4 Things About Social Media Marketing Your Boss Wants to Know
Make your next social media marketing briefing with your boss one to remember.
You’ve recently taken over social media for your business. You immediately start by optimizing the platform images, researching your audience and drafting a content calendar. Engagement and followers begin to climb as a result.
Congratulations! These are fantastic first steps, but sooner or later your supervisor is going to inquire about your efforts–especially if you’re devoting a significant portion of time to them.
Be ready for the conversation. Here are four things about social media marketing that your boss wants to know and how to address them:
1.) Why should we be refining our social media marketing?
This is a common question by supervisors who may be unfamiliar with social media marketing and the benefits. Don’t be alarmed or offended by this question–your boss is simply doing their due diligence on the process and your endeavors.
Social media marketing–when done properly–yields tremendous benefits. Below are just a couple.
Search Engine Optimization
First of all, it increases your ranking in search engines. Not only does your business have a chance to promote various keywords through the use of Google+, but platforms provide inbound links for your website. Secondly, social media platforms with high engagement and followings will increase your overall rank by default.
Two-Way Communication
I’ve mentioned this in a previous post, but social media has given individuals and businesses the tremendous opportunity to communicate directly with audiences. This can be used to ask for feedback, memories and to compliment your overall communication strategies.
2.) What are our goals and strategies?
It’s important to understand your goals for utilizing social media. Also started in a previous post, your goal could be as simple as, “Sharing relevant updates about our brand with our audiences.” This can include sharing news or blog posts from your website, special deals and offers and making a two-way communication connection with your audience.
This may be your purpose, but make sure you consciously realize it. Your boss will want a defined statement and an accompanying strategy to pursue them.
- For more information on defining goals and building a strategy read, “How to Build A Basic Social Media Strategy.”
3.) How are we measuring success?
The way that various businesses measure social media marketing success varies.
I recommend that businesses take their measurement beyond simple social media analytics. Find a way to correlate your platform analytics with greater trends such as sales, foot traffic in your store and website traffic. Have this information in an easy to decipher format for your boss as well as your entire business. It will lend additional credibility to your efforts.
Remember, social media marketing isn’t an isolated action–it is a finger on the hand of a larger strategy. It should have positive benefits on the entire business.
4.) Why haven’t our numbers exploded?
Unfortunately a lot of supervisors expect your numbers to explode. They may be disappointed if/and when they don’t go from zero to hero in a matter of weeks.
Social media marketing is an organic process fueled and measured by a plan. It takes patience, diligence and consistency to persevere and make a difference. Remind your boss that it’s an investment in marketing assets and not a one-time deal.
Paid efforts aren’t the answer to making your numbers explode either. They can be helpful to empower successful content and campaigns, but should never be solely depended on for growth.
What questions has your boss asked you about social media marketing? How’d you answer?