- A Social Media Marketing Plan requires deep knowledge of the market place and the target audience
Due to a limited marketing budget, a small business relies heavily on social media channels to reach out to the market. This does not come as a surprise as the main resource that is required for social media marketing is some skills and a lot of time. A larger business faces a different challenge which is centred around the issue of how to integrate traditional media and social media within the same marketing plan and of course any organisational challenge that may come as a result.
It is evident that online endorsement is much more important than direct word of mouth as it has the potential to influence prospects in many ways and for a longer period of time since the comments remain online. Social Media Marketers have the opportunity through social media to make the most out of this by applying amplification techniques.
In the absence of other criteria to base a judgement on, or when alternatives seem identical, a higher customer rating plays a significant part in transforming consideration to preference or even triggering a purchase.
A Social Media marketing plan should incorporate the following elements:
• Objectives to be achieved
• Target audience to be reached
• Brand ambassadors and Brand Influencers
• How to drive engagement and advocacy (marketing funnel tool)
• Relevance / Appropriateness of alternative Social media platforms to meet its objectives
• How to capitalise and execute across Social media platforms
• Social media Policy for the organisation
• Resources and budget
• How to integrate within the wider marketing plan
• Time frame and performance measurement
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