The Pathway to Social Media Success

Whether you love it or hate it, social media is here to stay! It’s a communication phenomenon—one that has quickly integrated into the fabric of our culture. But it’s not all about sharing cute cat videos or drooling over other people’s vacations. social media is a huge piece of the marketing pie for any type of business out there.

Cheaper than traditional marketing, social media is a pathway for building a loyal following and demonstrating your expertise. As a result, Social Media strategy and planning is crucial to any business.

As the internet user population rapidly expands, having a social media marketing plan in place will ensure that you get the right content to the right audience at the right time.

Craig Cannings, co-founder of Freelance University is an amazing teacher with a wealth of knowledge. He explains that in order to be a “social media rock star”, you must create a methodology that enables you to strategize, implement, and optimize your chosen social media platform.

Craig calls them the “Five P’s”:

Purpose

This is where you develop your strategy. Do you have a clearly defined purpose for WHY you prefer a specific Social Media platform? (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc.) What are the outcomes you are hoping for? What goals would you like to achieve?

Presence

This is where you analyze how you appear on a specific platform. Do you current have an engaging, relevant and up to date profile? Do you have a custom logo and header? Do you have links to your web pages?

Publish

Are you publishing relevant content that resonates with your audience? This is where you will establish credibility as an expert in your field.

Participate

This is where you build and connect with your base of targeted connections and build your community. Are you actively engaging in other’s content (posts, group threads, pulse articles)?

Promote

This is where you are strategically promoting your business. Whether its services, products, programs, software, free and paid offers or events. Post these offers to your connections and groups.

Think about every social media network you use and apply these “5 P’s”. Your target audience wants to know what you can do for them and how you can provide value. They need YOU to help solve their problem.

Use this method to organize and implement your strategy. This will be your pathway to success!