The right way to get started with social media

Social media is only going to get more important for businesses. It is entwined in the culture of our next generation so it is essential for entrepreneurs to take action to improve online visibility and ensure their company is future proofed. Jodie Ingle, account manager at Bigfoot Digital, offers advice.

Jodie will be sharing more social media tips at the first of four digital bootcamps in Sheffield on 16 May. Learn digital basics, digital marketing and digital growth. Book a ticket here.

Most people realise that social media is simple to use and a very effective marketing tool when managed in the right way. However, when it comes down to creating a social media marketing strategy, posting multiple times per day on numerous social platforms it can feel complicated and ideas can quickly dry up. So, where should you start when it comes to setting up a social media campaign for your business?

Choose the right platform

First of all, think about your target market and where they are likely to be online. There are many different social media sites to choose from but it not necessary for your business to be on all of them. Consider what will interest your target market, for example, are visuals important? Businesses in the food, drink and fashion industries are very well suited to Pinterest whilst other companies would have little requirement to showcase images of products.

Set realistic goals

What do you want to achieve from your social media campaign? Do you want to maximise brand awareness or is the main goal to attract more visitors to your website? Make sure you think about your other marketing campaigns and check that the purpose of social media is clear within your overall business marketing plan. By setting goals you have something tangible to measure success. It allows you to review campaign performance and make strategic changes to your plan, making sure you get the best results for your business.

Create a content strategy plan

Generating great content and keeping your audience engaged whilst staying on trend may seem like a tough challenge, but with a clear, well planned social strategy it's success all the way. Find inspiration and generate topic ideas that are relevant to your business. First of all, note down ten topics that could be associated with your industry. Use this as a starting point to search for relevant news, articles and videos online which could be included in your social media posts. You can use the initial topic ideas to plan post titles for a week or month in advance.
Manage your time effectively

It is easy to let time run away with you when managing social media so you must be strict and stick to a schedule. You could set aside the first ten minutes of your day to check each of your social profiles, reply to messages and catch up with notifications. Consider use a scheduling tool to create your posts in advance and make the whole process more efficient.

To find out more about how to successfully manage social media profiles for your business, we've got two amazing events coming up:

• Digital bootcamp in Sheffield on 16 May. Find out more here and book a ticket below.

• Social media in 90 minutes in Somerset House, London on 3 May. Book your ticket below

Don't forget that Enterprise Nation Classic members get 25% off all our events. Log into your account, go to the events section and the discount will be automatically applied. If you're not a member yet, click here to join.