Startups in Nashville and around the world don’t fail because they can’t get the product built; they fail because they can’t acquire customers. So how can you build a customer base and keep them talking about your business, whether it is here in Nashville or anywhere else in the world?
More and more of Nashville is moving to social media marketing, and we at Serious SEM are being asked by our social media marketing clients to improve their social media strategies both here locally in Nashville and all over the country. This is a flexible, evolving medium with amazing potential to:
Encourage business growth in Nashville by engaging targeted customers in Nashville.
Improve your existing website presence and drive traffic to your website.
Position Nashville businesses and Nashville professionals as the leaders in their industries
But it is work and takes trust and commitment from the Nashville based business owner. We work hard for all our clients, and have seen great success, but social media marketing is very different from normal marketing. It is not about making a quick sale; it’s about building a relationship as a person and fostering it over time. This is why we break down everything we are doing, and meet with our Nashville and nationwide clients every month to go over all that we are going to do and have done for their social media marketing needs. Continue reading to see the steps we take with all our social media marketing clients, along with a fictional example of a health club to show you in real world examples.
SPECIFIC – Break it down
A plan needs real, concrete steps. We look at your Nashville based business goals and develop a working plan from there. Maybe you simply want to improve your website traffic. Maybe your Nashville business has a more ambitious goal, to be the top provider of your product in the country. How do you get there? Break it down into specific steps. Once we have worked out how to achieve your social media marketing goal for your Nashville based business, we will go over with you step by step how we plan to get you there, taking any feedback you have and adjusting as needed.
Nashville Mock Health Club Example:
Step 1: was to post content about wellness 4 times a month (#WellnessWednesday).
Step 2: challenged the gym owners to reach out in 3 ways each week to build business (“develop partnerships with area grocers” and “offer package deals to local company employees.”)
MEASURABLE – Make it Count
Once we have sat down and gone over the steps to our social media marketing plan with the Nashville business owner, it is important to try and assign values for your KPI’s (key performance indicators) to as much as possible so there is something to track. Sales is a poor judge for social media since it is such a long term goal of the social media marketing, it’s better for your Nashville business to set goals like “increase social media followers by 10% over a quarter” or “get 10 new retweets a week.” Measurable goals for your Nashville social media marketing plan will act as a failsafe to ensure progress. If you don’t see growth week by week we are able to adjust and get things back on track for our clients.
Nashville Mock Health Club Example:
When it looked like we weren’t going to hit the 10% growth goal, we did a social media promotion. For each check-in on Foursquare, gym members were put into a drawing. The winners received $50 gift cards at the local Nashville health food store (this also achieved one of their partnership goals).
ACHIEVABLE – Specific + Measureable = Achievable
You don’t want to bite off more than you can chew, and social media marketing can be a time-sucker. This is one of the biggest reasons Nashville based businesses turn their social media marketing over to us. Time is very valuable to business owners, and much of your time as a Nashville business owner can be better spent running your business and doing what your passion is, while we handle your social media marketing needs and do what we have a passion for!
Nashville Mock Health Club Example:
Reaching out to 3 prospects a week was difficult after the first quarter. So, we switched it up and challenged the gym owners to implement 1 new promotion or initiative a month, such as, “bring a friend to the gym” or “volunteer at the elementary school during field day.”
We understand that the first goal of our Nashville based business owner is often the one they really want from their social media marketing. But, it is important to try and be flexible because sometimes we may need to add steps and make small detours to get there. There’s no yellow brick road for social media marketing, and sometimes a roll back and a restart is needed to get back to where you as a Nashville business owner want to be with your social media marketing.
REALISTIC – Outsource Tasks You Can’t Manage
Know your limits. Everything in life is a trade-off, and social media takes time and energy. If you know you won’t have time, or don’t have a desire to be a part of your social media marketing be up front with your social media marketing professional. At Serious SEM we are happy to take the reins and do all of it so you don’t have to do anything more than approve the direction and be kept up to date on new developments. Being a part of social media marketing when you don’t have a desire can do more harm than good for your Nashville based business.
Nashville Mock Health Club Example:
The gym staff struggled with writing blogs, creating graphics, and tweeting, so we took that over for them. Trying to make an employee into a Social Media Manager wasn’t fair or productive. The good news was that professionals were there to take over.
TIME-SENSITIVE – Put a Finer Point on It
If your Nashville based social media company can’t or won’t give you a full outline of the plan they have for your social media marketing, both in general and on a weekly or daily basis, then they are not going to be of help to your Nashville social media marketing needs. When Serious SEM sits down with a client we take the steps we worked out with them and give them measurable goals that are time-sensitive, so they know exactly what they will be getting. So, posting a blog randomly 3 times a week is considered an okay goal for your Nashville Social media marketing plan, while posting consistently on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday is a much better goal for your Nashville social media marketing goal because followers know when they can expect to see your next post. This kind of time-sensitive planning will help you be consistent, for your own records as well as building a pattern for your Nashville based clients who you’re trying to reach with your social media marketing.
Nashville Mock Health Club Example:
The publishing schedule for the gym included Motivation Monday, Wellness Wednesday, and Flexible Friday. As readers got accustomed to the reliability of these posts, traffic to the site and gym attendance was driven up.
Increase Business: Work Backwards from Your Goals
In the end, the Nashville gym reached its goals to increase wellness in the community and build a successful Nashville business with strong social media marketing. It might sound like a lot of work (even with achievable goals), but if you’re serious about improving your website presence, social media marketing is important. And if you’re serious about being successful with social media marketing, a plan with the right social media marketing team from Serious SEM is the start to making it happen for you.