interested in your product or service, then carry out campaigns on each platform to identify the best ones for your startup.

Later on, you can also understand which produces more sales and revenues with  Salesforce and Google Analytics  integration data.

2.Focus on Target Market

You have to hit the right zones of the right audience to extract some sales. Facebook’s target audience feature is the best when it comes to market your startup to the right people.

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Facebook offers the option to market using attributes such as interests, age, behavior, area, country and bio’s, related to your startup’s niche. Targeting your audience will not only make your startup earn a great reputation but it will also ease out the data collection process of people interested in your startup and brand recall.

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3. Do Live Video Streamings

According to a visual content marketing statistics report for 2018, Live videos on Facebook have an engagement rate of 4.3% compared to 2.2% for non-live videos (source: telescope.tv). Following this fact, it is essential to include live streaming videos in your social media marketing strategies list.

Live Video streaming has gained immense popularity in the past year and it helps startups to directly interact with their audience without any obstacle in between. In this way, you can gather live reviews and comments from your customers that also builds the trust of people on your offered service or product. Keeping all these good gestures in mind, live streaming should be at the top of your priority list when it comes to being novel on social media for startup .

4.Create Visually Attractive Content

With over 300 million photos uploaded daily on Facebook, it is you who needs to market your startup in a way that your content including pictures and videos catches the eye of your target audience.

Your content should be visually engaging, creative, and pleasing in order to achieve your objective. It’s all about representing your startup graphically and enticing your customers to click on your advertisement(s).

5.Capitalize on What’s Trending

Facebook and Twitter provide you with complete insights regarding the top trends on social media. Use this information to make social media marketing plan for your startup. You need to keep an eye on all the latest trends and see which one you can capitalize according to your brand.

You can use hashtags that are always in the trend, or you can make your own personalized hashtags to promote your social media marketing campaign. You can even capitalize on certain events, like the recent Valentine’s Day, or Christmas, to market your startup. Hashtags are a great way to be in the news and making a mark on the market accordingly.

6.Market Your Startup Through Snap Stories

Over 100 million Snapchat users watch approximately 10 billion videos daily and your startup can be a part of these snaps too. Snap stories is a creative way of marketing your startup instantly to this huge number of audience.

Image Source: TechCrunch

A short-term story based video is what pulls people towards this application by applying Geo-filters on your story. You can use your brand name on it for as low as $5. In this way, you can market your startup’s culture, story, product etc. You can have a look at this awesome piece on how to run great influencer campaigns on Snapchat.

7.Focus on Mobile Marketing

It’s 2019 and people use social media more on mobile than their desktop, hence your social media posts must be mobile-focused.

Brands have carried out really interesting and engaging mobile-focused social media campaigns and it has really created a large impact on their brand mentions and engagements.

Instagram Ecommerce Marketing Hacks To Get Your Business To the Next Level

8. Take Advantage of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is also proven to be an impactful part of a social media marketing plan. You can save both manpower and time which you can utilize in other useful tasks.

AI can be really effective when it is used on social media to perform tasks like content creation, content optimization , social media monitoring, and posting, finding relevant influencers and the most importantly getting consumer/audience data.

9. Use Virtual Reality

June 2016 was the time when Facebook started supporting 360 videos, photos, and since then, Virtual Reality has taken the social media by storm. VR and Augmented Reality is a totally unique and exciting experience for users and you can market your startup by creating real impressions.

Source: Pexel

You can always create a buzz on the internet by creating a Virtual Reality based social media marketing for startup. Have a product? You can create a real augmented experience for your product and show your offering to your audience.

10. Start Tracking Your Data

You should always keep a close look at your content’s social metrics about how much engagement, impressions, views and reach it is creating. Another thing to consider is the time to post. There are certain times when an audience isn’t really active on social media and you should avoid posting your content at that time.

If you have a regular look at your startup’s social media metrics , you will understand the do’s and don’ts of your startup’s social media marketing strategy. Simply, by analyzing your data, you can decide what, when and for how long content should be posted.

Make Sense of Data with Big Data Marketing Automation for Your Business

11. Make a Content Publishing Calendar

A publishing calendar helps you schedule your content effectively. It keeps your online presence organized and allows you to focus on important tasks like maximizing reach and avoid repeating content.

With a content calendar, work becomes simpler and you can easily repurpose your content for different social platforms. You won’t have to post in real-time and can gain control over the timing of your content. In this way, you will get more time to get productive and maximize engagement on different posts.

Red Bull, for instance, is a company that sells energy drinks. They publish a lot of high-quality content over social media and maintain an impressive content calendar. They post nearly 9-11 times on Facebook and 7-8 times on Instagram in one day. Their content calendar helps them decide which type of content rolls out on which type of social platform as the audiences vary from channel to channel.

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12. Create Engaging Posts

Increased engagement means your content is appealing to your audience. When you engage with a customer appropriately, it will pay off at the checkout cart. Engaging posts can contain content, graphics, or video, however, make sure the content is high quality. It provides great value in return.

You can make engaging posts by simply adding a question, a fill in the blank, quotes, wishes, offers, giveaways, an interesting challenge, picture or a video.

Post on the best time and ensure to place a clear and attractive call-to-action (CTA). Cleverly use relevant hashtags in your content with easy instructions to follow. At the end of the day, the more quality content you offer to your customers, the more likely they will positively engage with your brand.

13. Leverage Influencer Marketing

Besides ad campaigns, influencer marketing can also help you drive insane ROI. Building relationships with industry’s leading social media influencers allow your brand to reach a wider audience and garner significant recognition.

The voice of a social media influencer is powerful. You can run promotional campaigns with them and tap into their hyper-engaged audience.

As one-third of Twitter audiences follow and engage with social media celebrities and influencers, you have the best chance to achieve boost if they endorse or review your product on their official account.

14. A/B Test Your Campaigns

A/B Testing or Split Testing simply means experimenting with two different approaches in order to complete a task. You need to find out which strategy works best between the two variations. It can help you increase your sales sharply.

For instance, Electronic Arts sold 1.1 million copies of SimCity5, one of their most popular games in just two weeks after its launch. To increase their sales, they introduced a pre-order offer and placed it as a banner on their website.

Turns out, the promotion was not driving results as per their expectation. They decided to come up with a few variations. One variation removed the promotional offer altogether. To their surprise, the variation without the offer increased their sales by 43.4% . People simply wanted to buy the game with no additional incentives necessary.

With an ease of analysis, you can increase your conversions and achieve your business goals effectively. Find an ideal combination for your customers that not only provides a better experience but also that breeds trust and confidence in your brand.

15. Share Coupon and Sweepstakes

Give your customers more reasons to follow your brand. Yes, great content is important but exclusive coupons, giveaways, discounts, and promotions on your website can get potential customers to become enthusiastic promoters of your brand. It’s a fact that 79% of Facebook users engage with brands that offer interesting coupons or discounts.

16. Build a Community Around Your Brand

Leverage social media communities to promote your startup, receive market feedback and interact with industry influencers. It takes time to build a community. However, startups must strive and align their social media activities with the overall growth.

Once you have the group running, find ways to provide value to those who engage with your brand. There are strong chances that those who are not aware of your brand may get inspired by the content you post in your group.

17. Use Social Media to Improve Customer Service

There are many well-established brands with a history of customer service issues. You should reach out to those upset customers and convince them to become your customers by resolving their concerns. Customers buy from brands they like. Social listening and real-time engagement is a great way to garner a competitive edge.

If you are a startup social media allows you to engage with your customers one-on-one. Airing problems in public may seem counter-intuitive. However, when handled correctly, it can actually be a win for your startup.

18. Identify Best Timings to Post

If you believe that the best time to post your content is the same across all social platforms – you’re sorely mistaken. Every channel offers a different type of audience. Engaging with diverse audiences requires more knowledge than just a few hunches.

It’s important to understand that there is no one magical time of the day ideal to publish content. The best time to post content varies among different social media platforms.

Also, many social platforms offer built-in analytics that allows you to understand the preferences of your audience which you should leverage to your advantage.

19. Follow Top Accounts of Your Niche

It is always a great idea to keep an eye on your competitors. Following top accounts from your industry will allow you to understand your strengths, weakness, and ways to gain competitive advantages. You will be able to understand the specifics of the industry where you hold a competitive advantage. By following industry influencers, you will have a clear image of your competitors.

20. Develop Relations Not Followers

Developing relations with your customers is highly essential in order to grow your clientele. The traditional marketing methods are fading swiftly. Relationship marketing is the name of the game today. It will help you to reach out and keep your audience engaged, not just with your products and services, but also with your online content and community.

To create a long lasting relationship with your customers, you need to listen and monitor your social media channels. You must respond to your customer queries and concerns accordingly. Keep an eye out on what your customers are saying. What do they need from you? They will be flattered if you resolve their concerns at the instant online and will help you promote your brand with success.

It’s essential to generate hype about your startup. You need to find customers who’ll be the biggest supporters of your brand. An ideal social media strategy is the key to connect and build valuable relationships with your customers.

21. Stay Active

Remaining silent on social media platforms will lead you nowhere. You may lose out on your valuable customers. It would be wiser for you to remain active on social channels. It will make you look more reliable. It will not let your customers get bored. Posting your content consistently on social media platforms will let your audience know that you exist.

You don’t have to remain active on all social platforms. But make sure you are on networks where a majority of your audience is present. Use your time over social media wisely and participate enthusiastically with your customers. You’ll notice a change in how your customers respond to you. Also, in return, they will translate your content into increased engagement.

Final Thoughts

Applying these social media tips will allow your startup to grow more prominently. You need to market your startup by keeping your target audience in focus.

With the assistance of the right tools, latest trends, applications, and techniques, you can accelerate your social media efforts. Social media marketing for startups is not that easy to practice on a consistent basis, however, it is not rocket science either. It will certainly help you gain better results if you play your cards right.

How do you plan to use these tips for your startup? What techniques will you incorporate into your marketing strategies? Let’s talk about them in the comments section below!

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Tahha Ashraf

Tahha Ashraf is a Digital Content Producer at Cloudways, a Managed Cloud Hosting Platform. He loves talking about brands and writes content related to online marketing. He is fond of creativity and writes poetry in his free time.

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Social Media Marketing: The Ultimate Guide

Discover how social media marketing can help you generate leads, boost conversions, and increase brand awareness.

THE SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT CALENDAR TEMPLATE

Manage and plan your social media content with this free template

Updated: 01/24/24

Published: 01/24/24

Marketers’ top goal with social media marketing is increasing engagement. However, their top challenge is creating content that inspires the engagement they look for.

Since social media plays such an essential top-of-the-funnel role, it’s important to understand how to use the platform to meet your goals.

In this post, we'll dive into all things social media marketing — what it is, its benefits, and how to build a social media marketing strategy that drives the results you want.

Benefits of Social Media Marketing

Create a Social Media Marketing Strategy

Social Media Marketing Resources

What is social media marketing.

Social media marketing is the process of creating content for social media platforms to promote your products and/or services, build community with your target audience, and drive traffic to your business. With new features and platforms emerging every day, social media marketing is constantly evolving.

Social media marketing is all about meeting your target audience and customers where they are and as they socially interact with each other and your brand.

While social media marketing is incredibly valuable and beneficial to your business growth (as you'll see in the following section), your strategy will differ based on which social networks your audience spends their time on.

Before we dig deeper into social media marketing, let's segment the strategy by platform .

The State of Social Media in 2024

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• AI Content Creation
• Community Building
• Social Media Shopping
• Social Vs. Search Engine

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To illustrate the benefits of social media marketing, let's take a look at the experience from the user's perspective. Well, my perspective, to be exact.

As I scroll through my Instagram feed every day (cough, cough...multiple times a day), I consistently notice new posts and stories by The Frye Company . I’ve always been a fan of their boots, clothing, and accessories, but I also love the content they share on their Instagram profile.

All of their photos have the same filter to ensure they match — this makes their profile look professional, artistic, and organized when visitors, like myself, browse their page.

Frye’s account also encourages interaction between the company and its followers by providing them with a specific hashtag to use so they can be featured on the page when they post photos with Frye products.

Frye’s Instagram account is a great example of successful social media marketing — it’s attractive, distinctly Frye, engages their ~200K followers, and promotes their products.

But why is social media marketing so important? And how do you build a social media marketing strategy that’ll work for your business?

There are a variety of reasons why your company should use social media marketing. We've created a list of the most beneficial reasons to consider.

Let's dive in.

1. Increase your brand awareness.

Due to the sheer number of people on social media, you're missing out on the potential to reach thousands, and even millions, if you don't have a presence.

In fact, social media has proven to boost brand awareness by driving up engagement, including things like comments, likes, shares, reposts, and saves.

It also helps you increase brand awareness by directing traffic straight to your site. You can do this by including links to your website and other offers in your profile, bio, and posts.

Featured Resource

• How to Build a Brand for Your Company

2. Generate leads and boost conversions.

Promoting and sharing your products on social media is a simple way to improve lead generation, boost conversions, and increase sales because you're advertising to people who have opted to engage with you by following your account.

Here are some examples of ways to use social media to generate more leads.

• Create contests for your visitors and followers to participate in on your social media profiles.
• Include links to your website and offers in the bio sections of your profiles.
• Host live videos to announce new products and provide updates or details about exciting news at your company.
• Implement a social media marketing campaign on one of your channels.

If you don't already have a Facebook page for your site, here's how to make one. 

3. Foster relationships with your customers.

Connecting and engaging with your social media followers can build lasting relationships between them and your business. You can do this by interacting with them on your posts, responding to their questions and comments, and providing them with any help they may need.

You can also ask your followers questions about your products and their pain points or create giveaways to help you build trust and show them how much you value their input and support.

4. Learn from your competitors.

Social media is a great way to keep tabs on your competitors — whether it's their social media tactics, the products they're promoting, the campaigns they're implementing, or their level of interaction with followers.

Social media allows you to look at what is and isn't working for your competition and, therefore, helps you decide what should or shouldn't change regarding your company's approach.

Lastly, reviewing your competitors' social accounts can help you make sure your marketing stands out and is unique to your brand.

Learn how to conduct a competitive analysis to discover how you can beat the competition.

Now, let's talk strategy. I'll walk you through the steps below, but if you're a visual learner, check out this helpful video that dives into everything you need to know.

How to Create a Social Media Marketing Strategy

• Set clear goals.
• Research your buyer personas and audience.
• Determine which social platforms you’ll market on.
• Establish your most important metrics and KPIs.
• Get to know your competition.
• Create unique and engaging content.
• Organize a schedule for your posts.
• Review and adjust your strategy.

Although social media constantly evolves, most foundational steps to succeed stay the same. Essentially, you're following the same steps you would take to create a marketing strategy and narrowing it to a specific channel.

I'll cover these steps in more detail so you can begin applying them to your business.

Step 1: Set clear goals.

The first step to creating a social media marketing strategy is to define your social media goals and ensure that they align with your overall business objectives.

Ask yourself: What do you want to achieve through your social media efforts? Examples could be increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, generating leads, boosting customer engagement, or improving customer satisfaction.

Once you've set your high-level goals, break them down into smaller, actionable steps. This helps you identify the specific actions and strategies needed to achieve your goals.

For example, if my goal is to increase website traffic through social media, helpful, actionable steps could include increasing posting frequency, optimizing content for sharing, or running targeted ad campaigns.

Recommended Resources:

• How to Write a SMART Goal

Step 2: Research your buyer personas and audience.

Whatever Thoreau once said about building castles and setting foundations under them is absolutely true.

Okay, yes , he was definitely not talking about social media marketing, but bear with me — you’ve set your goals (built castles), and now you need to define how you’ll meet them (the foundation). Your goals will mean nothing without the foundation that helps you meet them.

That’s why, after establishing your goals, the next step is to outline how you’ll meet them, and one of the best ways to start is to determine who your buyer personas and audience are so you can target their needs and interests appropriately.

Without knowing who they are, you won’t be able to share the content they’re looking for to entice a response from them that helps you meet your goal.

To do this, consider the people you're trying to reach, why, and how you would classify them as a group. For example, if your company sells trendy leggings and joggers, you might classify your target audience as millennials who like to wear stylish athletic apparel regularly — a style known as athleisure .

By considering your buyer personas and audience, you'll then be able to determine what content will attract the type of followers and customers you hope to gain. Plus, learn how to create engaging content to keep your followers interested.

Pro Tip : I recommend gathering feedback from your followers to get insights into their preferences, pain points, and satisfaction levels. This data can help you identify areas for improvement and refine your buyer personas.

Recommended Tools

• Buyer Persona Templates
• Make My Persona Tool

Step 3: Determine which social platforms you'll market on.

As a social media marketer, it’s important to determine which platforms you’ll use.

I can’t give you a yes or no list regarding which social channels your business should use — it's more about the needs of your target audience, where they spend their time, and the kind of content you want to create.

"It's important to be where your audience of potential customers is today, and where they might be tomorrow," said Andrew Delaney, former social media marketing manager at HubSpot. "It's better to be ahead of the curve than behind."

For example, Gen Z is all about TikTok . If that’s your primary audience, I would consider it a best practice to use that platform and meet them where they already are.

If you're going for that target audience of athleisure-loving millennials, you may want to focus most of your social media efforts on Instagram — millennials are the largest user base on the platform.

Stephanie Morgan , founder and CEO of Social Lock , a top social media agency , echoes this sentiment.

"Think about their behaviors and where they hang out online. If that's Pinterest, use that platform for your brand. If that's TikTok, use that platform for your brand," Morgan adds. "Don't waste time on a platform that your ideal client avatar is not very active on."

When it comes to the content you want to create, consider what each platform specializes in. For example, if you want to share video-forward content, a platform that favors that, like YouTube, is your best bet.

All of this to say, you aren’t restricted to best-fit channels. Having a presence on multiple platforms is important, and I always encourage experimentation on emerging platforms or platforms that don’t entirely align with your social media marketing needs. Not only does it diversify your strategy, but it also helps you interact with the unique audiences and requirements of each platform.

However, I can only recommend this type of experimentation for businesses with established marketing strategies on platforms that work and deliver your desired results. Placing all of your stake in something new if you’re just getting started can do more harm than good.

Recommended Tools and Resources

• A Marketer's Guide to Snapchat for Business
• 50 Facebook Ad Examples We Actually Clicked
• YouTube for Business: A 30-Day Roadmap for Growth
• How to Use Twitter for Business (+ Follower Tracking Template)
• 12 Pinterest Templates for Business

Step 4: Establish your most important metrics and KPIs.

Your social media strategy should be data-driven, regardless of your goals or industry.

That means focusing on the social media metrics that matter . Rather than focus on vanity metrics, dig into data that aligns directly with your goals.

What metrics am I talking about? Check out the breakdown below:

• Reach . Post reach is the number of unique users who saw your post. How much of your content actually reaches users’ feeds?
• Clicks . This is the number of clicks on your content or account. Tracking clicks per campaign is essential to understanding what drives curiosity or encourages people to buy.
• Engagement . The total number of social interactions divided by the number of impressions. This shows how well your audience perceives you and their willingness to interact.
• Hashtag performance . What were your most-used hashtags? Which hashtags were most associated with your brand? Having these answers can help shape the focus of your content going forward.
• Organic and paid likes . Beyond a standard “Like” count, these interactions are attributed to paid or organic content. Given how much harder organic engagement is to gain, many brands turn to ads. Knowing these differences can help you budget your ad spend and the time you invest in different formats.
• Sentiment . This measures how users react to your content, brand, or hashtag. Did customers find your recent campaign offensive? What type of sentiment do people associate with your campaign hashtag? It’s always better to dig deeper and discover how people talk or feel about your brand.

Recommended Resources

• Which Social Media Metrics Are Marketers Tracking?
• The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Analytics

Step 5: Get to know your competition.

Whether you’re just starting with social media marketing or have years under your belt, it’s always important to understand the current state of your industry, especially when it comes to your competitors.

This is where I call your attention to a trusty competitive analysis: it allows you to understand who the competition is and what they’re doing well (and not so well). You’ll get a good sense of what’s expected in your industry, which will help you set your own social media targets.

It will also help you spot opportunities. Say, for example, my main competitor is dominant on Facebook but puts little effort into Twitter or Instagram. Rather than solely focusing on winning fans away from a dominant player, I can also look to networks where my audience is underserved. I’m not abandoning Facebook (because I know it works), but I’m diversifying my strategy and building a presence where an untapped audience is ready to hear from me.

Pro Tip: I recommend monitoring your competitors’ customer reviews to gain insights into what their customers like and dislike about them. Pay attention to common complaints or recurring themes to understand their pain points, and aim to solve those pains in your own strategy.

• What's a Competitive Analysis & How Do You Conduct One?
• A Marketer's Guide To Competitive Intelligence
• How to Monitor Your Competitors' Every Move in Social Within HubSpot

Step 6: Create unique and engaging content.

With billions of social media users around the globe, there's no question that at least some of your followers — or the people browsing your profile — have also seen your competitor's content or that of other businesses in your industry.

This is why it’s important to have engaging social media content that stands out and provides viewers with a reason to click that "Follow" button and interact with your brand. If your content keeps them engaged, social media algorithms will also work in your favor and prioritize showing them your content because they’ve demonstrated an interest in it.

This is entirely true of my social media experience. I follow quite a few brands on Instagram, but I only regularly see content from 3 or 4 because they have the most engaging content that inspires me to interact. The algorithm learns what I like and prioritizes their posts over others, so I only get to their Stories when I’ve relentlessly tapped through every other story (doesn’t happen that often) or scrolled to the bottom of my feed (happens even less).

Not sure what's considered engaging? Morgan has a recommendation.

"My number one tip to brands for creating engaging content on social media is to do market research first because what will be engaging depends on the audience," Morgan said. "When you know what your audience likes and needs to know, you can create content that engages those interests."

Want some hard facts about what content to create? Here’s some insights directly from consumers, thanks to my teammate Max Iskiev's research into consumer trends:

• Consumers spend the most time engaging with visual content, specifically images/photos/infographics (53%) and short-form video content (44%)
• Millennials spend the most time engaging with short-form video content
• Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X enjoy video content the most, and Boomers enjoy images/photos/infographics.
• Relatable content is the most memorable content overall among consumers. For Gen Z and Millennials, funny content is the most memorable.

Another tip to help you get creative is to consider the content your competitors are sharing and how you can uniquely promote your products.

Also, take advantage of the features offered by the platforms you use. For example, you can create live videos on Facebook to share the latest details about a product launch or conduct a giveaway.

You can also use your current customers' and promoters’ content (user-generated content) and re-post their content or encourage them to use a hashtag to share their experiences and pictures with your products.

Lastly, leverage trends. Social media trends are always coming up, especially on short-form video platforms like TikTok. Don't be afraid to join in but you still have to be intentional about how you do it.

"If the trend started happening three weeks ago, you've probably missed the boat," Morgan said. "Catching the trends early is the best way to capitalize on it without coming across as inauthentic or like you're trying too hard, or worse [as] 'chuegy' – see Gen Z for that one."

• The Social Media Trends Report

Step 7: Organize a schedule for your posts.

Using a social media management solution is one of the easiest ways to ensure your content is shared as planned. These tools let you write captions, prepare pictures and videos, and schedule posts in advance. Some even automatically share your content on schedule and monitor post interactions and engagement.

I recently tested a few social media content calendar tools ( you can check out my tests here ), and I can’t recommend them enough. They were all extremely easy to use, and the time-saving benefits are a worthwhile investment for any social media marketer looking to optimize their process and save time.

Here are a few examples of some of your options.

HubSpot offers a social media tool — as part of the marketing software — to help you publish and monitor your content and create real connections with your followers. You can schedule and publish your content in advance and compare in-depth reports on your posts’ engagement to understand the performance of various platforms, types of content, and posting times.

Sprout Social

Image Source

Sprout Social is a social media marketing and management solution designed to help your team organize and plan content creation, manage campaigns, understand engagement, and review content reports and analysis.

Hootsuite is a social media management platform for finding, scheduling, managing, and reporting on your content. You can schedule posts in advance on all of your channels at once and measure your ROI with comprehensive content analysis.

How often should you post on social media?

As a rule of thumb, you should only post on social media when you have quality content to share (meaning that there’s a reason you’re posting it). This can help you strike the right balance when it comes to posting frequency.

Morgan says the top mistake she sees brands make regarding social media marketing is focusing on quantity of content instead of the quality of content.

"They think they need to post every day, so they force themselves to create posts to fill up the calendar," she said. "Odds are, every single one of those posts isn't going to be very valuable to the ideal customer, I've coined this 'clutter content.'"

Instead, she recommends downsizing in quantity and upping the quality.

"It's better to post two or three times a week with super valuable content, versus posting seven times a week with only one or two valuable posts," said Morgan.

There are plenty of studies and resources available explaining social media post frequency standards by industry and platform for you to follow. Every business is different, so find what works for your audience.

I do have a cheat code for you, though. Iskiev, who I mentioned above, asked marketers how often they post on social media, and they most commonly said multiple times per week. This can be a guiding metric but, as always, make final decisions based on your audience.

Look at your analytics to see when you get the most engagement, and create a posting schedule that speaks to those times. Then, you can begin experimenting with more or fewer posts – as well as other factors such as the time of day you're posting on social – to determine what provides the highest level of engagement.

• Social Media Content Calendar Template
• Social Media Content Calendar Template for Startups

Step 8: Review and adjust your strategy.

Social media is always evolving, so it’s important to periodically check in and make sure your strategy is still effective.

I recommend setting a regular cadence for reviewing your social media strategy. This could be monthly, quarterly, or annually, depending on your business needs and resources. Use these reviews to determine what's working, what needs improvement, and what new opportunities to explore.

When conducting these reviews, take the time to assess whether you're making progress toward your social media goals and objectives. Compare your actual performance against the benchmarks and KPIs you established. Then, identify any gaps or areas that need improvement.

It’s also important to keep up with the latest trends. Be sure to monitor changes in social media algorithms, user behavior, or new features, as well as emerging platforms and technologies.

For instance, if you heavily use Twitter as part of your social media strategy, consider the implications of the platform's rebrand to X and the new competitors since Elon Musk purchased it.

Before we dive into analyzing your social media marketing efforts, lets take a look at key social media platforms to give you a sense of how social media strategies look on different platforms.

Social Media Marketing Platforms

• Users : 2.8 billion daily active users worldwide
• Audience : Cusp of Gen Z and Millennials ( most users aged 24-35 )
• Industry impact : B2C
• Best for : Brand awareness, advertising, community building

Facebook is the largest and most established social media platform. Since its launch in 2004, it has become an invaluable tool for B2C businesses, offering advanced advertising tools and organic opportunities.

Featured Resources:

• Facebook Marketing: The Ultimate Guide
• How to Run Facebook Ads: Step-by-Step Guide to Advertising on Facebook

• Users : 1 billion active monthly global users
• Audience : Primarily Gen Z followed by Millennials
• Industry impact : B2C, then B2B
• Best for : Short-form, creative video content, user-generated content, building brand awareness

When you think of short-form video , you probably think of TikTok. The platform rose in popularity in 2020 and shows no signs of slowing down. It's one of the best platforms for community building, with marketers ranking it in third place behind YouTube .

• How to Use TikTok: A Step-by-Step Guide
• How Does the TikTok Algorithm Work?
• 13 Best TikTok Tips & Tricks, According to HubSpot’s Social Team + Marketer Data

• Users : 1 billion monthly active users
• Audience : Nearly even distribution of Gen Z and Millennials
• Best for : High-quality images and videos; user-generated content; advertising

Instagram launched 13 years ago and has taken the world by storm. When it comes to sharing visually compelling content, Instagram is where brands go. Another thing that sets the platform apart is its advanced eCommerce tools.

Today, users can discover brands, browse their products and/or services, and complete a purchase without leaving the app – making Instagram a hard platform to beat. In fact, consumers say Instagram offers the best in-app shopping experience , and Instagram Shops is the most popular social selling feature among social media marketers.

• Instagram Marketing: The Ultimate Guide
• How to Gain Your First (or Next) 1,000 Instagram Followers - 31 Tips
• 41 Instagram Features, Hacks, & Tips Everyone Should Know About

X (formerly Twitter)

• Users : 550 million daily active users worldwide
• Audience : Primarily Millennials
• Industry impact : B2B and B2C
• Best for : Public relations, customer service, community building

While Instagram focuses on visuals, X (formerly Twitter) focuses on words. Since the early days of 140-character Tweets (the limit is now 280), the platform has now expanded to include an audio tool called X Spaces , a community-building tool for creators called Twitter Subscriptions, and Twitter Blue for those interested in an elevated Twitter experience.

Featured Resource:

• Twitter Marketing: The Ultimate Guide

• User s : 770 million active users worldwide
• Audience : Older Gen Z (24+), Millennials (largest user base), and Gen X
• Industry impact : B2B
• Best for : B2B relationships, business development, and social selling

LinkedIn is Facebook's professional cousin. It's perhaps the only platform where its audience is clearly defined: Working professionals looking to network and seek out new opportunities.

That makes it the ideal platform for B2B companies looking to identify key decision-makers and build an industry-specific community.

• The Beginner’s Guide to LinkedIn Marketing
• Social Selling on LinkedIn: The Ultimate Guide
• How to Craft the Perfect LinkedIn Profile

• Users : Over 2.4 billion users worldwide
• Audience : Primarily Millennials but has a strong audience across gender and age demographics
• Industry impact : B2C and B2B
• Best for : Brand awareness, long-form entertainment, how-to and explainer videos, SEO, advertising

YouTube is the second most visited website in the world . In addition, marketers name it the second-best platform to build community.

In addition to being an incredibly popular platform, its users tend to stay longer because it features mostly long-form content – making it an ideal platform to share educational content.

• YouTube Marketing: The Ultimate Guide
• YouTube Ads for Beginners: How to Launch & Optimize a YouTube Video Advertising Campaign
• YouTube Demographics & Data to Know

• Users : 4 06 million daily active users worldwide
• Audience : Primarily Generation Z
• Best for : Brand awareness, advertising, location-based marketing

When Snapchat came out in 2011, leading the charge in ephemeral content. It introduced content that you could share with your friends and that would expire after 24 hours.

Many thought the brand would disappear once Instagram introduced Stories, the same feature with a different name, but it continues to be popular among young adults.

• Snapchat Marketing: The Ultimate Guide

• Users : 482 million monthly active users worldwide
• Audience : Primarily Millennials with a solid audience in Gen Z
• Best for : Visual advertising; inspiration

Think of Pinterest as a visual storyboard that allows users to get inspiration for everything from fashion to home decor.

85% of Pinners say Pinterest is where they go to start a new project. In addition, 80% of weekly Pinners say they've discovered a new brand or product on the platform. So, not only is it a great discovery tool, but it's also a way for brands to build their narrative through visual stories.

• The Ultimate Guide to Pinterest Marketing
• How to Use Pinterest to Promote Your Business or Blog

• Users : 10 million weekly active users worldwide ( according to latest data from 2022 )
• Best for : Visu

Clubhouse made a strong impression as soon as it entered the social media world in 2020. The audio-only platform allows people to start interesting conversations with followers as well as strangers and build community.

The platform also gained some buzz for its invitation-only set up when it was in beta testing. Today, the platform is open to everyone globally and on both IOS and Android devices. Another big selling point to this platform is that it works well for both B2B and B2C businesses and leverages audio, which has made a huge comeback in recent years.

Now that we've detailed the fundamentals of each social media network, how to analyze your results once you use them.

How to Analyze Your Social Media Marketing Impact and Results

One of the most important aspects of social media marketing is ensuring your efforts are successful in helping you meet your goals. To determine this, you'll need to keep track of your posts on every channel. You can do this by reviewing and managing your social media metrics.

Social Media Metrics

Social media metrics are data related to the success of your posts and your impact on your audience and customers on various platforms. These metrics may include data about levels of engagement, likes, follows, shares, and all other interactions on each platform.

These are the ten most important metrics I recommend tracking:

• Engagement: This includes clicks, comments, likes, and replies on your social media posts. There are also platform-specific types of engagement, such as " Saved " posts on Instagram and " Pinned " posts on Pinterest.
• Reach: The number of people who have seen any content associated with your page or profile is your reach.
• Followers: This is the number of people who have clicked your "Follow" button and regularly see your content in their feeds.
• Impressions: This is the number of times a post is seen, regardless of interaction. Impressions usually come from someone scrolling through their feed.
• Video views: On Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, or any other social channel with video capabilities, this is the number of views each gets.
• Profile visits: The number of people who have visited your profile is the number of profile visits.
• Mentions and tags: This is when someone mentions your brand, business, or profile in their own post. Someone might add your profile’s hand to a piece of their content with a direct tag, usually using the “@” symbol. For example, “loving these new shoes from @nike.”
• Reposts: This is when a member of your audience posts a piece of your content on their profile.
• Shares: This is the number of times people have shared content from your profile to their own or with their network.

You can influence all of these metrics, increase your social following, and improve overall engagement on your profile by using the same tactics you use to generate leads and boost conversions.

Morgan adds that the metrics you focus on will depend on your business’ level of maturity:

• If you're new, focus on building an audience and awareness. Key metrics: reach, impressions, audience growth.
• If you're growing, focus on building trust. Key metrics: Likes, saves, comments, DMs.
• If you're established, focus on retaining and nurturing. Key metrics: Likes, saves, comments, DMs.
• If you're launching something, focus on selling. Key metrics: DMs and clickthrough rate

How to Measure Social Media Metrics

There are multiple ways to monitor your social media metrics. Some platforms even have built-in analytics tools for you to use:

• X Analytics
• Facebook Analytics
• Instagram Insights

You might also choose to use an analytics and tracking tool such as Google Analytics . I view it as a great option if you want to track your social media and website metrics. Lastly, many social media scheduling solutions — as we reviewed earlier — have built-in monitoring and analytics tools.

Any metrics tracking tool you use will give you a better understanding of what your followers and audience respond well to and what you should consider modifying to improve engagement.

Now that we've reviewed the benefits of social media marketing and how to build your strategy, let's go over additional resources available to help you along the way.

There are a plethora of social media marketing resources out there that can help you build a social strategy for your company. Let’s go over some high-quality options.

Social Media Marketing Courses and Training

Here are two ways to earn an education in the field of social media marketing if you feel it's necessary for your specific business situation.

1. Earn a certificate administered by a company.

A certificate is a quick and simple way to gain a deep understanding of social media marketing courses.

HubSpot offers a free social media certification course, which teaches you how to engage with your customers and improve conversions. You'll also get a better understanding of how to develop your strategy, extend your reach, and measure your social media ROI.

LinkedIn Learning is another platform where you can earn a certification and share it on your profile.

2. Leverage YouTube university.

YouTube is a goldmine of educational content.

With a quick search, you'll find hundreds of long-form videos offering in-depth courses on social media marketing. Granted, you can't connect with a live educator. However, it's free and can be a great starting point before you dive into a paid course.

Social Media Marketing Books

Reading relevant content about social media marketing is another great way to learn more about the field. Here are a few examples of some highly-regarded books on the topic.

1. Likable Social Media, Third Edition: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on All Social Networks That Matter by Dave Kerpen

This New York Times Bestseller covers the reasons why being likable and engaging with followers on social media is one of the most powerful ways to grow your base of customers and promoters.

The book teaches you how to make impactful content for your followers to interact with and share with their networks. Author Dave Kerpen also describes why you need to ensure you're consistently delighting your followers to avoid losing them at any point in time.

2. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World by Gary Vaynerchuk

According to author Gary Vaynerchuk, the key to social media marketing success isn't about pushing out a lot of content — it's about pushing out specific content tailored towards your target audience and using the right platform to do so.

In his book, Vaynerchuk covers how to do this as well as connect with your followers and customers on a deeper level through social media. You'll learn how to create memorable and unique content that stands out in comparison to the competition's content.

3. The B2B Social Media Book: Become a Marketing Superstar by Generating Leads with Blogging, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Email, and More by Kipp Bodnar

HubSpot's CMO, Kipp Bodnar, writes about the ways B2B businesses can generate more leads and conversions through social media marketing.

There are actionable methods you can take to increase your base of followers and drive leads as well as understand the ROI of various B2B social media marketing strategies.

Emerging Social Media Platforms

Recent HubSpot Blog Research found that marketers are constantly on the lookout for new or emerging platforms.

Though it can take a while for platforms to take off, once they do, you’ll want to have a plan of attack.

Chipotle, for example, was one of the first brands to try sharing short-form video content on TikTok, and it now has a strong presence on the platform. Other brands haven’t been so lucky and still struggle to find their place. (TikTokers don’t shy away from telling brands when they don’t like something and won’t mince their words).

Emerging platforms can offer a new avenue to reach your target audience in a way that may be more effective than what you're doing now. In 2024, Threads and Lemon8 are among some of the most popular emerging platforms, and Bereal is also working to make its mark.

Want to learn more about what's out there? Check out this article on social media platforms to keep an eye on this year.

Start Marketing on Social Media

Considering there are billions of people on social media today, it's easy to see why so many businesses and marketers use the channel to promote their products and engage with customers.

Although determining your company's social media course of action may seem daunting, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed by understanding how social media marketing works and leveraging the resources available about the topic (like this piece!)

Start working on your business’s social media marketing strategy today to increase your followers, improve engagement, and boost conversions.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in March 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Don't forget to share this post!

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Explore the top trends in social media, along with opportunities, challenges, and new data to optimize social content.

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Social Media Marketing Business Plan Template & Guidebook

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How To Start Your Own Social Media Marketing Agency in 2024

Starting a business is a significant and bold move, and for many social media marketers, it’s the logical next step after gaining experience in the industry.

So what does it take to start a social media marketing agency and grow it successfully? From understanding which platforms you want to work with to standing out and finding your first client, there are many things you need to understand before starting your own business.

This guide will take you through all the necessary steps to starting a successful agency – from building a solid foundation and packaging your services to winning clients. Combined with our research, we asked several people with experience or an extensive background with social media about starting a social media marketing agency, and this is what they had to say.

Choose a niche

The more focused your niche is, the more tailored your potential audience will be. A niche can be focused on a particular industry (entertainment, beauty, tech) or a specific platform like Instagram or TikTok. It just needs to bring in enough new clients to maintain or grow your revenue.

A big part of creating a successful social media marketing agency (i.e., having a steady roster of clients and inflow of revenue) is presenting yourself properly online.

Richard Barker is a former social media agency owner who now runs marketing at Clarion Security Systems. He asks you to consider, “Are you a LinkedIn specialist or TikTok? What type of audience do you want to speak to?"

This question is critical as you go through your clients' content ideation and creation process. Richard says, “Depending on if you want to specialize on one platform or across them all, you need to ensure that your channels are producing great content that gets engagement.”

You’ll also need to determine a niche to avoid multitasking, especially if you’re starting solo or with a small team. Doing too much for too many types of industries and platforms can be overwhelming and cause you to burn out as quickly as you begin.

Jason White , a social media industry expert and CEO of the gardening information platform All About Gardening , has some great advice about picking a niche. He advises, “Start by mastering one platform when building a social media marketing agency. Identify your niche and choose the best social media platform to reach them.”

Remember that each platform has its own rules and dynamics that you will need to master first. What works well on Instagram might not work so well on Facebook, so your marketing strategies will need to be tailor-made for each platform.

Picking a niche can be very beneficial – here are some reasons to consider yours extra-closely

• Building expertise in a certain niche to the point where clients come to you for your knowledge.
• Expertise also lends itself to better pricing – clients will pay for your knowledge and experience if you can show that you have it.
• Lots of competition means that picking a niche can help you focus on standing out with a certain type of client at a certain level. For example, you may choose to serve influencers, small businesses, or big corporations. Of course, different clients will bring in different revenue levels, but you can find immense success if you focus on serving your audience well.

Determine the services (and pricing) you want to offer

Closely followed by picking a niche is choosing your services and pricing. Social media marketing is varied, and there are many services you will and won’t be able to offer.

Some of the things social media marketing agencies might offer include:

• Social media strategy
• Account creation, branding, and growth
• Social media and community management
• Content creation: Copywriting, Graphic design, Platform-specific content (IG Reels, TikToks, 140-character Tweets)
• Content publishing
• Research and analysis
• Social media consulting

You might be able to offer graphic design and social media copy but not account creation and growth. Some clients might want detailed reporting, while others might handle that. You might publish content but not respond to comments. You can take a roster of services you’re qualified to handle clients and give them value for their money.

Two things cannot be understated – the value of a well-defined process and how to price. Anna Sullivan , founder of The Creative Exchange , a content creation agency, shared that not having them might harm your agency in the long run.

Don’t undersell yourself – if you are looking to build an agency charge accordingly for your expertise. - Richard Barker

You may not know what models you want to use immediately, but with time, you'll figure out whether your business thrives on an hourly rate, project-based pricing or if it works better to use a retainer model.

Determine your unique selling points and prepare a business plan

When starting a social media marketing agency, studying and understanding the market is important. Many agencies will offer different services similar to yours. So understanding the market is vital to determine what your audience wants and what your unique selling points will be.

Roy Morejon , the co-founder of Enventys Partners – a full-service product launch company – says, “I also highly recommend finding a differentiator that sets your business apart from the others.” You’re competing with not just the local social media marketing agencies but possibly worldwide too. He adds, “It's okay if you do not have a differentiator from the start, but it will be harder to succeed until you do find one.”

Once you’ve determined what your unique selling points will be (growing TikTok accounts like Kozen Creative or creating visual content for Instagram), you’ll need a business plan. While you may not be hunting down investors or convincing a top CMO to make a move to your company just yet, a business plan will be a good model to guide your decision-making as a business owner.

“An agency cannot be made possible without intensive financial planning . The most fundamental step requires computing the total set-up and base costs in running your agency. This advice may sound simple, but you have to look into many financial elements to ensure that you start your business the right way,” advises Allan Stolc , founder and CEO of Bankly , a loan finder platform.

Lilia Tovbin , founder and CEO of Big Mailer – an email marketing agency – adds, “Social media marketing entrepreneurs aren't quite a startup and might not have enough venture-backed capital at the initial stage of their careers. However, they can still be competitive by bootstrapping their businesses. This means they can use affordable and effective tools to maximize their resources without shelling out a large amount of money."

Start pitching clients

Once you’ve determined your niche, work on finding the clients that fit your requirements and build mutually beneficial relationships with them. Consider creating an ideal customer profile, which in tandem with your chosen niche, can help you figure out who you can and can’t work with.

For people just getting started, Eric Ridenour, marketing consultant at Strategus , a programmatic ad agency, recommends contacting a charity and volunteering to manage their social media. He says, “Volunteering for an organization you agree with has several benefits. First, if you are looking at setting up a culture and brand values behind your new business, supporting a nonprofit is a great way to do this. You gain experience and can list them as a client.”

Eric also adds that oftentimes, a nonprofit will have no problem with you using them for a case study and more, especially if the work you provide is high-quality. In addition, many organizations have teams and some policies in place, so you can learn how organizations work.

For those with experience, a good way to find clients is to go on freelancing sites and social media to look for clients, particularly those looking for long-term partnerships.

Johannes Larsson , a digital marketing expert shares, “Go above their expectations to produce the results they need, and express your desire to continue working together. The ideal outcome is to build a client base that you like working with, represents your skills well, and is happy to partner with you for the long term.”

Remember that your previous work (along with its performance analytics) is the best way to grab a potential client’s attention. You’ll need to grow and gather your experience in a portfolio to get better responses from the clients you are pitching to.

Go above their expectations to produce the results they need, and express your desire to continue working together. The ideal outcome is to build a client base that you like working with, represents your skills well, and is happy to partner with you for the long term - Johannes Larsson

Track your progress in a portfolio and turn it into social proof

Building a strong portfolio that leverages your services as a marketing expert is a crucial starting point in establishing yourself as a social media marketing agency. Highlight your credentials (and those of your team members), relevant experiences, and past clients to show potential customers that you are an expert in what you do. Let your portfolio do the sales talk.

Why is a portfolio so important? As Brogan Renshaw, marketing expert and Director at Modelers Central , a model ship manufacturer, says, “Establishing a strong portfolio answers the question of why customers should pick you even if you are only starting out as a social media marketing expert.” To actively build a portfolio, you need to:

• Add documenting your successful projects to your workflow so you never forget
• Showcase high-performing marketing campaigns and accompanying testimonials on your website as you go
• Quantify your actions and what results they had for your clients i.e., X campaign achieved Y percent of growth for my previous clients. Blake Smith , marketing consultant says, “Analytics that show the return of investment of your work are integral to client retention.”
• Encourage satisfied clients to leave feedback on your page to bring authenticity to your brand.

A social media presence that reflects your brand and expertise is also important – this is easier than waiting for your first client to come knocking.

To quote Richard Barker again, “No potential client wants to look at your social channels and see that your last post was over a year ago. They come to gain help as they want someone who lives on social media, understands, and can get engagement and selling from it.”

For example, marketing agency Truffle Social ’s TikTok account is at nearly 28,000 followers, and their Instagram at over 14,000 followers. The agency’s social media content and accounts are a great way to showcase their skill sets to potential clients – and make it more likely for them to sign a retainer with you.

@trufflesocial The best decision I ever made #socialmediaagency #socialmedia #agencylife #officelife #socialmediamarketing #thejourney ♬ The Spins X The Other Side x Kids - darcy 🦦

Your clients can also act as social proof for you, especially if you refine everything from their onboarding to your workflow to impressive standards.

Tim Hill, CEO of Social Status , a social media analytics platform, says, “When business owners find great value and benefits in the social media marketing services you offer, they can become your first brand ambassadors. Encourage them to mention your brand on their social media, post comments, like your posts, and follow you on your social media page. By doing so, you’ll establish good long-term business relationships.”

Doing good work for your clients creates a cycle of return business that can sustain your agency and help it grow. Focus on creating and delivering quality work on your own and your clients' platforms as the ultimate proof of your expertise. This encourages people to share your work by word-of-mouth and make referrals, eventually slowing down your need to hunt down clients to sell your service to and creating an automatic funnel for your target audience.

Grow your agency at a slow and steady pace and find community

Building a social media marketing agency is one thing, and growing it is another entirely. From developing a deep understanding of how to run a company to operating different social media channels and accounts, you’ll need to keep an eye on many things past the initial development stages. That’s why slow, steady growth is essential.

Your work and delivery quality should be great enough to speak for itself so that you don’t have to run around pitching clients. Returning to Richard Barker’s advice, he says, “Make sure you deliver – lead generation and new business is essential for an agency, but don’t forget about your existing customers – always make sure you deliver what you said you would. Referrals are potentially the lifeblood of your business.”

Communities can be a powerful tool for entrepreneurs. Find and connect with a community of people doing the same thing as you. For example, marketing-focused communities like Online Geniuses and Demand Curve can be super valuable for connecting with other marketers on a similar journey.

In a final confirmation of the power of a community, The Creative Exchange ’s Anna Sullivan says, “Have the right people in your corner, as people to help do the work or be a mentor. There will be so much that will come your way that you won't know how to handle - everything feels like a unique situation, but having the right people to help will make it so much easier.”

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How to Create a Social Media Plan: The Complete Guide + Templates

Written by: Raja Mandal

If you've been wondering how to create a social media plan and have been searching high and low on the internet, your search ends here.

Social media is one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience. According to a recent study by HubSpot, 77% of marketers say social media marketing has been somewhat to very effective for their company in 2022.

But including social media in your marketing plan can also be overwhelming. How do you know what type of content to post, who to engage with and when? A social media plan helps you organize your strategy so that it's easy to implement and measure.

This guide will walk through the steps for creating a successful social media plan.

Table of Contents

What is a social media plan, what to include in a social media plan, how to create a successful social media plan.

A social media plan is a document that defines the goals, strategies and action items for your social media marketing efforts. It provides a framework for making decisions about how and when to use each network, which can be helpful if you're just starting with social media or your company wants to revamp its strategy.

Social media plans help businesses understand what they're trying to achieve with their online presence, how they will do it and how they will measure their success. Without one, businesses can easily make mistakes that cost them time or money while not having enough information about their audience or potential customers.

Simply put, a good social media plan helps companies set goals, identify audiences and create content to improve their social media presence.

Before we dive into the specifics, it's important to remember that a social media plan is just that: a plan. It doesn't have to be set in stone; rather, it should be a flexible document outlining your business's social media strategy. The plan should include the following:

Executive Summary

The executive summary is a short overview of your plan and should be one-page maximum. It should include the following:

• Brief description of your business and its social media goals
• Timeline for implementation (if applicable)
• Detailed information on what you plan to do with each platform

Current Social Media Presence

Before you create or update your social media plan, it’s important to identify the current state of your business's social media presence. Do a social media audit and include the following:

• A list of all the platforms you're currently using and their purposes
• The number of followers/following for each platform (if applicable)
• An evaluation of whether or not your current strategy is working and what could be improved in the future

Competitor Benchmarks

This section outlines the competitive landscape of your industry and how it relates to social media. It should include the following:

• A list of your competitors with their current social media presence
• An analysis of how each platform is used by them, including strengths and weaknesses compared to your own strategy
• A list of any gaps in the market that you can take advantage of and any opportunities to collaborate with other companies within your industry

Target Audience

Include your target audience, how they use social media and each platform's demographics. Additionally, you can consider the following:

• A list of your audience's interests, age range and location
• An analysis of how these factors affect their behavior on each platform
• Examples of content that resonates with them and why this is so

Goals and Objectives

Your social media plan heavily relies on your social media goals and objectives. Consider the following to ensure a flawless social media plan:

• A list of goals for each platform, including specific metrics that will be used to measure success
• How these goals will help you achieve your business objectives and why they are essential
• The level of effort required to achieve these goals (both in terms of time, money and other resources)
• A list of resources available to assist with this process and any other factors that may impact it

Social Media Tactics

Once you have established your goals and objectives, it is time to create a list of social media tactics to help you achieve them. These should include the following:

• How often will each platform be updated (and by whom)?
• Which content types are appropriate for each platform?
• The tone, style and voice of the content.

Now that you've decided to craft a social media plan for your company, the next step is creating the actual plan. While there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to creating your strategy, there are some best practices that you can follow.

Follow these simple yet effective steps to create a social media plan for your business.

1. Do a Social Media Audit

The first step in creating a social media plan is to do a social media audit of your existing channels. This will give you an idea about what's working, what isn't and how to improve the things that are falling flat.

What is a Social Media Audit?

A social media audit is an overview of all the activities and campaigns you have been running on various networks—including posts, comments and replies, ads, and any other interactions with followers (like likes/shares). It will also include information about each channel's demographics: who's following them, where they're located, etc.

2. Know Your Target Audience

You should know your target audience. If you don't, how can you expect to connect with them on social media? Several things need to be considered when deciding who your audience is:

Demographics: Age, gender, race, marital status and income are all critical in determining the makeup of an audience.

Psychographics: In addition to demographics, psychographics also help define an audience by focusing on interests and opinions rather than other factors such as age or gender. For example, a person may have specific political views that distinguish him from most other people his age (or vice versa).

Interests: Knowing what types of content interest your target audience allows you to create more appealing posts — it's easy to share something if it resonates with them!

According to a survey by ITSMA, 90% of companies that use buyer personas understand their customers better than their competitors. Therefore, it would be better to create a buyer persona to make this process easier.

Here are 20 customer persona templates from Visme that you can customize to create your own.

Watch this video below to learn more about creating a persona.

3. Set S.M.A.R.T Goals

Setting SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) is the most efficient way to reach your goals. For example: "I will increase Instagram followers by 100 within 30 days." This goal is specific because it names an exact number (100) and a timeframe (30 days). It's measurable because it assigns a metric (the number of followers) and benchmarks for improvement (increased by 100).

It's achievable because your company already has followers and increasing their numbers by 100 seems like an attainable goal for someone with your level of expertise. And finally, it's time-bound; if you don't hit that target by the next 30 days, then we're going home!

Read this article about creating S.M.A.R.T. goals and using the S.M.A.R.T. goal template below to create goals and never fail to achieve them again.

4. Identify KPIs to Monitor Your Progress

You've set some SMART goals for yourself or your team members' social media accounts or profiles. But what about key performance indicators? These metrics help measure how much progress has been made toward meeting those objectives regularly and can be applied across multiple platforms.

With so many social media metrics available, it takes time to know which ones are most important for your business.

The key is to choose KPIs that align with your objectives, goals, and what you want to measure. This will help you determine whether or not you are progressing toward those goals.

Here are some of the most common KPIs:

• Social media followers and reach
• Engagement rate (likes, comments and shares)
• Brand awareness and brand equity
• Sales and lead generation
• Customer service satisfaction
• Cost per lead and R.O.I.

Made with Visme Infographic Maker

5. Choose the Right Social Media Channels

As of 2022, there are over 4.5 billion social media users worldwide, equivalent to 58% of the current world population. But this doesn't mean every social media platform will work for you.

Social media is all about engagement. So you must choose channels where your audience spends their time. For example, if your business caters to millennials, you must be on Facebook and Instagram. If your target market includes women over 35, Pinterest might be a good channel for you.

To choose the right social media platform for your business, you’ll have to find answers to these questions:

• Where does your audience hang out online?
• Do they prefer Facebook or Instagram, or Twitter?
• What type of content do they prefer the most?

Here is an infographic template that you can use to compare the different social media platforms and choose the perfect one for your business.

Define Your Brand Voice

Sharing information with your audience is one of the primary purposes of using social media. You must ensure that your posts are relevant and exciting if you want people to engage with them. This means you must define your brand voice before creating any content for your social channels.

You can start by defining what kind of content you want to share on social media. For instance, if you're a B2B company, you might want to focus on providing educational content or industry news relevant to your audience. If you sell products online, you can share some tutorials or product reviews to help customers make informed buying decisions.

Here is an infographic that will help you find your brand voice.

Create Engaging Content

Now that you know your target audience, goals, social media channels and brand voice, it's time to create content that attracts and engages your audience.

In the world of social media, there is a lot of noise. The average person is exposed to more than 4,000 ads each day on social media. For your brand to stand out in that crowd, you must ensure your social media content is on point.

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• Produce beautiful, effective marketing content quickly even without an extensive design skillset
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Here are some types of content that you can create for your social media:

Videos are a great way to engage your audience on social media. A study by HubSpot shows that 54% of consumers want to see more videos from a brand they follow on social media. They're fun, visual, and easy to share—which is why they're such a popular choice for consumers and online marketers.

You can make videos in a variety of ways:

Micro Videos: Micro videos are short, snappy videos that are usually no longer than 30 seconds. These videos are ideal for social media because they can be shared easily and quickly. If you want to create micro videos, Visme can help you create explainer videos , product videos , promo videos , YouTube video ads and many others.

Check out Visme's broad collection of video templates and edit them using the free online video maker to fit your needs.

YouTube Shorts: Similar to micro videos, shorts have more room to tell a story or explain something complex. They can also be longer than 30 seconds—but they should still be short enough that people won't get bored watching them!

Here is an example of a YouTube short from Visme that explains top design tips to improve your social media graphics.

TikTok: This platform lets you create and share short video clips in real-time with friends like Snapchat did before it was sold to Facebook. The app is viral among teens and young adults, so if you want to reach that audience, TikTok might be worth checking out!

@vismeapp This e-book hack is going to change your life! Adding a flipbook makes your documents :sparkles:POP:sparkles: and makes you stand out from the crowd. :computer: #ebooks #flipbook #presentationtips #leadmagnetideas ♬ original sound - 🙂

YouTube Videos: With over 2 billion active users , YouTube is the most popular video-sharing platform worldwide. YouTube lets you upload video content, including product reviews, tutorials on how to use specific products/services offered by your business, customer interviews, behind-the-scenes footage from events hosted by your team members/employees, and many others.

Watch this video to learn more about creating social media videos.

Infographics can be a fantastic way to combine text and images to convey your message. They're easily shareable and engaging and help people understand complex concepts in an easily digestible way. An infographic could be the perfect solution if you have a difficult concept to explain to your audience.

Visme offers thousands of infographic templates in various categories such as statistical, informational, comparison and more that you can use. Choose your favorite infographic template from the vast library and customize it using Visme's free online infographic maker to share with your audience.

Here is how you can create an infographic in minutes using Visme.

Images are what people see first before they read your content. So use engaging and eye-catching images that relate to your content. A picture of a popular travel destination would be relevant and exciting if you're posting about how to save money while traveling.

Visme has a rich library of social media graphics to level up your social media strategy. Simply pick your preferred template, tweak a few elements and boom your graphics is ready to go live.

The best part? With just a few clicks, you can publish your content directly to your social media channels from Visme's editor.

Social Media Templates

Trick or Treat Facebook Post

Spooky Halloween - Facebook Post

Happy Halloween - Facebook Post

Spooky Halloween Day - Facebook Post

Halloween Party - Facebook Post

Happy Thanksgiving Facebook Post

Create your social media graphic View more templates

Read our detailed guide about the 10 types of social media content you can use to improve your social media game. Watch the video below to learn more about it.

Visme offers a wide range of social media graphic templates you can easily customize. With these templates, you can create your own Facebook Ads , Facebook Posts , LinkedIn Headers , YouTubeThumbnails , Instagram Stories and almost every type of content you need to run your social media campaigns effectively.

Watch the video below to learn how it works.

8. Create a Social Media Content Calendar

A content calendar helps you stay organized and on track to avoid posting at the wrong time or forgetting to post altogether. It keeps all your posts in one place so you don't have to search for them when it's time to post. Also, it lets you see what types of posts are popular with your audience, which helps you create more engaging content for them.

But how do you create a social media content calendar?

There are many different ways to create a social media content calendar. Some people prefer using spreadsheets or Google Docs, while others like using advanced apps such as Visme's Social Media Scheduler . The key is finding a system that works best for you and then sticking with it!

With Visme, you can create your social media content and use the social media scheduler to automate your posts. Here is a detailed guide to creating a social media calendar in Visme.

9. Create an Engagement Strategy

You need to start engaging with your audience to build a loyal audience and increase your brand awareness . The key to engaging with your customers on social media is to listen to what they have to say, respond in a timely fashion and be helpful.

Here are some tips for creating a social media engagement strategy:

Engage with Your Audience in Comments

If you have an active community on social media, then you're probably already doing this. But if not, then it's time to get started! Make sure whenever someone posts something on your Facebook page or Twitter feed, they get a response from the company itself.

This can be as simple as thanking them for their comment or sharing their story. If one person starts a conversation, others will join in — and soon, you'll have a lively discussion going on about your brand!

Provide Excellent Customer Support

If people are talking about your brand online, there's no better way to encourage them than by providing customer support through social media channels. Users have a place to ask questions directly about products or services without waiting for an email response from customer service reps.

The more you can do to connect with your audience and provide a way for them to get in touch with you, the better. This will keep them engaged with your brand and help you build strong brand loyalty .

10. Track Performance and Make Adjustments

We've already discussed the KPIs you should track to monitor your social media performance. Once you have tracked your performance, it's time to make adjustments based on what worked and didn't. If there are specific posts that drive more traffic than others, then you need to continue posting those types of content.

If a particular post receives a lot of negative feedback from followers, you should avoid posting that type of content in the future. Consider changing platforms or deleting one if it isn't performing well for you.

With Visme's collaboration features , your team can create and publish content on social media directly from the Visme app. So, collaborate with your team to make changes in your social media plan, adjust the calendar and even work on a design project together.

Watch the video below to learn more about this amazing feature.

Create Your Next Social Media Plan with Visme

Social media is a powerful tool. The key to using it effectively is creating an effective social media plan. You can use this guide as a template to get started on your plan.

But remember that there are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to social media. The best thing you can do is experiment with different formats and see what works best for your brand!

Now you know that Visme can be a great help in every step of the process of creating your social media plan. Sign up for Visme's all-in-one design tool and social media scheduler to get started with your social media plan.

Create an effective social media plan with Visme

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About the Author

Raja Antony Mandal is a Content Writer at Visme. He can quickly adapt to different writing styles, possess strong research skills, and know SEO fundamentals. Raja wants to share valuable information with his audience by telling captivating stories in his articles. He wants to travel and party a lot on the weekends, but his guitar, drum set, and volleyball court don’t let him.

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8 Proven Social Media Tips for Startups

Social media marketing is a great way to help launch your startup. It’s cheap and effective -- if you have a strategy.

Where do you start? How do you attract customers through platforms like Twitter, Instagram, etc.? This guide will help you answer these questions and more.

Here are 8 essential tips to help your social media marketing efforts:

1. do your market research.

Are you ready to begin tweeting? Hold on a minute there, partner. Before you start blasting out social media updates, you need to do your homework. Random acts of marketing will waste your time and your money. Social media marketing for startups requires a nuanced approach.

Before delving into the wild world of social media marketing, do extensive research on your audience. You’ve probably already done some initial market research when you created your business plan. Now it’s time to do this research again with social media behaviors in mind.

2. Find out which platforms your audience is using

Conducting market research will help you refine your marketing goals.

Important metrics you should be keeping account of:

The location of your target market

The online behaviors of your target market

How long they spend on the internet

Which social media platforms they use

How often they use social media.

Instead of signing up for every social media platform , find out which platforms your customers use most. It’s a far better use of your marketing dollars.

3. Use the same handle for every platform

Consistency is important. Using the same handle for every platform will make it much easier to find and follow you.

If you use different handles, it can confuse your target market. You want to make your brand identity crystal clear and as strong as a diamond. With so much competition, it’s absolutely necessary to stand out from the crowd by making a superb user experience , one that is simple and easy to understand.

4. Create a high-level social media marketing plan

Now that you’ve got the basics of your social media research finished, you’ll want to craft a high-level plan for each and every platform. Try to avoid plans that get too specific as these won’t help too much in the beginning. In fact, they can hinder the process.

Draft a marketing plan for each platform based on your research. Set weekly and monthly goals such as acquiring ten new followers, expanding your reach by three percent, or communicating with twenty potential customers.

5. Focus on mastery

It can be tempting to try to conquer every single social media platform. You may think that being present on lots of social media sites will mean increased exposure. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

It’s a better bet to focus on a handful of platforms. If you concentrate your efforts to platforms where your customers already are, you’ll likely see better results.

6. Build a brand message

Building a brand message sounds like something only fancy global corporations do, but even a small pre-revenue startup can do it.

How does an up-and-coming startup craft an exceptional brand message?

First, find out what you want to say. Do you want to tell them how great your product is? Do you want to tell them how your startup is adding value to society?

Pick a message and go with it. Then, you simply study the language of your consumer. Speak to them in their language.

7. Post consistently

You’ve picked the right platforms, crafted a marketing plan and created an effective brand message. Now it’s time to keep your customers engaged by posting consistently.

You may think that posting daily or hourly is the ticket. It’s actually better to make sure you’re consistent. Posting every week at the same time is better than posting hourly one day then not at all the next.

Posting consistently will make it easier for your customers to find you and understand your brand.

8. Use social media marketing automation tools

You’re not in this alone. Even if you’re unable to hire employees, you’ve got a few tools that will ease the burden of social media management.

Marketing automation tools can help you schedule and deploy social media updates from one single dashboard.

A few notable examples of top social media automation software products:

Social Flow

You can’t go wrong with any of the products listed above. Do your own research to see which automation software product is the right fit for you.

Social media marketing sounds like a simple thing for a startup to do. Unfortunately, it’s a bit more complicated than it may seem at the outset.

Fostering effective social media strategies means you’ll need to master the basics of social media research and communication.

You can start on your social media marketing journey by doing your market research, finding which platforms your customers are on, and creating a high-level marketing plan for each and every platform.

Using the same handle for every one of your startup’s accounts, posting consistently, and speaking in your customer’s language will help make your brand strong and your message clear. Focusing on mastery by selecting only a few platforms and leveraging social media automation tools will help save you time and money down the road.

Use these eight tips to help you get your social media marketing and management off the ground. Supplement these tips with some of your own research and planning to ensure social media success.

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How to Start a Social Media Marketing Business in 14 Steps (In-Depth Guide)

Updated:   February 22, 2024

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The social media and digital marketing industry is booming, having earned $365.37 billion in 2022. As more businesses realize the power of establishing an online presence and connecting with customers, the demand for social media marketing services continues to grow rapidly year after year.

Whether you want to help businesses attract more followers, increase engagement, or drive sales through paid ads, starting a social media marketing agency allows you to tap into this high-growth industry. With the right strategic approach, this field offers aspiring entrepreneurs a massive opportunity to build a sustainable and profitable business.

This guide will walk you through how to start a social media marketing business. Topics include analysis of other social media marketing agencies, market research, registering an EIN, forming a legal business entity, sourcing equipment for your social media management company, and more.

1. Conduct Social Media Marketing Market Research

Market research is important to your social media marketing company. It offers insight into the top-performing social media platforms, the target market for potential clients, and even how to build your social media strategy as a social media marketer.

Some details you’ll learn through market research on your own social media marketing company include:

• The social media marketing industry has experienced rapid growth over the last decade.
• Driving this growth is the rising popularity of social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
• In terms of market segments, social media advertising presents the biggest money-making opportunity for aspiring marketers.
• When analyzing the buyer demographic, over 90% of marketers believe social media marketing provides increased exposure and traffic for businesses according to Social Media Examiner.
• The primary buyers are small businesses, startups, solopreneurs, influencers, and personal brands who either lack the expertise or time to manage platforms themselves.
• Services most in demand include content creation, community management, influencer collaborations, visual branding, and ad campaign management.
• Given the scalability of digital services and relatively low overhead costs, the profit margin potential in the social media marketing field is extensive.
• Agencies typically charge monthly retainers ranging from $1,000 for basic community management to $10,000+ for expanded service bundles.
• High-performing individual freelancers can also earn hourly rates between $50 to $500 once establish expertise and a portfolio.

With brands pouring larger portions of budgets into digital and over 3.96 billion people active on major platforms, the outlook for the social media marketing industry remains highly optimistic. Whether aiming to build a solo consultancy or a full-fledged agency, now presents a prime business opportunity for aspiring founders to carve out market share.

2. Analyze the Competition

When starting a social media marketing business, it’s critical to analyze competitors to identify strategic advantages and obtain more social media accounts. The competitive landscape consists of freelancers, boutique agencies, large full-service firms, and potentially even brick-and-mortar marketing companies expanding digitally.

Begin by searching industry keywords like “social media marketing agency [your city]” and compiling a list of businesses appearing repeatedly in the results. Visit the website and social media pages of each competitor to evaluate services, pricing models, client types, aesthetics, and thought leadership positioning. Make notes on strengths and weaknesses.

For example, a freelancer may provide affordable community management packages but lack creative firepower for visually engaging content. On the other hand, a large firm may land big-budget clients but overextend capabilities leading to potential customer dissatisfaction.

Use tools like SEMrush and Buzzsumo to gather key competitor metrics ranging from monthly web traffic and rankings to social media followers and engagement rates. This quantifies their digital reach and sheds light on gaps your startup could fill. Monitor regularly to analyze growth trends.

Set Google alerts with competitor names and closely followed company announcements, new service launches, client partnerships, awards, media mentions, etc. This surfaces strategic insight on differentiating value propositions that earn attention and business in the marketplace.

3. Costs to Start a Social Media Marketing Business

Before you start setting up social media posts for clients, you need to develop a business plan and budget. From renting an office space to developing your own social media marketing strategy, you’ll encounter startup and ongoing costs.

Start-up Costs

When starting a social media marketing agency or consultancy, the initial expenses consist of legal formation, branding and web presence establishment, equipment, software, and optional office space.

• The legal formation process runs $100-$800 depending on whether you register as a sole proprietorship, LLC, S Corp, or C Corp. Trademarking a unique business name generally costs $275.
• Developing a brand identity and professional website leveraging templates on platforms like Squarespace or Wix ranges from $15-$50 per month. Factor another $100-$300 for logo design and copywriting.
• Basic equipment like a laptop and smartphone are necessities, though initially relying on personal devices you already own helps minimize overhead. For long-term growth though, invest $1000-1500 to acquire business-designated gadgets enabling seamless client work.
• The first year should factor $1000-1500 establishing an optimized digital environment.

Ongoing Costs

• Renting coworking space or small offices starts at around $200 monthly in most cities. However, as an online service-based business, operating virtually from home cuts costs in the early stages.
• Year one also involves miscellaneous expenses like website hosting ($150 annually), accounting software ($120+ annually for QuickBooks), and minor supplies. If hiring contractors, ensure properly classified with an annual tax spend of ~$800.
• Tallying it up, the first-year costs range from a lean $1500-$3000 bootstrapping operation up to $6500+ for a setup with dedicated tools and real estate.
• On the flip side, monthly recurring obligations focus primarily on labor, marketing/ads, and software subscriptions as you scale.
• Expect to allocate 50-75% of revenue back into payroll as bringing on additional marketers, designers, and account managers proves necessary to service growing accounts. Individual salaries vary based on experience level but plan $4000+ per new hire.
• Paid ads and organic boosting on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Quora, etc connect services to audiences most likely to convert into clients. Allot 15-25% of revenue for continually testing and optimizing digital promotion channels.

Software subscription costs also incrementally increase as added team members leverage tools. Budget a few hundred dollars for miscellaneous apps and integrations.

4. Form a Legal Business Entity

To start a social media marketing business you must first form a legal business entity. There are four main options in the United States for a business entity, including:

Sole Proprietorship

When structuring a social media marketing agency, a sole proprietorship exposes owners to substantial personal liability without corporate protection. Though economical to establish as a sole founder, this entity directly ties your assets to the business.

Partnership

Like a sole proprietorship, a partnership offers clear ownership guidelines. It’s a great option for a family business where multiple owners want equal control over the company. On the downside, it also leaves personal assets at risk.

Corporation

C Corporations levy self-employment taxes, complex accounting requirements, and stricter regulatory compliance even for bootstrapped founders. Ownership percentages also don’t automatically transfer tax benefits. Unless pursuing VC funding with an eventual IPO exit, the rigidity undermines optimization flexibility crucial during the early stages.

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

LLCs provide the best of all worlds – limiting legal liability for owners while enabling taxation flexibility akin to a sole proprietorship or partnership. LLC operating agreements also allow adaptive ownership structures as your social media marketing agency evolves from solo to potentially many employees. LLC formation does involve state registration filing fees from $100 to $800 depending on location.

5. Register Your Business For Taxes

Before accepting any client payments, it’s imperative to register your social media marketing agency for necessary federal and state tax compliance obligations.

The first step every LLC must complete after formation filing is obtaining an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service, which serves as your company’s social security number for tax purposes.

Applying takes just 5-10 minutes for free through the dedicated IRS portal. Simply provide basic information like LLC name, principal business location, and mailing address then submit to instantly receive your EIN.

Gaining an EIN lets you open a dedicated business bank account, legally invoice clients, authorize company credit cards under your LLC, hire employees and contractors, and correctly file state/federal taxes each year to avoid audit risk and penalties.

Additionally, ensure your social media marketing services comply with state and local sales tax registration regulations where your agency is located which varies based on nexus clauses and jurisdiction thresholds.

For example in California, an LLC must collect and remit sales tax if generating over $100,000 in revenue or 200+ transactions annually direct to CA consumers. State registration costs range from $0 to $100+ depending on form complexity and locations collected.

Partnering with an online payment processor like Stripe also automates the state sales tax calculations and reporting based on customer locations, saving tons of compliance headaches.

Finally, while not required immediately, social media agencies with sizeable contractor budgets should eventually explore obtaining a Certificate of Worker’s Compensation Insurance to protect from any on-the-job incidents. Quotes start around $49 per month.

6. Setup Your Accounting

Managing finances represents one of the biggest pain points for service business owners. However, implementing accounting software and an experienced bookkeeper from launch establishes organization and compliance that saves monumental time while preventing IRS issues as your social media agency scales.

Accounting Software

Platforms like QuickBooks seamlessly integrate with business bank/credit card accounts to automatically import and categorize transactions, generate financial reports, send invoices, track receivables, ensure tax accuracy, and more. Automation liberates founders to focus on sales and delivering client value rather than manual data entry or reconciliation.

Hire an Accountant

Supplementing with an expert bookkeeper/accountant who understands the digital marketing niche provides an affordable backstop checking financial health and tax compliance monthly or quarterly. Expect rates around $100 per hour for ad-hoc tasks like correcting QuickBooks errors up to $2,000 for fully outsourced controllership.

Open a Business Bank Account

Maintaining completely separate business and personal finances further simplifies reporting obligations and prevents commingling unallowed deductions if audited. Clone existing credit/debit setups by opening dedicated small business accounts specifically for your agency.

Apply for a Business Credit Card

Applying for a business credit card also helps track expenditures. Expect potential limits of and $5000 for new ventures due to lack of credit history. Utilize profitably then request larger limits to cover larger ad buys or new equipment like high-end cameras, video gear, etc.

7. Obtain Licenses and Permits

All businesses formed in the United States require appropriate permits and licenses to operate. Find federal license information through the U.S. Small Business Administration . The SBA also offers a local search tool for state and city requirements.

As long as registering properly as a business entity like an LLC, obtaining an EIN, collecting/remitting sales tax appropriately per state thresholds, and complying with general business regulations around areas like data privacy and worker classifications, legal prerequisites to launch a compliant social media agency cover the basics.

There are some exceptions worth noting though. If deciding to rent office space, ensure familiarity with local zoning ordinances and commercial lease regulations within the city or county. Occasional photography/video production for social content also requires location filming permits.

Additionally, while no overarching license governs advertising or marketing, specialized services within digital like lead generation, public relations, and talent management often stipulate registrations, background checks, or bonding/insurance requirements tied to other statutes.

But just focusing on core social community management, content production, influencer partnerships, ad management, and analytics/reporting – simply structuring legally as an LLC registered appropriately in your state provides full authority to immediately begin serving clients after formation.

As the business evolves, continually verify compliance with any new or updated labor, privacy, or data regulations at the federal and state levels. However, the barrier to begin operating a solo social media consultancy remains pleasantly low from a licensing and permitting standpoint.

8. Get Business Insurance

Though not legally required, securing business insurance protects a social media marketing agency from financially crippling lawsuits or disruptions. For less than $100 per month, tailored policies safeguard against risks like professional errors and omissions, employee injuries, equipment theft, and breaches.

Without adequate coverage, a single client dispute could evaporate personal savings and LLC assets. Consider a scenario where your agency’s negligent oversight of an influencer campaign negligently damages a brand’s reputation, warranting a multi-million dollar settlement. Or a workplace accident leaves a contractor with long-term medical bills owed without a policy.

The right insurance dampens this exposure to keep your LLC, personal finances, and hard-built business secure if the unthinkable happens. Packages like Hiscox small business policies extend professional liability, general liability, cyber and data breach, plus equipment coverage for under $70 monthly.

At a minimum, investing in a basic professional liability plan provides a retainer to cover legal expenses and settlement costs if hit with an allegation tied to your services. Simply answer a few qualification questions on sites like CoverWallet then get instant quotes for coverage tailored to your agency.

Approval only requires payment after selecting an optimal policy quote. This grants necessary peace of mind so social media marketing founders can confidently sign larger MSA agreements and enterprise contracts without putting personal assets at stake. Never cut corners that could cripple everything you’ve built if caught off guard by the unexpected.

9. Create an Office Space

As a solopreneur consultancy, operating a social media agency from home cuts costs and provides flexibility to meet clients at coffee shops or coworking spaces closer to them.

Home Office

Converting an extra bedroom into a basic home office with a desk, computer, phone, and supplies requires little financial investment beyond existing mortgage/rent and wifi. Meetings are simply scheduled at alternate locations like cafes, libraries, or shared spaces nearby for a change of scene.

Coworking Office

However as staff expands, establishing a more official centralized office location becomes necessary for productivity and culture. Before committing, trial options like WeWork provide professional infrastructure and networking perks without long leases. Hot desk memberships start at around $300 monthly in most cities.

Retail Office

Eventually securing a long-term retail office space creates stability and credibility for larger agencies supporting Fortune 500 brands. Expect $20-$40 per square foot for lease terms around 3 to 5 years including utilities and maintenance in most suburban commercial buildings.

10. Source Your Equipment

Launching a social media consultancy primarily requires technology like laptops, video cameras, editing software, and miscellaneous items for content shoots. While startups can incur major costs on bleeding-edge gear, going affordable routes won’t undermine quality or capabilities early on.

New tech enables higher quality and consistency in your marketing endeavors. BestBuy and OfficeDepot run frequent sales if monitored carefully. Factor possible 10-20% initial loss in value too when reselling later.

Buying used offers like-new equipment without the price tag. Local options like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace list deals from everyday sellers clearing houses. Expand brand keyword searches city-wide for the widest selection. Check electronics like computers, tablets, and camera equipment used to develop visual ads before purchasing.

Renting gear monthly also adds capabilities without major capital costs. For visual ads requiring high-quality images, National chains like LensRentals ship precision equipment for cameras. For context, leasing a pro-level Canon camera and lens runs under $100 weekly. Compare options if projects remain infrequent.

11. Establish Your Brand Assets

Implementing a strategic branding framework cements identity and professionalism that attracts ideal clients. Investing in visual assets, contact information, web presence, and marketing collateral sets agencies apart while ensuring memorability.

Get a Business Phone Number

Acquiring a unique memorable business phone number radiates legitimacy and provides a centralized contact hub. Services like RingCentral offer Vanity 800 toll-free with unlimited calling/texting from $30/month per user. Reliable VoIP capabilities also enable remote call routing to any employee worldwide.

Design a Logo

A polished brand logo visually encapsulates the mission and positioning in an iconic mark. Looka’s AI logo maker generates hundreds of on-brand concepts matching specified styles, imagery, and fonts within minutes for under $50. Full branding suites with complementary colors, patterns, and graphic elements create cohesion across assets.

Print Business Cards

Printed marketing collateral like business cards, letterheads, and signage repeatedly display information to contacts. Vistaprint provides affordable, high-quality templates tailorable with personalized logos and messaging. Bonus: request 250 premium cards for free during checkout.

Get a Domain Name

Purchasing a clear domain name improves discoverability and recall while preventing impersonator sites. Services like Namecheap are secure.COM registrations for $15 yearly alongside affordable hosting plans to launch sites.

Design a Website

Every agency needs a lead-generating hub highlighting services, case studies, and thought leadership content. Leverage intuitive website builders like Wix for drag-and-drop layouts requiring no coding expertise. Alternately, hire expert freelance designers affordably from marketplaces like Fiverr to handle technical complexities.

12. Join Associations and Groups

Tapping into knowledgeable communities accelerates skill development while providing insider access to partners and mentors. Local associations, trade events, and online forums offer invaluable wisdom.

Local Associations

Joining niche groups like the American Marketing Association and American Advertising Federation connects to established thought leaders guiding strategy for national brands. Access member directories to discover hometown agencies and cold email experts about informational interviews.

Local Meetups

Meetup streams worldwide networking events from startup mixers and creatives meetups to masterminds covering tactics across digital marketing, branding, content creation and, more. The Social Media Marketing meetup group provides both local venues to bounce ideas off other founders alongside live-streamed workshops from global experts.

Facebook Groups

For reliable day-to-day support as questions arise, countless Facebook communities exist covering all aspects of building a marketing agency. Social Media Marketing Helping/Tips Group USA, UK & Canada Etc and Social Media Marketing have thousands of members posting daily discussing ideas and effective growth strategies.

13. How to Market a Social Media Marketing Business

Implementing consistent brand visibility strategies fuels sustainable client acquisitions as an imperative priority for service businesses lacking physical storefronts. While delivering excellence generates referrals, founders must proactively promote their expertise directly to prospects first.

Personal Networking

Tap into existing personal and professional circles by sharing launch announcements across email, texts, social media, and phone calls. Offer discounts or extended trials for connections willing to take a chance on being first clients.

Incentivize happy customers with referral bonuses or co-marketing collaborations in exchange for introductions, testimonials, reviews, or case study interviews. For example, commit to donating to a client’s sponsored charity event for every lead they help convert into a paying account.

Digital Marketing

Digital channels present low-cost ways to reach wider audiences primed for social media services.

• Launch Google and Facebook ads targeted locally by interest keywords like “social media manager” and metro regions. Focus solely on ROI metrics like cost-per-click and conversion rates while testing varied creative.
• Start an educational YouTube channel or podcast covering social media tips for business owners in your niche. Embed opt-ins across platforms to build email lists.
• Guest posts on industry blogs aligned to your expertise levels like Social Media Today and Convince & Convert with contributor backlinks.
• Run an influencer marketing campaign gifting micro-influencers in exchange for posts and stories showcasing your services.

Traditional Marketing

Traditional options like direct mailers, chamber events, or local sponsorships maintain some relevancy but compare ROI to modern digital trails first. For example, secured speaking sessions at startup conferences reach engaged individuals.

Balance brand lift initiatives with targeted customer acquisition sources, then double down on proven channels demonstrating consistent pipeline contributions. Track marketing budget allocations and corresponding lead-to-customer conversion rates to optimize spending. Every agency must dedicate energy towards promoting themselves before pushing clients’ agendas.

14. Focus on the Customer

Delivering white-glove service creates enthusiastic brand ambassadors that drive referrals, boost retention, and cement 5-star reputations for social media consultancies. In an intimate field built on trust, ensuring positive experiences makes or breaks agencies.

Consider bringing on a new tech startup seeking an amplified but authentic Instagram presence. Handholding their team through content planning, hashtag research, influencer partnerships, and reporting insights builds familiarity spurring referrals within their network of peer founders.

Conversely, lacking account management responsiveness to campaign questions or strategy shifts from that same startup risks damaging hard-won trust. The repercussions cascade from a strained relationship to negative reviews on social/directories to lost future revenue.

But brands who feel their success remains an agency’s top priority reward loyalty in kind. Solicit customer feedback surveys after each campaign wrap wraps to uncover friction points before they emerge publicly across review sites.

Empower account managers to delight clients with small gifts like Starbucks gift cards for top-performing posts. And never underestimate personal touches like checking in on their latest funding round or product launch to demonstrate genuine care beyond the retainer.

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April 9, 2024

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Social Media Examiner

Your Guide to the Marketing Jungle

Launching on Social Media: A Timeline for Business Owners

Are you starting from scratch with social media? Got a new product or new business?

In this article, you’ll discover a six-step plan for launching your new social media presence. Plus you’ll learn about some key things to avoid in your planning process.

#1: 12 Weeks Before Launch: Choose Your Social Platforms

A few months before launch, choose which social platforms you'll use to launch your business. It's important to decide (or find out) how seriously you're going to take social media in the next 1-2 years. It's better not to launch on a platform at all than to create an account, post four times, and then forget it.

This is also when the social media manager (or team) should be coordinating with the marketing team or other marketing agencies (depending on the size of the company) to make sure your social media plan is integrated into a big-picture marketing approach.

You'll want to do a competitive analysis to get a feel for your market. This makes it easier to decide how you want to differentiate your business from your competitors. For example, you'll want to research what your competitors are doing on LinkedIn if you're thinking about creating a presence there.

Also determine your overall goals for converting social media followers into customers  and spend some time thinking about which platforms best support those goals.

#2: 8 Weeks Before Launch: Write Social Media Guidelines

The next step is to create character sketches and a brand handbook outlining your dos and don'ts for social media posts.

This step is vital if your social media presence is, or will be, managed by multiple people. Spend some time thinking of your brand as a character. You may even want to write up who they are. What are their extracurricular interests? What would their online dating profile say?

Here are a few more questions to get you started:

• Does your brand refer to itself as “we” or “I”?
• Are any words off-limits?
• Does your brand have a political leaning? How comfortable is your company with offending followers of a different political leaning?
• Will you respond to comments and how often? Even negative ones? What tone will you use to address negative comments? (There will be haters. It's a public forum after all.)
• If your social media account were a person, what would they do for fun? How would they talk? What TV shows or books would be of interest to them?

The answers to these questions may be different from the interests of the brand manager or CEO, as they should be. Unless you're creating a personal brand (in which case the answers to many of these questions will fall in line with you or the person you're representing), your brand's personality should be a reflection of the personas you want to attract.

Once your team has a good grasp of your “who,”  create a handbook to document rules and behaviors for your business on social media . As with all rules, some will be broken but having these guidelines in place will help establish your business during launch.

Pro Tip : Write the handbook as if you were explaining things to a new employee who doesn't know anything about your business. Who are you? What are you selling? How are you using social media to enhance the user experience with your business?

#3: 1-4 Weeks Before Launch: Create a Social Media Calendar

Next,  create a social media calendar for the first month, even if you don't plan on sticking to it 100%.

Rigid social media calendars can be constrictive, especially if you plan to comment on current events or use memes while they're still cool. But it's good to have goals for how often you'll post and have some planned shares on hand, especially for busy days.

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Before launch day, make sure you have 10-15 sample posts for each platform. Pass these posts around to the marketing team and key decision-makers. Or, if you're a solo-entrepreneur, try them out on socially savvy friends. This will give everyone (including you) a taste for your brand voice. If you report to higher-ups, everyone will be on the same page before planning has gone too far.

Pro Tip : Some of these posts may work to seed your accounts with activity before you're officially live.

Discover Proven Marketing Strategies and Tips

Want to go even deeper with your marketing? Check out the Social Media Marketing Podcast! Publishing weekly since 2012, the Social Media Marketing Podcast helps you navigate the constantly changing marketing jungle, with expert interviews from marketing pros. But don’t let the name fool you. This show is about a lot more than just social media marketing. With over 600 episodes and millions of downloads each year, this show has been a trusted source for marketers for well over a decade.

This is also a good time to start thinking a few months to a year ahead. Speaking to product or production managers about where your business is headed in the next year can provide ideas for the types of social campaigns you'll want to launch in the coming months.

As with most tasks, launching a social media campaign typically takes more time and planning than it may seem from the outset. If you can start getting the details together a few months out, future mini-launches will go more smoothly.

If possible, ensure that at least two people (the content writer and a proofreader) sign off on every post before it goes on the calendar. Typos are inevitable, but they're easy to prevent. Read this article to learn how to set up a social media approval process for your business .

#4: Launch Eve: Double-Check Details

On the day before launch, make a detailed to-do list and mark off every item before you leave the office.

Launch eves are often email-full days. Check in with this person, verify details with that person, and put out a few fires. The best way to keep everything straight is to create a checklist and double-check every detail. Don't make assumptions. Re-verify everything with the people you're depending on for a successful launch day.

Here are a few details to double-check:

• Your social media bios and art are the final versions.
• All posts are proofed and ready to go live with photos.
• Photos have watermarks, hashtags, or other necessary branding.
• Key people know when and what to post on their personal accounts, and you've accounted for different time zones.
• All links are correct.
• The social team is ready with launch-day goals and key performance indicators, and it's clear how these metrics will be measured .
• Everything has been signed off on.

#5: Launch Day: Start Engaging

If you've planned well, launch day is about execution and observation. Watch your well-prepared copy go live, hit Refresh until you're on the verge of carpal tunnel, and enjoy watching the brand you created come to life.

Today is also when you start engaging. Respond to your new fans' questions and comments. This is a first chance to show off your brand's personality.

Higher-ups may be expecting a brand launch post-mortem, so make sure you (or your social marketing team) measure engagement and take screenshots of successes throughout the day.

#6: Post-Launch: You're a Social Manager Now

After the launch, stay active and passionate, interact with fans, and develop your brand's personality as the company grows and changes.

There are too many tasks to list for this phase because it may comprise the rest of a social manager's job. Instead, here are some brand strategy points to consider adding to your handbook now that you're interacting with the public:

• If you received press coverage on launch day, select pieces to share and interact with the journalists, too.
• Get to know your first few followers and frequent posters. Who are these folks? How do they compare to the people you anticipated interacting with your business? How might these differences (if they exist) affect your strategy?
• Don't forget to experiment. Original plans for converting fans into buyers may not be as effective as expected. Plan to try (and measure the effects of) new tactics. That will keep the brand fresh and its social manager in constant idea mode.

Bonus Tips: What to Watch Out For

Now that you know the “dos” for launching a business on social media, here are a few launch “don'ts” to avoid:

• Don't count on launching a viral piece of content that will make or break your social success . Even if you get lucky, you'll need more than 15 seconds of fame to build a brand.
• Don't launch on a platform just for the sake of launching on that platform . Building a brand means generating unique and interesting content.
• Don't wait until 1-2 weeks before launch to begin social brainstorming . Make sure someone on the team is focused on social media content throughout development, whatever form “development” may take for your business.

When you're starting a new social media presence, it can be a strange sensation to post into a void, “Hello! We're here! Come buy our widget!” But, if you follow the tips and timeline above, you're sure to start with your best social foot forward.

Get More Advice on Social Media Marketing

• Establish a social strategy that will guide you closer to your marketing goals .
• Create buyer personas to use in your social media marketing .
• Develop a pipeline of content ideas that never ends .

Attention Agency Owners, Brand Marketers, and Consultants

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Social Media Tools and Tips for Startup

The annual report of the Global State of Digital 2021 predicted that 2021 has got 4.2 billion active social media users. Those users spent almost 2 hours and 25 minutes on different social media platforms every single day.

9 Essential Social Media Tips for Startups

Top social media tools you need to use in 2024.

Isn’t this opportunity exciting you as an entrepreneur to grasp the attention of 4.2 billion active customers and advertise your services? Isn’t it the signal to use different social media tools and tips to grow your startups?

If your business is facing a difficult time, here is the time to use social media as a huge marketplace for your services. We are here with amazing social media tips and tools that can help you to advertise your business using trending social sites.

Let’s get started with 9 best social media tips for startups and small businesses in 2024:

Tip 1: Identify your Company’s Aims and Priorities

To create a good marketing campaign, you should specifically identify your company’s priorities. Therefore, among all the most important but still, of social media tips is to jot your priorities.

When developing targets for your social media marketing campaign, make sure they are realistic, concise, achievable, and observable.

If you are struggling with startups, do not panic. You can be adapting to business by seeking help from online learning platforms. Simply visit the website of Coursera , Udemy , or EdX register yourself, and pick the course of your interest as a beginner.

Tip 2: Choose a Specific Platform according to the target audience

To an entrepreneur, this is the best tip we can give in 2024. Select your target audience first and then target that social media platform that has the most of your audience.

For instance, if you’re marketing to younger generations, social media can be highly influential for your business. Advertise your services on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and Pinterest because these are the most visited sites by our younger generations. Individuals over the age of 60 are Facebook’s biggest growth demographic. As a consequence, among YouTube , Instagram , Snapchat , Facebook , Tumblr , Twitter , and Pinterest , you can choose the best social media outlet for your target audience.

These applications can also give you the interest trends of each generation that help to choose the product or service you are going to launch in the market. Salesforce can be used to improve consumer management evaluation and interaction.

Tip 3: Find the Updates on your Competitor’s Research

You will get assistance with potential content planning by finding the updates of your best-perfect competitors. You can also learn about the types of information that your target audience enjoys. The following actions will help you find strategic analysis;

• Determine your competitor’s search terms.
• Search Online to see who is ranked with those phrases.
• Examine who comes up in web networks with certain keywords.
• Check out which products the target customer is interested in.
• Select up to six rivals to concentrate on.
• Consider all the possible risks. You can use several websites, such as Brand24-Competitive Analysis , SemRush , Espionage, and FollowerWonk for competitive analysis.

Tip 4: Optimization is the key

Rather than photographs, video clips can be used to optimize a Facebook business profile. Moreover, clips draw more buyers than still pictures and standard updates.

Podcasts as well as other speech services are generally on the decline, although the streaming video is thriving! Audio content is unlikely to return until the prevalence of Working At Home decreases and gyms resume normal operations. As a result, you must concentrate more on making mesmerizing and concise clips that amuse and teach.

Trying to keep track of impressions and Page visits, whether it’s by advertising content or viral advertisements, will give you a proper idea to decide your social media conversion rates. Begin by describing the social media function of your business.

The following must be the clear objectives for any brand’s social media campaigns:

• Signing up with a mailing list
• filling out a feedback form
• doing a demo, buying a product
• Downloading a factsheet or bookmark

Tip 5: Always schedule the content

You should incorporate this aspect into your strategy. A systematic social media schedule and release scheduled for the appropriate time of day will assist in keeping the fans engaging with you.

You may also use several tools like Hootsuite , Falcon , Eclincher , and Agropulse to intelligently assign each advertising asset to their assignments and boost coordination.

This enables you to devote a set amount of time every day or even each week to making posts. It is far more successful than allowing social media to divert your attention away from several other activities during the day.

Tip 6: Contemplate Statistics

The Facebook Analytic built-in tool equips you with detailed information so you can understand your consumers’ path through your accounts.

You can entice your followers with a variety of discounts and incentives to increase consumer interest in your social media profile. For example, you will provide them with the latest price coupons and exclusive discounts on specific items.

Tracking statistics is also essential through exchanging useful social experiences with peers and subordinates.

According to the Statistical methods, there is an increasing tendency for advertisers to communicate on performance and Profitability at a relatively high pace.

This will not only keeps you responsible for your actions but also emphasizes the importance and the specific pieces of information that your social campaign can provide.

Tip 7: Your website must be mobile-friendly

People nowadays use smartphones to complete the bulk of their activities. As a result, to excel in your internet persona, your site must be digital and mobile-friendly.

Optimize your websites so that they’ll be conveniently explored on mobile phones and devices. To attract users, keep the touch keys available at all times and maintain page startup times to a minimum.

Go and visit IMGFlip , HemingWayApp , Work2CleanHTML , and HostGator these platforms will assist you to get a mobile-friendly version of your website.

Tip 8: Boost your Output

If you’ve determined how well your plan is going, it’s appropriate to consider opportunities to strengthen it. Successful businesses always prefer to look for new opportunities. Their mere purpose is not to put their sales at higher and ignore the delivery of better products and services.

Try to increase productivity at work. You can use testing to make subtle improvements that will increase the performance across a period. Finteza can help you improve your analytics.

Tip 9: Never underestimate the power of feedback

As an entrepreneur, if you are using any social media platform for advertisement do not ignore the feedback of your audience. You must have a greater understanding of your audience and will be ready to go ahead with even smarter social media marketing strategies as a result.

Planning on sending an online survey to potential customers helps you to collect all of the information you need to have in a single easy step, allowing you to devote more resources to figuring out your customer’s agenda and much less duration of meeting with your customer.

Using the web applications Survey Monkey and Type Form , you will create your own brand survey questionnaires.

It is an amazing social media management solution that enables you to queue up a variety of content forms on several platforms and browsers even while on the go. Hence, you can use this tool for cross-platform publishing without having to individually schedule the content. It is a pricing plans tool, in which you can select the plans according to their available prices.

2. CrunchBase

It is believed that business owners who use measured figures in their marketing decks are admired by shareholders. As a result, in terms of achieving your objectives, you would need a monetary startup platform, such as CrunchBase.

It provides web-based links to every startup, sponsor, or fundraising info. It has specialized web access, customized outlines, personalized updates, and CSV industrial output.

3. MailChimp

The effective operation of a startup marketing campaign necessitates the use of resources for monitoring, analyzing, and evaluating any sales strategy. You require an exceptional email marketing resource for your company.

That’s how MailChimp steps into the market – a tech startup tool that needs no description. This platform enables virtual entrepreneurs to send emails instantly to every customer’s inbox by using a dependable form of system.

A CRM app, such as Hubspot, can be of tremendous assistance to your startup because it absolves up so many resources that you can invest efficiently in translating potential clues.

Personalize Viewpoints, Sale and Project Panel, Hubspot Advertising Integration, Pick and Fall Facilitator, Social Networking sites, Business Server, Mail Contacts, Companion Compatibility, CRM Info, Prototypes, Monitoring, and Planning are just a few of its highlights.

Slack changes the approach companies collaborate by putting individuals onboard to function as one cohesive unit.

It will substitute mail, messages, and instant communication with a single program. Sensitive material should not be sent to the recruits’ private email addresses. It transfers reports and documents in different formats, such as written, photograph, and recording, with any or all of your coworkers.

6. MockPlus

If you take a different initial move, life will get troublesome, and it will be impossible to reverse your decision. MockPlus is the perfect design and creation platform for startups in this sense.

This app not only covers architecture, but also group coordination, remote access, and administration within an integrated framework.

This roadmap illustrates that there are many driving parts of contemporary social activity. In short, getting yourself up wouldn’t be a chore.

If you establish provable objectives and complete each of the actions outlined herein, you will be well aware of competition once it relates to your social media marketing planning.

And, if you’re looking for further ideas and enforceable approaches to draw across your plans, be sure to check out these above Social Media Tools, which include techniques and tools.

You’ll enjoy experimenting with innovative technologies because they still have a fresh outlook on how to handle your core consumers. When you’re trapped, you can use a different option. When you’ve been stuck with marketing suggestions, you can switch to tools. Best wishes for your startup for 2024!

Essential social media tools for startups include scheduling and management platforms like Hootsuite or Buffer, analytics tools such as Google Analytics or Facebook Insights, design tools like Canva or Adobe Spark for creating visually appealing content, and social listening tools like Mention or Brand24 to monitor brand mentions and customer feedback.

Startups can leverage social media by defining their target audience, selecting relevant platforms, creating engaging content, utilizing hashtags, engaging with followers, collaborating with influencers or industry partners, running targeted ads, and analyzing performance metrics to refine their social media strategy.

Posting frequency on social media depends on the platform and audience. Generally, startups should aim for consistent and regular posting, focusing on quality rather than quantity. Posting 3-5 times per week on platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn and 5-7 times per week on Twitter or Instagram can be a good starting point, but it’s important to analyze engagement and adjust the posting frequency accordingly.

Startups should share a mix of content that aligns with their brand and engages their target audience. This can include informative blog posts, product or service updates, behind-the-scenes glimpses, user-generated content, industry news or trends, videos or tutorials, and compelling visuals. Experimenting with different content formats can help identify what resonates best with the audience.

To build a strong social media presence, startups should consistently engage with their audience by responding to comments, messages, and mentions, participating in relevant industry conversations, and sharing valuable and shareable content. They can also collaborate with influencers or industry experts, run contests or giveaways, and actively seek customer feedback to foster a sense of community and authenticity.

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Free Business Plan Template for Small Businesses (2024)

Use this free business plan template to write your business plan quickly and efficiently.

A good business plan is essential to successfully starting your business —  and the easiest way to simplify the work of writing a business plan is to start with a business plan template.

You’re already investing time and energy in refining your business model and planning your launch—there’s no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to writing a business plan. Instead, to help build a complete and effective plan, lean on time-tested structures created by other  entrepreneurs and startups. 

Ahead, learn what it takes to create a solid business plan and download Shopify's free business plan template to get started on your dream today. 

What this free business plan template includes

• Executive summary
• Company overview
• Products or services offered
• Market analysis
• Marketing plan
• Logistics and operations plan
• Financial plan

This business plan outline is designed to ensure you’re thinking through all of the important facets of starting a new business. It’s intended to help new business owners and entrepreneurs consider the full scope of running a business and identify functional areas they may not have considered or where they may need to level up their skills as they grow.

That said, it may not include the specific details or structure preferred by a potential investor or lender. If your goal with a business plan is to secure funding , check with your target organizations—typically banks or investors—to see if they have business plan templates you can follow to maximize your chances of success.

Our free business plan template includes seven key elements typically found in the traditional business plan format:

1. Executive summary

This is a one-page summary of your whole plan, typically written after the rest of the plan is completed. The description section of your executive summary will also cover your management team, business objectives and strategy, and other background information about the brand. 

2. Company overview

This section of your business plan will answer two fundamental questions: “Who are you?” and “What do you plan to do?” Answering these questions clarifies why your company exists, what sets it apart from others, and why it’s a good investment opportunity. This section will detail the reasons for your business’s existence, its goals, and its guiding principles.

3. Products or services offered

What you sell and the most important features of your products or services. It also includes any plans for intellectual property, like patent filings or copyright. If you do market research for new product lines, it will show up in this section of your business plan.

4. Market analysis

This section includes everything from estimated market size to your target markets and competitive advantage. It’ll include a competitive analysis of your industry to address competitors’ strengths and weaknesses. Market research is an important part of ensuring you have a viable idea.

5. Marketing plan

How you intend to get the word out about your business, and what strategic decisions you’ve made about things like your pricing strategy. It also covers potential customers’ demographics, your sales plan, and your metrics and milestones for success.

6. Logistics and operations plan

Everything that needs to happen to turn your raw materials into products and get them into the hands of your customers.

7. Financial plan

It’s important to include a look at your financial projections, including both revenue and expense projections. This section includes templates for three key financial statements: an income statement, a balance sheet, and a cash-flow statement . You can also include whether or not you need a business loan and how much you’ll need.

Business plan examples

What do financial projections look like on paper? How do you write an executive summary? What should your company description include?  Business plan examples  can help answer some of these questions and transform your business idea into an actionable plan.

Professional business plan example

Inside our template, we’ve filled out a sample business plan featuring a fictional ecommerce business . 

The sample is set up to help you get a sense of each section and understand how they apply to the planning and evaluation stages of a business plan. If you’re looking for funding, this example won’t be a complete or formal look at business plans, but it will give you a great place to start and notes about where to expand.

Lean business plan example

A lean business plan format is a shortened version of your more detailed business plan. It’s helpful when modifying your plan for a specific audience, like investors or new hires. 

Also known as a one-page business plan, it includes only the most important, need-to-know information, such as:

• Company description
• Key members of your team
• Customer segments

💡 Tip: For a step-by-step guide to creating a lean business plan (including a sample business plan), read our guide on how to create a lean business plan .

Benefits of writing a solid business plan

It’s tempting to dive right into execution when you’re excited about a new business or side project, but taking the time to write a thorough business plan and get your thoughts on paper allows you to do a number of beneficial things:

• Test the viability of your business idea. Whether you’ve got one business idea or many, business plans can make an idea more tangible, helping you see if it’s truly viable and ensure you’ve found a target market. 
• Plan for your next phase. Whether your goal is to start a new business or scale an existing business to the next level, a business plan can help you understand what needs to happen and identify gaps to address.
• Clarify marketing strategy, goals, and tactics. Writing a business plan can show you the actionable next steps to take on a big, abstract idea. It can also help you narrow your strategy and identify clear-cut tactics that will support it.
• Scope the necessary work. Without a concrete plan, cost overruns and delays are all but certain. A business plan can help you see the full scope of work to be done and adjust your investment of time and money accordingly.
• Hire and build partnerships. When you need buy-in from potential employees and business partners, especially in the early stages of your business, a clearly written business plan is one of the best tools at your disposal. A business plan provides a refined look at your goals for the business, letting partners judge for themselves whether or not they agree with your vision.
• Secure funds. Seeking financing for your business—whether from venture capital, financial institutions, or Shopify Capital —is one of the most common reasons to create a business plan.

Why you should you use a template for a business plan

A business plan can be as informal or formal as your situation calls for, but even if you’re a fan of the back-of-the-napkin approach to planning, there are some key benefits to starting your plan from an existing outline or simple business plan template.

No blank-page paralysis

A blank page can be intimidating to even the most seasoned writers. Using an established business planning process and template can help you get past the inertia of starting your business plan, and it allows you to skip the work of building an outline from scratch. You can always adjust a template to suit your needs.

Guidance on what to include in each section

If you’ve never sat through a business class, you might never have created a SWOT analysis or financial projections. Templates that offer guidance—in plain language—about how to fill in each section can help you navigate sometimes-daunting business jargon and create a complete and effective plan.

Knowing you’ve considered every section

In some cases, you may not need to complete every section of a startup business plan template, but its initial structure shows you you’re choosing to omit a section as opposed to forgetting to include it in the first place.

Tips for creating a successful business plan

There are some high-level strategic guidelines beyond the advice included in this free business plan template that can help you write an effective, complete plan while minimizing busywork.

Understand the audience for your plan

If you’re writing a business plan for yourself in order to get clarity on your ideas and your industry as a whole, you may not need to include the same level of detail or polish you would with a business plan you want to send to potential investors. Knowing who will read your plan will help you decide how much time to spend on it.

Know your goals

Understanding the goals of your plan can help you set the right scope. If your goal is to use the plan as a roadmap for growth, you may invest more time in it than if your goal is to understand the competitive landscape of a new industry.

Take it step by step

Writing a 10- to 15-page document can feel daunting, so try to tackle one section at a time. Select a couple of sections you feel most confident writing and start there—you can start on the next few sections once those are complete. Jot down bullet-point notes in each section before you start writing to organize your thoughts and streamline the writing process.

Maximize your business planning efforts

Planning is key to the financial success of any type of business , whether you’re a startup, non-profit, or corporation.

To make sure your efforts are focused on the highest-value parts of your own business planning, like clarifying your goals, setting a strategy, and understanding the target market and competitive landscape, lean on a business plan outline to handle the structure and format for you. Even if you eventually omit sections, you’ll save yourself time and energy by starting with a framework already in place.

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Business plan template FAQ

What is the purpose of a business plan.

The purpose of your business plan is to describe a new business opportunity or an existing one. It clarifies the business strategy, marketing plan, financial forecasts, potential providers, and more information about the company.

How do I write a simple business plan?

• Choose a business plan format, such as a traditional or a one-page business plan. 
• Find a business plan template.
• Read through a business plan sample.
• Fill in the sections of your business plan.

What is the best business plan template?

If you need help writing a business plan, Shopify’s template is one of the most beginner-friendly options you’ll find. It’s comprehensive, well-written, and helps you fill out every section.

What are the 5 essential parts of a business plan?

The five essential parts of a traditional business plan include:

• Executive summary: This is a brief overview of the business plan, summarizing the key points and highlighting the main points of the plan.
• Business description: This section outlines the business concept and how it will be executed.
• Market analysis: This section provides an in-depth look at the target market and how the business will compete in the marketplace.
• Financial plan: This section details the financial projections for the business, including sales forecasts, capital requirements, and a break-even analysis.
• Management and organization: This section describes the management team and the organizational structure of the business.

Are there any free business plan templates?

There are several free templates for business plans for small business owners available online, including Shopify’s own version. Download a copy for your business.

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How to Create a Killer Social Media Strategy [8 Simple Steps]

Working in social media without a strategy is like throwing together random ingredients, hoping to create a Gordon Ramsay-approved meal. News flash: It just doesn’t work like that. There are so many parts involved in social media marketing, you need a good strategy to succeed.

Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting to dip your toes into the world of social media, this blog will show you how to build a robust social media marketing strategy that will help you navigate the complex terrain and drive your business forward. Let’s dive in.

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing refers to the use of social media platforms to promote your business, products, or services. 

Social media marketing includes any and all activities carried out on social media with the intention of promoting your business. These may include sharing content, engaging with potential customers, and promoting a new product.

What is a Social Media Marketing Strategy?

A social media strategy defines how a brand intends to use social media to achieve its goals. It’s like a map that guides social media activities to ensure that they align with the business goals and deliver the desired results. 

A social media strategy outlines details like target audience, social networks, content plan, key performance indicators (KPIs), and engagement techniques – more on that later in the sections that follow.

8 Steps to Build a Social Media Marketing Plan

1. set goals.

Every great social media plan starts with clear objectives and goals. Goals will help you define what you want to achieve and dictate how you invest your time and energy. They will also help you track the right metrics while measuring ROI.

This goes without saying, but all your goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Once you have your goals, break them down into smaller objectives. Objectives are easier to scale, alter, and keep track of in order to attain the larger goals in your plan.

Examples of social media goals:

• Increase brand awareness by x% in 2024 : Brand awareness is about making your brand known or familiar. A few things to consider here include: What are your business values? What is your brand personality? What causes do you care about? In the context of social media, this means posting less promotional content and posting more authentic content that amplifies your brand story and voice. 
• Generate leads and sales to xx in Q4 : The primary goal of every marketing activity is to generate revenue. In the same vein, social media should be viewed as a revenue-generating channel. It is now increasingly easier to sell through social media with the introduction of native shopping features.
• Grow social audience to xx followers by 2024 : The best channel to build an engaged community is social media. It is where most people “live.” Therefore, your brand should be actively finding new ways to reach new audiences that might be interested in your content but haven’t discovered your page yet. 
• Provide holistic and prompt customer care : We’re past the age where a business having an active social media presence was considered revolutionary. Now, almost every business has a social media presence. The primary differentiator now is social media response time. Customers value prompt responses on social media, whether in the comments or DMs.

2. Research your target audience

In order to create a foolproof plan, you need to understand who you are communicating with, down to their biggest pain point and most pressing need. The effectiveness of your communication is based on how well you know your audience. If you don’t know who you’re speaking to, your content will always miss the mark. 

When researching your audience, use social media tools to gain insight. Don’t rely on your gut or make assumptions where data is available. Defining your audience based on demographic, psychographic, and geographic information will help you determine the kind of content that will perform well.

However, it should be noted that audiences behave differently across various platforms. So, it is important to go further and define audiences based on social networks. Different social media platforms cater to different audiences. So, your Facebook audience might be different from your Twitter audience, which will impact the type of content you create for different platforms.

3. Select your social media channels wisely

Just because a social media platform exists, it doesn’t mean you should be on it. Your platform of choice should be informed by your audience research. Go where your audience is. Narrow down where you want to spend your time based on your industry and target audience. Don’t spread yourself too thin. 

Consider this: It takes a lot of resources to create a social media presence across multiple platforms. Large corporations can afford to have a presence on all platforms. But what happens when you are a small or medium enterprise with a limited budget? Take account of the resources you have and then use them on the platform with the highest ROI potential.

Supercharge Your Social Media

On-Demand Training

How to Audit Your Social Media Marketing

This course will teach you how to review and optimize your social media profiles, assess your content strategy and analyze your growth tactics.

Social Media Strategy and Proving ROI

This course is designed for mid-level marketing generalists and social media managers interested in updating their social media strategy and ensuring their proposed activities adhere to the latest platform trends and algorithm changes. 

Social Media Advertising

This course focuses on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok advertising and how to plan, build and launch successful campaigns within the native advertising dashboards.

4. Determine the metrics and KPIs you want to measure

Effective social media marketing is built on performance metrics. In order to get the most out of your data, don’t focus on generic metrics. Instead, double down on metrics that align with your goals. If the goal is brand awareness, track the reach, engagement, and hashtag performance. If sales is the goal, track the clicks and conversions.

Here is a quick snapshot of the social media metrics that really matter depending on your goals:

a. Brand Awareness

• Reach: This refers to the number of unique users who saw your content in their feeds. 
• Engagement: The total number of interactions a post receives, i.e., likes, comments, and shares.
• Hashtag performance: Reflects your best-performing hashtags and the hashtags that are most associated with your brand. 
• Organic and paid likes: While this is a vanity metric, it can help you gauge how much people enjoy your content. Organic likes are from organic posts, while paid likes are from promoted posts. 
• Impressions: This is commonly mistaken for reach, but they are not the same. Impressions refer to the number of times a post is displayed to users. This means even if they scroll through your post, it is counted as an impression.
• Brand mentions: Refers to the number of times your brand is mentioned in posts or comments.

b. Sales/Leads

• Clicks: This metric tracks the amount of clicks your content receives. It is mostly used for ads and sponsored posts with an action you can follow.
• Conversation rate: Refers to the number of people who convert after seeing your post and either buy a product, sign up for a newsletter, download a lead magnet, etc.

c. Follower count

• Follower growth: As you might infer from the name, this metric measures the number of new followers you gain within a specific time.
• Follower growth rate: This refers to how fast you gain or lose followers over a period of time.

d. Customer care

• Reply time: It reflects how long you take to respond to a mention or a message. 
• Total response volume: This refers to the number of responses to customer inquiries over a specific period. 
• Customer satisfaction score (CSAT): This score measures customer satisfaction after every brand interaction.

5. Create engaging content

Content is the driving force of social media; without it, social media would be non-existent. That’s why you need to get it right. From the onset, create a content strategy that defines the types of content you will publish based on your goals, audience, and brand. 

Great content is based on the following pillars:

• Goals: What are you trying to achieve with your content? If you want to increase sales, then product-first content is the way to go. If you are focused on brand awareness and follower growth, then creating educational and entertaining content is the way.
• Brand voice: Every great brand has a voice. Having a unique voice will help you stand out on social media and create connections with your audience. The key is to be human and not robotic in your communication while using industry-appropriate language.
• Originality and trendiness: There’s no consensus on whether brands should follow the trends or create original, unique content. However, both styles work, and the best approach would be to focus on what your audience wants. 
• Consistency: In order to be recognizable, you need to have consistent themes across your social media platforms. This means your graphics and content should have the same feel and look on all platforms.

6. Create a content calendar

Once you define your content pillars, it’s time to plan your content. A content calendar will help you know what to post in advance, prepare for the same, and also keep you from repeating content. 

When creating your content calendar, consider the optimal times per platform for maximum engagement. Then, schedule your posts in advance to save time. When scheduling your posts, ensure that you are available to engage and interact with customers at those times. If possible, ensure someone is available to reply to comments and interact with your audience when you post. 

In case you have limited resources, consider investing in AI tools and automation so that you are able to interact with your customers even when you’re offline.

7. Conduct a competitive analysis

It is important to check out what competitors are doing in order to get a good sense of your industry. This can also help you see what they are doing well and what they are not doing well, which can lead to unexplored opportunities.

For example, if your competitors rely on one social media platform, you might want to take a different approach and focus on the platforms they neglect. This way, you will operate in an underserved environment with less competition. 

Note: The goal of competitive analysis is not to copy your competitor’s ideas. It’s to identify what’s working and adapt your campaigns to the conclusions you draw.

8. Evaluate and improve your strategy

The quickest way to grow your social media is to evolve your strategy constantly. Every time a campaign comes to an end, analyze how it performed and draw insights that will help inform your next campaign. 

Analyze all your content and create performance benchmarks to identify top-performing content. 

After every analysis, make small adjustments to your strategy instead of waiting for huge quarterly or yearly improvements. Constant evolution will help you stay on top of trends and improve strategically.

What’s Next?

Just start. 

Creating a social media strategy can seem complicated, but it isn’t. Take it step by step. If you have a team, make it a team task in order to complete it faster and get diverse inputs. Bottom line, don’t worry about step 2 if you haven’t completed step 1.

If you still don’t know where to start or want to take it a step further, check out our Social Media Strategy and Proving ROI course today, which explores this topic in depth.

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Social Media Marketing Management Business Plan Template

Published May.07, 2019

Updated Apr.24, 2024

By: Noor Muhammad

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Do you want to start social media marketing management business?

Are you planning to start a social media management business? It’s one of the businesses which require very little investment but still yield attractive returns. To make your venture a success, you must carefully plan each and every aspect of your social media marketing management business plan. Writing a social media business plan can help you a lot in this regard.

A social media marketing management business plan will guide you throughout every phase of your startup, making things as easier as possible for you. To help make one for yourself, we are providing a sample social media marketing management business plan startup, named Rexes Consultants.

Executive Summary

Before you think about how to start a social media management business, you must create a detailed social media marketing management business plan. It will not only guide you in the initial phases of your startup but will also help you later on. You can also consult this social media management company business plan so as to get an idea.

2.1 The Business

Rexes Consultants is a social media management company based in Austin, Texas. The company will provide wide-ranging services for all major platforms including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.

2.2 Management

Rexes Consultants is owned by Natalie Gordon, a digital marketing guru. Natalie will hire an experienced social media team comprising of graphic designers, SEO specialists, and content writers. She will also work with freelance service providers located around the world.

2.3 Customers

Rexes Consultants will provide social media management services to businesses located around the world, ranging from small startups to multinational corporates.

2.4 Business Target

Our target is to become one of the top social media management group with the next 2-3 years. We also aim to achieve the net profit social media marketing management business plan margin of $10k per month by the end of the first year, $15k per month by the end of the second year, and so on every year.

Company Summary

3.1 company owner.

Rexes Consultants is owned by Natalie Gordon, a digital marketing guru. After completing her Bachelors in Digital Advertising, Natalie worked with several marketing giants for more than 10 years. She served in a variety of positions ranging from technical to managerial.

3.2 Why the Business is being started

Natalie is a well-known figure in the world of marketing and is famous for designing innovative social media marketing business strategies. Her passion for digital marketing plan is what led her to start her own business. Being highly experienced in this field, she knows how to start a social media management company and make it a success.

3.3 How the Business will be started

Rexes Consultants will be located in Austin, Texas. A working space which was previously in use by a Web Hosting firm will be acquired on lease. It will serve as our company headquarter, though our team will also be working remotely. Natalie will hire an experienced social media team, and will also work with freelance service providers around the world.

In order to start a social media management business, the company will be procuring the best ISP in the city along with computers, servers, peripherals, and other necessary devices. The startup summary, as highlighted by our social media consulting business plan is as follows:

The detailed startup requirements are given below:

Rexes Consultants will provide wide-ranging social media management services for all major platforms including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube. Our primary services, as highlighted by our social media consultant business plan, are as follows:

• Advertising and branding services
• Marketing consultation and advisory services
• Blogging and specialty services
• Social media profile management services

Marketing Analysis of Social Media Marketing Management Business

Marketing analysis of your startup is an important part of your social media marketing management business plan as it indicates who your future customers will be and how you can attract them toward you. Owing to its nature, analysis of the marketing should be done well before you think about how to start a SMM business.

If you need help with marketing analysis of your own startup, you can take help from various SMM social media marketing management business plan template samples available online or you can consult this business plan for a social media management company. In case you need more help, you can always seek marketing experts for the purpose.

5.1 Market Trends

According to IBISWorld, the US advertising industry generates revenue of more than $54.5 billion annually. A major part of this astronomical amount is contributed by the social media advertising industry. That’s why any business in this niche can prove extremely beneficial for you, provided that you plan and execute it effectively.

5.2 Marketing Segmentation

Rexes Consultants will provide social media management services to businesses located around the world. We will be serving companies ranging from small startups to multinational corporates. Our potential customers are divided into the following target groups.

The detailed marketing segmentation of our target audience is as follows:

5.2.1 Businesses

The primary category of our customers will be the owners of both small and large businesses located across the globe. We will manage their social media profiles across all platforms such as their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube accounts. Our aim will be to provide excellent user interaction intended to boost sales and help these businesses grow.

5.2.2 Institutions & Organizations

Our second target group will comprise of various institutions and organizations located around the world. We will provide social media management services to both public and private sector organizations such as schools, colleges and universities, political parties, sports organizations, and non-profit organizations.

5.2.3 Media & Celebrities

Our third target group will be media groups such as magazines, newspapers, and digital media outlets. We will also manage the social media accounts of all kinds of celebrities including but not limited to actors, sportspersons, and politicians.

Our detailed marketing segmentation is as follows:

5.3 Business Target

We aim to become one of the top social media management group with the next 2-3 years. Our other business targets are as follows:

• To balance the initial cost of the startup with earned profits by the end of the first year
• To achieve the net profit margin of $10k per month by the end of the first year, $15k per month by the end of the second year, and so on increasing it every year

5.4 Product Pricing

After considering the market demands, we will be charging almost the same prices as charged by our leading competitors. But we will be offering several discounts to introduce our services.

After you have identified your target audience, the next step is to attract them towards you and convert them into your loyal customers. It can only be achieved using a brilliant sales strategy.

If you are looking to start your own venture, you can take help from this social media marketing management business plan or you can also consult any other social media management business plan pdf available online.

6.1 Competitive Analysis

Social media is undoubtedly the face of any business. No matter how good a business is, costumers judge it from its social media content as well as the number of its social media followers. Moreover, it is also very important for all business, irrespective of their size and nature, to properly respond to the queries and complaints of their customers on social media in a timely manner. It won’t be wrong to say that the success of any business now greatly depends on how it manages its social media profiles.

Considering the importance of social media management, businesses are now paying more and more attention to it. That’s why numerous social media management companies exist today, creating a severe competition for us. However, we will soon outpace them by providing exceptional services at affordable prices. Besides quality services, our seamless communication will also be another competitive advantage. We will be available 24/7 to facilitate our clients from different time zones.

6.2 Sales Strategy

Here is how we will be converting our target audience into our customers.

• We will advertise our services through all platforms, especially by social media
• We will offer a 20% discount on our services for the first three months of our launch
• We will ensure our website traffic converts into our customers by making it appealing to them
• We will introduce ourselves by sending brochures and introductory letters to businesses and organizations

6.3 Sales Monthly

6.4 Sales Yearly

6.5 Sales Forecast

Personnel plan

You will need to hire a highly trained staff for starting a social media marketing management business plan due to the intensity of competition in this niche. It must be done before you think other aspects of how to set up a social media management business so that you can train them adequately.

7.1 Company Staff

Natalie will manage the business herself and will be hiring following people on a contract basis.

• 1 Accountant to handle finances
• 1 Receptionist to attend to customers in Austin’s main office
• 4 Graphic Artists to handle all designing work
• 2 SEO Specialists for search engine optimization
• 2 Content writers to create engaging social media content
• 2 Assistants to respond to users

The company will also acquire freelance services if need be.

7.2 Average Salary of Employees

Financial Plan

The success plan of a business heavily depends on its financial plan because it helps you take all major decisions about your startup. A good financial plan must include all expenses of your startup as well as the forecasted profits so that you can know the growth rate of your business.

If you want to make a financial plan of your social media marketing strategies in business plan management, it is better for you to seek help from financial experts. They can make an accurate plan which will go a long way in guiding you through your major decisions.

8.1 Important Assumptions

8.2 Brake-even Analysis

8.3 Projected Profit and Loss

8.3.1 Profit Monthly

8.3.2 Profit Yearly

8.3.3 Gross Margin Monthly

8.3.4 Gross Margin Yearly

8.4 Projected Cash Flow

8.5 Projected Balance Sheet

8.6 Business Ratios

Download Social Media Marketing Management Business Plan Sample in pdf

OGSCapital’s team has assisted thousands of entrepreneurs with top-rate business plan development, consultancy and analysis. They’ve helped thousands of SME owners secure more than $1.5 billion in funding, and they can do the same for you.

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Social Media Advertising: Cost, Benefits, and Tips for 2024

Learn how to use social media advertising to achieve real business results and get the most out of your ad budget.

Table of Contents

Social media advertising is the name of the game for brands wanting to reach new audiences (or even their existing audiences!) in 2024. Organic reach has been declining for some time, meaning even people who follow you likely miss much of your content.

Adding a budget to your social strategy guarantees your social content will get in front of the people you want to reach. And you can be very specific about exactly which market you want to target and how much you’re willing to spend.

Keep reading to find out if social media advertising is a good fit for your business, how much you should set aside to get started, and which social networks to prioritize.

Bonus: Download a free guide to social advertising and learn the 5 steps to building effective campaigns. No tricks or boring tips—just simple, easy-to-follow instructions that really work.

What is social media advertising?

Social media advertising is a type of digital advertising. It simply means spending money to reach your target audience with promoted content on a social platform.

The number of people who see your social media ads is referred to as your “paid reach.” This is in contrast to your “ organic reach ,” which refers to people who see your content as distributed by social media algorithms .

Top 3 benefits of social media advertising

• Reach a specific target audience: The social platforms offer very specific ad targeting. When you micro-target your ad campaigns, you reach only the audience most interested in your products, which maximizes your ad spend.
• Learn and revise in real time: Social ads provide instant feedback. You can gauge the effectiveness of a sponsored post in real time and make adjustments to your strategy, including reallocating budget to your best converting ads with just a few clicks.
• Easily track ROI: It’s not always easy to calculate the ROI of your overall social social strategy, but social ads reporting shows you the real value of your work in dollars and cents.

The most important social media advertising platforms

To determine the most important places for you to advertise on social media, you need to know which networks are most popular with your target market .

Where is your target group most engaged, most concentrated and most accessible? Here’s a quick summary of age demographics from the Pew Research Center :

Source: Pew Research Center

Of course, age is just one factor to consider when prioritizing your advertising on social media. For more demographics details, check out our full guide to social media demographics for marketers .

Here are the paid social media advertising campaign objectives and formats available on each of the major social platforms.

Facebook Ads

Facebook ads objectives.

• Awareness: Introduce your brand to more people.
• Traffic: Send traffic to your website.
• Engagement: Bring in more likes, comments, and shares.
• Leads: Direct viewers to a lead-generation form.
• App promotion: Promote your app or game.
• Sales: Drive sales conversions.

Facebook ads formats

Facebook Messenger ad

Source: Facebook

Facebook carousel ad

• Photo: A single image (not necessarily a photo) to promote your products, services, or brand.
• Video: Vertical or horizontal, for quick hits or deep dives.
• Stories: Mobile-only full-screen vertical video.
• Messenger: Viewers can tap to start a conversation with your brand.
• Carousel: Up to ten images or videos, each with its own headline, description, or link.
• Slideshow: Combine images and text to create a video ad that uses up to five times less data than regular video.
• Collection: Mobile shopping experiences that allow viewers to purchase directly through the app.
• Playables: Interactive previews of apps.

For more details, head over to our Facebook Advertising Guide.

Instagram Ads

Instagram ads objectives, instagram ads formats.

Instagram photo ad in feed

Source: Instagram

Instagram Reels ad

These are mostly the same as the options for Facebook, as both types of ads can be created through Meta Ads Manager .

• Video: Square or horizontal.
• Stories: Mobile-only full-screen vertical photos or videos that appear between Stories.
• Carousel: Up to 10 images or videos, each with its own headline, description, or link.
• Reels: Fullsceen vertical photos or videos that appear between Reels and in feed.
• Instagram Shop: Carousel or collection ads featuring square images and checkout through your website or within an Instagram Shop.

Read more in our guide to Instagram Advertising .

TikTok ads objectives

• Reach: Introduce your brand to more people.
• Video views: Get more – you guessed it – video views.
• Community interaction: Increase traffic to your profile page
• Product sales: Drive sales conversions.
• Website conversions: Drive other conversions, like adding an item to cart or registering for your newsletter.
• Lead generation: Direct viewers to a lead-generation form.

TikTok ads formats

TikTok Live Shopping ad

Source: TikTok

• Image: A single full-screen image to promote your products, services, or brand.
• Video: A 5- to 60-second video.
• Carousel: Show from 2 to 35 images, depending on the selected objective. Clickable images or calls to action, also depending on the objective.
• Topview: A video ad shown as soon as someone opens TikTok. It starts with a 3-second video takeover that leads into an in-feed video. Only available through a sales representative for qualified customers.
• Spark ads: These are the TikTok version of boosted posts, with the added twist that you can boost posts from any creator (with their permission).
• Playable ads: Offer a preview of your app or game.
• Live shopping ads: Allows viewers to purchase products during a live stream.
• Video shopping ads: Create videos that allow users to purchase products from your catalog.

Learn more in our guide to TikTok ads

X (Twitter) ads

X (twitter) advertising objectives.

• Video views: Get more video views.
• App installs: Promote your app or game.
• Website traffic: Send traffic to your website.
• Engagement: Bring in more likes, replies, reposts, and so on.
• App re-engagement: Get existing but infrequent users of your app to re-engage.
• Website conversions: Drive sales and other conversions, like adding an item to cart or registering for your newsletter.

X ads formats

X collection ad

• Promoted Ads: Formerly known as Promoted Tweets , these can be images, videos, carousels, or text-only.
• Vertical video ads: Full-screen, sound-on mobile ads. This is the fastest growing ad surface on the platform.
• Amplify: X Amplify Pre-roll ads appear before video content in 15+ categories.
• Takeover: X Trend Takeover allows brands to place a sponsored ad on the Explore tab, while X Timeline Takeover ads appear at the top of a user’s timeline when they open X.
• X Live: Ad budget to your X Live to maximize reach.
• Dynamic product ads: Retarget people who have engaged with a product on your website.
• Collection ads: A single hero image plus smaller thumbnails, with multi-destination linking.

Take a deeper dive into advertising on X .

Snapchat ads

Snapchat ads objectives.

• Awareness: Introduce your brand to more people and drive traffic to your website.
• Snap promote: Promote a specific story to get more subscribers.
• Promote places: Advertise a physical location.
• App installs: Send viewers to the app store to download your app or game.
• Drive traffic to website: Send traffic to your website.
• Drive traffic to app: Promote your app or game.
• Engagement: Bring in more likes, comments, and so on.
• Lead gen: Direct viewers to a lead-generation form.
• Catalog sales: Drive sales conversions from your catalog.
• App conversions: Drive conversions within your app.
• Calls and texts: Encourage viewers to call or text your business with a tap.

Snapchat ads formats

Snapchat single video ad

Source: Snapchat

• Single image or video ads: A single image or video with a CTA.
• Collection ads: Four tappable product tiles to showcase products.
• Story ads: Between 1 and 20 single video or image ads, shown in sequence mimicking the experience of tapping through a Story.
• Lenses AR experiences: Interactive sponsored camera filters.
• Commercials: Ads up to 3 minutes long, with the first 6 seconds unskippable.
• Filter ads: Image overlays users can add to Snaps.

LinkedIn ads

Linkedin ads objectives.

• Brand awareness: Introduce your brand to more people
• Website visits: Send traffic to your website.
• Engagement: Bring in more likes, comments, shares, and so on.
• Job applicants: Promote job opportunities to qualified LinkedIn members based on skills and experience.

LinkedIn ads formats

LinkedIn single image ad shown on desktop and mobile.

Source: LinkedIn

• Single image ads: A single image to promote your products, services, or brand.
• Video ads: 3 seconds to 30 minutes in native video format.
• Carousel ads: Feature 2-10 clickable cards.
• Event ads: Drive attendance to an event with an ad that connects to your event page.
• Document ads: Share Word docs, PDFs, Powerpoints, and more, right in the feed – great for lead generation.
• Thought leader ads: Promote content from your brand’s thought leaders’ LinkedIn profiles.
• Sponsored Messaging: Send direct messages to your target audience’s LinkedIn inbox.
• Text Ads: A simple text-only format that appears in the right rail on desktop.
• Spotlight ads: Another right rail desktop ad, this time to highlight a specific product, service, or event.
• Follower ads: The final right rail desktop format, designed to bring in new followers.

Get all the step-by-step instructions in our LinkedIn advertising guide .

Pinterest ads

Pinterest ads objectives.

• Video view: Rather than just bringing in more views, this objective aims to maximize play times and completion rates.
• Consideration: Increase Pin clicks and outbound clicks.
• Conversions: Drive conversions like adding an item to cart or registering for your newsletter.

Pinterest ads formats

Pinterest video ad

Source: Pinterest

• Image ads: A single image to promote your products, services, or brand.
• Video ads: You can choose either standard width or max width, which expands across the entire screen on mobile
• Carousel ads: Feature 2-5 images.
• Shopping ads: Single image ads designed to drive purchases.
• Collections ads: A single hero image plus three smaller thumbnails. Mobile-only.
• Idea ads: Multiple videos, images, lists, and texts in a single Pin.
• Showcase ads: Multiple cards, each with its own interactive features and links.
• Quiz ads: An interactive multiple-choice ad with options for multiple outbound links.

Learn more in our guide to Pinterest ads .

YouTube ads

Youtube ads objectives.

• Awareness: Introduce your brand to more people
• Consideration: Make your brand top of mind when people start thinking about making a purchase
• Action: Drive sales and other conversions, like adding an item to cart or registering for your newsletter.

YouTube ads formats

YouTube skippable in-stream ad

Source: Tactical Wargame

• In-stream ads: Skippable or unskippable (up to 30 seconds) videos that run before, during, or after other videos.
• Bumper ads: Up to 6 seconds, non-skippable; these play before, after, or during another video.
• In-feed video ads: A thumbnail of your video plus text; these ads appear in search results, next to related videos, and on the mobile YouTube homepage.
• Masthead ads: Only available through a Google sales rep, these ads autoplay at the top of the YouTube desktop or mobile app.

Learn more about Youtube advertising .

Inspiring social media advertising examples

1. good protein combines brand ads with creator content.

The protein shake brand Good Protein ran a social media advertising campaign on TikTok in which they used Spark Ads to promote creator content alongside brand ads. Creators shared everything from recipes to reviews, while the brand answered questions through video responses.

Why this works: Social media users often trust creators more than brands themselves. Showcasing a variety of voices improved average watch time by 25% .

2. PureGym embraces “real Reels”

PureGym used lo-fi, handheld, Reels ads with text incorporated in the usual Reels style. The idea was to mimic the style of organic Reels content to increase watchtime and engagement.

Why this works: Brands can sometimes be tempted to make their ads look a little too slick. But it can be more effective to match the style of the typical organic content found on the surface you’re using. Going more casual gave PureGym a 5.6x increase in Thruplays over previous Reels ads. Bonus: The ads were cheaper and faster to create than their usual, more formal ads.

3. NARS Cosmetics boosts ROI with Instagram Shop ads

NARS Cosmetics tested shopping ads that allowed customers to check out via their Instagram Shop against ads that directed customers to the NARS website to complete their purchase. They found that adding the Instagram Shops checkout option increased ROI by 6% and decreased cost per purchase by 24%.

Why this works: This is a prime example of why testing is so important. The ad pointing customers to the NARS website was working just fine. Why mess with a good thing? Would customers be as willing to check out within the Instagram Shops interface? In fact, they were more willing to do so, something NARS would never have known without testing.

4. Cetaphil gets trendy on Pinterest

Cetaphil leaned into trending topics paired with the Pinterest Trend Badge to show Pinners that they were aligning their content (and products) with statistically significant trends on the platform.

Why this works: Cetaphil put in the research before launching their campaign. They used keyword research to learn that people were searching for “simple skincare routine” and “skin types.” They used that information to inform their creative strategy, leading to a 4.5% increase in brand awareness.

Social media advertising cost in 2024

It’s nearly impossible to break down social media cost amounts in concrete terms. There are two main reasons for this:

• There are many variables in play, such as the value of the keywords you target, the time of year, and even the day of the week.
• None of the popular social media platforms don’t tend to make this information public.

However, there are a few things we can say specifically. First, you need to understand how you are charged for paid social media advertising.

For most ad objectives (except off-platform conversion-oriented ones), you’ll pay either cost per thousand impressions (CPM) or cost per click (CPC) .

For CPM: You pay every time someone sees your ad. Go ahead and cast a wide net to increase awareness.

For CPC: You don’t get charged for views, only for clicks. Include some qualifying text in your ad to make sure only valuable potential customers click through to reduce your social media advertising cost.

A couple of interesting things to note. First, CPM has been on a downward trend for the last year. For comparison, the CPM for paid social ads across Meta, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn was $6.06 in Q4 2023, down from $6.52 in Q4 2022.

Source: Skai

And here’s a look at how CPM varies across Meta ad surfaces. Reels have the lowest CPM, while the main feeds on Facebook and Instagram are the most expensive.

5 tips for a better return on your social ads

1. let organic performance inform your ads.

High-performing messages make the best candidates for social ads. In fact, the easiest way to advertise on social media is to boost a top-performing organic post .

Use what you’ve learned from your organic posts as a starting point for your social media advertising strategy. Make sure to treat each platform as its own experiment, since results will vary depending on the audience. On that note…

2. Run A/B tests

Testing one ad against another to determine what works best and refine your strategy is known as A/B testing.

It’s a best practice to test several ads with small audiences to determine what works best. Then, use the winning ad for your main campaign.

We teach you the details in our guide to social media A/B testing .

3. Know what business objective you’re trying to achieve

It’s no accident that we start each section of this guide by reviewing the business objectives each type of social media ad can help you achieve. It’s awfully hard to achieve your goals if you don’t know what your goals are in the first place.

Understanding your ultimate goal is critical. It ensures you choose the right social network to advertise on and find the right advertising solution within that platform. Your goal will even guide your creative strategy.

4. Know your target audience

Know exactly who you’re trying to reach to take maximum advantage of the targeting options and maximize your ROI.

Developing audience personas can help you understand exactly which audience segments to focus on.

Tip: If you have a brick-and-mortar business, try using “geofencing” to target mobile users so they only see ads when they are close enough to walk in your front door.

5. Measure results — and report on them

Having concrete data about the real business value your ads bring to the company (purchases, leads, and so on) is a key part of proving (and improving) ROI .

This will ensure you get the budget you need to continue your work.

The major social networks offer analytics to help you measure the results of ads.

You can also use tools like Google Analytics and Hootsuite Advanced Analytics to measure results across networks from a single dashboard. A social media report is a great way to track your results and look for great content to promote with social ads.

How to manage social media ads with Hootsuite

Manage social media advertising campaigns.

When you manage your social ads alongside your organic content, you can clearly see the overall picture of your social content strategy . You can compare performance, juggle your budget, and really dig deep into the relative ROI of each campaign.

If you’re already using digital marketing tools like Mailchimp, Hubspot, or Salesforce, you can integrate those, too, so you have all your sales data in one place.

Here’s how to do it:

• From Hootsuite Composer, click Create , then choose the platform on which you want to run your campaign.
• Choose your objective, audience, budget, and timing.
• Add text and media to create your ad right in Composer. You can preview how it will look in different formats as you work.
• Submit your ad for review by the social platform.
• Once your campaign is running, use the analytics in Hootsuite Social Advertising to get detailed insights into the performance and ROI of your ad(s).

Manage boosted posts

The easiest way to create a social media advertisement is to boost a post. You can do this using native tools on some of the social platforms.

However, the more efficient way is to manage your boosted posts for Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn all from one place, alongside your organic content for all platforms in the Hootsuite dashboard.

Tip: Learn more about the difference between boosted posts and other kinds of advertising on social media .

You can schedule your boosted posts in advance as part of a campaign, and even set triggers so that your best organic posts are automatically boosted when they hit certain performance triggers.

If you have limited time (we see you, solo social media managers!), this is a hand-off way to expand your reach with social media advertising.

• In your Hootsuite dashboard, go to Advertise and select the type of post you want to boost: Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
• Choose your objective, audience, and placements, and click Boost (or Sponsor , for LinkedIn posts). That’s it!

Integrate your paid and organic social strategies to strengthen connections with existing customers and reach new ones. Use Hootsuite Social Advertising to easily keep track of all of your social media activity—including ad campaigns—and get a complete view of your social ROI. Book a free demo today.

Easily plan, manage and analyze organic and paid campaigns from one place with Hootsuite Social Advertising. See it in action.

Become a better social marketer.

Get expert social media advice delivered straight to your inbox.

Christina Newberry is an award-winning writer and editor whose greatest passions include food, travel, urban gardening, and the Oxford comma—not necessarily in that order.

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Influencer Marketing

What is influencer marketing: An influencer strategy guide for 2024

Learn about the evolving world of influencer marketing in this guide from understanding the types of influencers to crafting effective strategies.

Reading time  13 minutes

Published on  June 6, 2024

Table of Contents

• Influencer marketing has evolved significantly over the past decade. It has expanded beyond celebrities to include social media influencers who foster authentic connections and influence purchase decisions and brand reputation.
• Understanding the types of influencers, from mega to nano, is crucial for brands to choose the right partners. The types of influencers you choose to partner with will determine the reach, engagement and ROI you get.
• Common influencer marketing mistakes to avoid include failing to define clear goals and expectations, prioritizing follower-count over engagement, neglecting influencer research and sharing unclear briefs.

Influencers are here to stay. According to a Q3 2023 Sprout Pulse Survey, more than 80% of marketers agree that influencers are essential to their overall social media strategy.

But the world of influencer marketing is constantly evolving.

A decade ago, the influencer marketing arena was limited only to celebrities and a few dedicated bloggers, whereas now, social media influencers are abound across all social networks. Their followings may vary in size, but these influencers pack a punch. Their tight-knit communities foster authentic connections and influence purchase behaviors, leading to higher brand engagement and ultimately, sales.

However, working with digital creators and influencers needs a well-planned and strategic approach. And this guide aims to help you navigate it. Read on for tips on how to build an effective influencer marketing strategy, what mistakes to avoid and how to find the right influencers for your brand.

Download the 2024 Influencer Marketing Benchmarks Report

What is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is a social media marketing approach that uses endorsements and product mentions from influencers. These individuals have a dedicated social following and are viewed as experts within their niche.

Influencer marketing works because of the high trust social influencers have built with their following over time. Recommendations from these influencers serve as a form of social proof to your brand’s potential customers.

Types of influencers: By size and reach

Partnering with an influencer with millions of followers might sound like a dream come true but they may not be the best fit for your brand.

Some social media influencers have large, broad audiences spanning across several demographics. Others boast smaller but more targeted and engaged communities.

Knowing what each type of influencer can offer you in terms of reach, range, cost and engagement is key to choosing the right ones for your brand.

Let’s take a deeper look at the various types of influencers out there:

Mega or celebrity influencers

These influencers have a massive following of over 1 million and often include famous actors, musicians, athletes and other public figures. Their celebrity status allows them to captivate a diverse audience, making them ideal for large-scale brand awareness campaigns. Think: Cristiano Ronaldo .

Mega influencers can give your brand unparalleled exposure, but partnering with them can be incredibly expensive. Plus, since their audience is often broad, their engagement rates may not be as high as influencers with smaller, more niche followings.

Here are some businesses that might benefit from working with mega influencers:

• Large enterprise corporations that have the budget and resources
• Brands targeting a broad audience with varying characteristics
• Luxury or high-end brands that want to create a sense of exclusivity

Macro-influencers

With a following that typically ranges from 100,000 to 1 million, macro-influencers are established personalities within their respective niches.

These influencers have earned their reputation through consistent content creation and engagement over time, and are now thought leaders in their niche .

Macro-influencers offer a more targeted approach compared to celebrities, as their followers usually share common interests. Collaborating with macro-influencers can provide your brand with substantial reach, but it may still be relatively costly depending on your budget.

Here are some examples of brands that might work with macro-influencers:

• Startups seeking rapid exposure, growth and credibility (e.g., Canva )
• Nonprofit organizations looking to raise funds and awareness
• Hotels and airlines targeting a specific but large audience

Micro-influencers

With 10,000 to 100,000 highly engaged followers, micro-influencers are the rising stars of influencer marketing. These influencers typically have a strong presence on specific platforms, like Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

Marketers love working with micro-influencers as they captivate a niche, passionate audience with their creative content, relatable recommendations and genuine interactions. They’re also more affordable than larger influencers.

Nano-influencers

Nano-influencers have between 1,000 to 10,000 followers. These influencers often have a strong connection with their audience, thanks to the close-knit community they’ve built and their personable content.

While they offer a smaller reach, nano-influencers can be excellent partners for businesses who want to target specific communities and demographics without breaking the bank. In fact, per the latest Influencer Marketing Hub data, 44% of brands prefer to partner with nano influencers in 2024, compared to 39% in 2023.

There are many reasons for this, namely, since nano-influencers work on a small scale, they dedicate more time and effort to individual partnerships. This means more tailored content for your brand and personal relationships within niche communities. They are perfect for businesses such as:

• Local businesses targeting specific communities, cities or regions
• Small businesses with limited budgets that want to run cost-effective campaigns
• Artisan, home-based or speciality food businesses reaching a niche audience interested in their one-of-a-kind products

Why use influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing can be an incredibly powerful marketing tool for you, and brands are already using it to their advantage, as these influencer marketing examples show.

According to The 2024 Influencer Marketing Report , almost half of all consumers (49%) make purchases at least once a month because of influencer posts; and almost all consumers (86%) make a purchase inspired by an influencer at least once a year. Not surprisingly, the influencer marketing industry is expected to grow to $24 billion in 2024 as indicated by the Influencer Marketing Hub's latest research.

Here are more reasons why you should add influencers to your marketing mix.

Increased brand awareness

Collaborating with an influencer draws a wider audience to your brand. By featuring your brand in their content, influencers introduce it to new audiences who may not have been familiar with it. Also, the trust influencers hold with their followers enhances your brand's reputation and credibility and boosts market awareness.

Precise audience targeting

Influencer marketing helps brands with precise audience targeting by connecting brands to influencers whose followers align with the brand's target demographic. This ensures their message reaches the right audience and is delivered from a perspective that resonates with the audience, making the campaign more effective.

Higher conversions

Social proof is a powerful factor in the likelihood of making a purchase after seeing an influencer campaign, because it helps sway undecided consumers in your favor. Similarly, influencers often share interactive content such as giveaways, challenges and live sessions that drive engagement and prompt actions like making purchases or signing up for deals. They also share exclusive discount codes or special offers making it easy to track conversions directly linked to their promotion.

Building trust and authenticity with your audience

Influencers build trust with their followers by sharing personal experiences and opinions that resonate with their audience, making them more relatable. They further increase their credibility by being open about brand partnerships and only promoting products they genuinely support.

Plus, their seemingly unscripted content contrasts with traditional advertisements, making it sound authentic and spontaneous, which fosters personal connection with followers. This trust is further reinforced by how they respond to comments, making their audiences feel valued and heard, thus strengthening the bond. All this combined, helps influencers drive higher conversion rates for brands.

How to create an influencer marketing strategy in 5 steps

While Instagram influencer marketing is a well-known strategy, other platforms like TikTok , YouTube and Snapchat resonate increasingly well with different demographics.

Like any marketing tactic, an influencer program takes thoughtful planning. Here are key factors to consider while developing your influencer marketing strategy.

1. Find influencers and understand their payment structure

Finding the right influencer for your brand is the first step to building a successful influencer marketing strategy. You must invest time in market research to understand your audience’s preferences and choose the right platform to engage them with an influencer collaboration.

This is especially important because each network caters to a specific audience. For example, beauty and fashion brands shine on Instagram and YouTube, while the video game industry dominates Twitch.

Here are some factors to consider when searching for influencers:

• Does the influencer already post about similar topics related to your service?
• Are they legit? Scroll through their feed and click through on posts. A poor engagement ratio to follower count and spam-like comments are signs of a fake account or fake followers.
• Have they worked with similar brands before? Depending on what type of influencer you’re looking for, a seasoned one will be able to show you a press kit that contains a portfolio of their work.

Social listening can assist you in identifying where people are discussing your industry and brand, and to find influential voices within your industry on each platform.

40 Unique Ways To Use Social Listening To Make An Impact On Your Business

Similarly, focus on the type of influencers you want, and plan for their pricing . Whether it’s celebrities with massive followings or micro-influencer s with less than 2,000 followers, do your due diligence because that will determine your budget.

Compensation varies based on platform, influencer types and types of influencer collaborations, so think about the expected ROI of your social influencer marketing campaign. How will you measure the impact of influencer posts on your overall marketing goals? For instance, compare how you would budget for a video production firm creating an ad versus an influencer creating a video. Resources like this Instagram influencer rate map can help you estimate influencer costs based on audience size and industry.

2. Set a budget and management strategy

The next step is to create an influencer marketing budget.

Use an influencer marketing budgeting template to manage your expenses and strategically allocate resources to high-value partnerships. Be sure to account for the time needed to plan, execute and review your influencer program because, unlike automated ad strategies, influencers often juggle multiple partnerships, requiring a more hands-on approach from you.

If your budget allows, consider establishing an ambassador program to diversify and enrich your content. Similar to Fujifilm , which uses ambassadors for new product launches and to highlight new product features.

Whether you engage an influencer marketing agency or not, investing in an all-in-one influencer marketing software is a good idea, helping you sift through suitable influencers, manage pricing negotiations and review and approve content.

3. Decide on campaign goals and messaging

To ensure your influencer strategy succeeds, focus on your campaign's goals and needs. Determine whether you want to reach a new demographic, introduce a new product or highlight your brand values through influencers. Also, explore influencer trends to see what’s resonating in your industry.

Your message is as crucial as your goal. And since influencers target specific audiences, refining your campaign messaging is important for effective content.

Influencer content is typically more conversational and personal, which helps differentiate it from brand-driven or sales-oriented posts. But while it’s important to preserve an influencer’s creativity and uniqueness, ensure their content aligns with your brand values.

4. Establish influencer outreach: How to contact influencers

Your outreach will depend on the type of influencer you’ve chosen. For example, celebrities and macro influencers often work through agencies, so you might have to connect with an agency to reach them. Some may also list their contact information for business inquiries in their bio and have a website that denotes brand partnerships.

For example, Summer Rayne Oakes has a multi-channel presence, which is a perk for her brand partners.

For micro-influencers, you could reach out directly in a private message via their social platform.

5. Review and refine your strategy

It’s important to refine and review your strategy so you’ll be more successful with each campaign going forward. Having predetermined milestones where you’ll measure progress can prove very helpful in this.

While these tips serve as a guide to help you craft a well-planned strategy, it's crucial to be aware of common mistakes to avoid in influencer marketing. We’ll dive into those, next.

Influencer marketing mistakes to avoid

Influencer marketing can be highly rewarding — if done right. Sidestep these potential pitfalls to ensure smooth influencer collaborations and successful campaign outcomes.

Failing to define clear goals and KPIs

First things first, know why you’re doing this in the first place. Partnering with an influencer is a big deal — you need to be clear about the purpose and goals of your campaign.

Here are a few ways setting goals in advance can help you:

• Choose the right influencers: Defining goals helps you identify the specific characteristics and qualities you need in an influencer to achieve those outcomes. For example, if your goal is to increase brand awareness, you can find influencers who have a strong presence and reach within your niche.
• Define and measure success: What does success mean to you? Is it the number of impressions, post engagement or the amount of traffic coming to your website? Define which KPIs and metrics to track both during and after the campaign to assess how well your influencer campaign is performing.
• Keep everyone on track: Setting clear goals ensures that both the brand and the influencer are working towards a common purpose. This facilitates effective communication and constructive feedback, saving everyone’s valuable time.
• Hold influencers accountable: Establishing clear expectations and performance benchmarks makes influencers feel responsible. They know the results they need to provide and will focus on creating content that aligns with those goals.

Prioritizing follower count over engagement

A large following doesn't always mean high engagement. It’s entirely possible an influencer has millions of passive followers but very low engagement.

Instead, partner with influencers with an engaged and loyal audience. A handful of people who trust the influencer are more valuable to your brand than thousands of indifferent followers unlikely to convert.

Look at the influencer’s engagement metrics, comments and interactions, as well as past results for other brands to gauge their level of influence and likeability.

Neglecting to research the influencer

Choosing the wrong influencers, including fake influencers , can cost your business valuable time and money. But this hasn’t deterred marketers, with 60% of marketers intending to increase their influencer marketing budget over 2024, the Influencer Marketing Hub states.

An easy fix is to properly research the influencer of your choice, before signing a partnership. Vet influencers and evaluate their influencer media kit to ensure they share your vision and complement your brand’s personality.

Here are some key areas to look into when researching influencers for your brand:

• Audience demographics: Study the influencer's followers to ensure your campaign reaches the right audience. Analyze factors like age, gender, location and interests (e.g., Millennials who identify as women) to determine if they are likely to become your customers.
• Interactions, voice and content: Look at the influencer’s engagement rate, the tone of voice they use and the type of content they create. For example, if your brand has a playful, casual image, partnering with an influencer known for their formal, business-oriented content might not be the best fit.
• Authenticity and influence: Forced partnerships can appear insincere and hurt both your campaign and brand image. Collaborate with influencers who genuinely love your brand and products. Their followers trust them for a reason and you don't want your brand to get in the way of their (and your) credibility.
• Experience with branded content: Has the influencer worked with other brands in the past? Have they ever worked with your competitors? Carefully scrutinize their content to spot any red flags and gauge the value they can provide.

Writing poorly constructed briefs

Crafting well-structured briefs is key to maximizing your influencer marketing campaigns. A good social media campaign brief equips influencers with the details and resources they need to represent your brand effectively, without being overly restrictive.

Here’s a quick rundown on what to include in your brief:

• What is the main goal of your campaign? What are you hoping to achieve?
• What is your company’s background? What is your brand and what product/s are you selling?
• What are your product’s key benefits, features and differentiators?
• Who is your target audience? Include an audience persona if you have one.
• What does your budget look like for this campaign?
• Do you have a timeline in mind?
• Do you want the influencer to use your brand assets? Provide them with your logo, colors and fonts if necessary.

Don’t forget to inform influencers of any words or ideas to avoid in their content. For example, if you’re an eco-friendly brand, let the influencer know that sustainability is a core value and they should avoid using plastic and other such products in their content.

Restricting the influencer's creative freedom

While comprehensive briefs are important, there’s such a thing as too much information.

Avoid going overboard with your guidelines. You don’t need to dictate the influencer’s exact words or actions. Doing so can stifle the influencer's creative freedom, resulting in content that looks scripted and inauthentic.

Some brands also make the mistake of micro-managing every aspect of the content creation process. For example, you don’t need to vet multiple drafts just before they go live.

Remember, influencers are the experts in creating content their audience loves and trusts. Your brand just needs to support them with resources they need to create great content for effective influencer marketing.

Not setting expectations upfront

Establishing clear expectations beforehand enables a smooth, productive collaboration. The result? A successful campaign aligned with your goals.

Make sure you agree on the following items in advance:

• Timeline and deliverables: Clearly outline the campaign timeline, including start and end dates, as well as any deadlines for content submission and publication. Also, specify the required deliverables, such as the number of posts, stories or videos the influencer needs to create.
• Payment and terms: Agree on the payment structure, whether it's a one-time fee, ongoing retainer or performance-based compensation. Discuss the payment schedule and any additional terms, such as bonuses for exceptional performance or penalties for missed deadlines.

Focusing on the wrong metrics

Influencer marketing can offer more benefits to your business than merely boosting sales. Fixating only on conversions and revenue data can mislead brands into thinking their campaigns are not working.

Here are some other metrics to consider when measuring the impact of your campaigns:

• Engagement metrics: Evaluate likes, comments, and shares to understand content resonance and audience interaction.
• Brand awareness metrics: Measure views, clicks and website traffic to gauge campaign reach and audience interest.
• Follower growth: Track new followers to determine influencer impact on brand visibility and audience expansion.
• Inbound leads: Track the number of inquiries and messages your brand gets to analyze the campaign’s impact on inbound lead generation.

How to track influencer marketing campaigns

There are a few ways of measuring the success of your campaign.

If you want to keep a pulse on the content your influencers are creating and interacting with, you can create a specific branded hashtag, like #SproutPartner. The Sprout Social Smart Inbox makes it easy to see what’s being talked about with specific hashtags, or to watch for mentions of specific keywords .

Use Sprout’s reporting feature to tag and track campaign-related posts. You can also compare how each post is performing and view metrics such as post engagements, clicks and impressions.

Similarly, if you’re aiming for more sales, giving out affiliate codes or tracking links will help you measure the revenue generated from influencers.

Create a successful influencer marketing strategy for your brand

It’s clear—influencers are the new wave in marketing. However, the influencer marketing world is constantly evolving, and in five years may be drastically different from today.

While working with influencers has unique considerations, setting up a campaign is the same as most marketing campaigns: research, set a budget, determine goals, find your influencers, and review and revise. Once you’ve got a hold of the rhythm, creating different influencer marketing campaigns to meet your brand’s various needs will become second nature.

If you need more resources for your team on running influencer campaigns, check out our ultimate guide for running successful social media campaigns .

Influencer Marketing FAQs

The three R’s in influencer marketing strategy are relevance, reach and resonance.

• Reach alludes to the number of followers the influencer has and the people they can potentially reach with their content.
• Relevance is how well the influencer’s content aligns with your brand voice, target audience and marketing goals.
• Resonance is the level of meaningful interactions and connections the influencer’s content creates with their followers, which translates to greater audience loyalty.

An influencer marketing strategy needs meticulous planning. Here are five things you need to keep in mind to ace it.

• Find influencers and understand their payment structure
• Set a budget and management strategy
• Decide on campaign goals and messaging
• Establish influencer outreach process
• Review and refine your strategy

Social media influencers collaborate with brands to promote products or services to their followers through sponsored posts, product reviews and endorsements. In doing so, they help shape consumer opinions and purchasing decisions.

Additional resources for Influencer Marketing

• Influencers
• Social Media Strategy

Influencer pricing: how much influencers really cost

• Social Media Content

UK Food influencers redefining taste for your brand

Influencer marketing trends across industries

Spotlight on UK beauty influencers for your brand

An Influencer Marketing Toolkit to Kickstart Your Strategy

Influencer relationships (with consumers & brands) are evolving—what does that mean for marketers?

11 best influencer marketing tools you need in 2024

UK fashion influencers redefining style

• Future of Marketing

The rise of virtual influencers: are they here to stay?

Elevate Your Next Campaign With This Influencer Marketing Brief Template

Powerful UK fitness influencers for your next campaign

Find UK TikTok Influencers for your brand

24 Top YouTube influencers to check out in 2024

• Social Media Analytics

8 top influencer analytics tools to boost your campaign ROI in 2024

The benefits of influencer marketing (+ what the C-Suite cares about)

Rethinking the influencer-brand relationship

10 metrics to track influencer marketing success in 2024

How to find influencers for your brand’s marketing campaign

How B2B influencer marketing will grow your brand

16 influencer marketing platforms to boost your campaigns in 2024

Mastering Instagram influencer marketing: strategies for success

The complete guide to TikTok influencer marketing

A 6-point framework for maximizing influencer marketing ROI

• Social Media Trends

22 influencer marketing statistics to guide your brand’s strategy in 2024

7 examples of influencer marketing campaigns

• Branding & Creative

The ultimate guide to evaluating influencer media kits

Micro-influencer marketing guide: Facts and uses

YouTube influencer marketing guide to boosting brand awareness

The rise of senior influencers: Age is just a number but follower count isn’t

Today’s top TikTok influencers: Inspiration for your brand’s evolving social strategy

Digital creators vs. influencers: What’s the difference?

Why LinkedIn influencer marketing matters for brands

• Social Media Engagement

What are fake influencers and how can you spot them?

• Community Management
• Consumer Goods

Nanoinfluencer marketing 101: How I got 1000 engaged followers in 30 days

Influencer marketing

10 Lessons From Instagram Influencers

Influencer Marketing Ain’t Easy: 5 Client Questions to Answer Before They Ask

Using Sprout Social for Influencer Marketing Campaigns

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Your RelateSocial Dashboard has useful onboarding guides, and is designed in such a simplified, streamlined way that even people new to using a software tool will find it easy:

For tips on best-practice social media management, read our guide: Need-to-Know Social Media Management Tips. Also view answers to the questions people most commonly ask on Google .

• Create content fast — using the content creator library and auto-scheduler.
• Find new customers — generate leads with keyword search.
• Build a following — respond instantly to customer feedback with notifications.
• Get smart insights — real-time analysis reports at the touch of a button.
• Price — more affordable than most apps for the same amount of features.

On the Essential Plan, you can post to Facebook and Google Business Profile from your Dashboard, and your content will automatically be sized to fit their platforms. On the Advanced Plan, you can post to all major social networks — Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google Business Profile, and LinkedIn.

Upgrade or downgrade your Plan anytime, you’re never tied into a long contract. If you want to discuss your needs or make changes, we’re here to help — Contact us 24/7 .

Yes. Your Dashboard can display growth across all your channels, including monitoring changes in Facebook and Twitter reach, as well as growth in fans and followers from your social marketing campaigns.

On the Essential Plan, you get a social channel on Facebook, and one on Google Business Profile.

On the Pro Plan, you get 15 social channels:

• 5 for Facebook
• 4 for Twitter
• 4 for LinkedIn
• 1 for Instagram
• 1 for Google Business Profile

Use the Clickable.bio — it transforms your Instagram posts into a shoppable gallery.

We can confirm there is no risk of us collecting money from you during your Free Trial. We only collect your card details to give you a smooth journey if you choose to continue with RelateSocial on a monthly Plan.

These are the full Terms & Conditions of your Free Trial:

• The offer is available for a limited time only.
• All monthly RelateSocial Plans are eligible for a 4-week Free Trial, with a limit of one Plan per business/household. Customers who have previously purchased a yearly plan will not be eligible for a 4-week trial.
• Your trial period is considered a purchase, and no introductory offers may be used upon renewal after this period.
• Feel free to cancel at any time, either in your Account panel or by contacting Support . Your subscription renews automatically until canceled.

View these guides we’ve created to create content like a pro:

• How to Create Great Social Media Content
• Easy Way to Create a Social Media Content Calendar
• Quick Social Media Content Ideas

If you’re struggling to engage an audience you’re not alone. Almost a third of small business Facebook pages have less than thirty-two fans. The key to building a following is to regularly post content that people find interesting. With RelateSocial’s library of content, that won’t be a problem. And using the calendar, you can schedule content to automatically publish.

It’s also important to note that 89% of US consumers say they’ve moved to a competitor after a poor customer service experience. RelateSocial helps you build brand trust by tracking customer responses, giving you notifications so you can respond to them fast, and letting you store ready-to-go content that lets you turn dissatisfied customers around.

Learn more:

• How to Find Your Social Media Audience and Build Loyalty
• How to Boost Your Social Media Strength

Need help? We're always here for you.