Robert Clegg: Social Media Strategy for Startup

Welcome to the Robert Clegg Medium blog. Social media marketing is something that startups need to have a strategy for, and quickly. The importance of social media for startups cannot be underestimated. Over 45% of the world’s population using at least one channel.With this in mind, Robert Clegg shares how to get your first social media marketing strategy up and running.

First things first, you want to set some realistic and attainable goals. If you’re looking for new leads, social media can shorten your sales funnels and get you new email subscribers, event RSVPs, and customer details. If you were looking at making this a SMART goal, it might be something like ‘increase facebook followers by 50% in one month’. Perhaps, your startup can share blog posts or product pages on social media and lead more visitors to your website.

Once you’ve decided what your social media goals are, it’s time to decide which social media channels are best for you.

OK, so now we’re gonna get things cooking and set up your social media profiles.

It’s more than likely that you already have some form of social media presence. However, setting up one for a business may differ, Robert Clegg advice.

For Facebook, you’ll need to create a Facebook business page. This can only be done if you have a personal page. If you don’t already have one, then take a few seconds to step one up, Robert Clegg added.

To create a Twitter account, you’ll need to think of a twitter handle. However, don’t sweat too much over this as it can be changed later. Similar to Facebook, first you should create a personal account so you can easily create a company page.

This sees you move away from your desktop. To set up an Instagram account, download the Instagram app on your mobile device. You should select a business account for better analysis and recognition.

YouTube is owned by Google. Therefore, you’ll need to set up a Google account first. So, you’ve got your social media profiles — now what?

Well, you want to look at your competitors’ social media profiles and see what the devil they’re up to. It’s tempting to use your social media channels to promote and sell your product. However, when it comes to organic social media marketing, this simply won’t work.

Think of it this way, would you engage with a post by a business where all they’re doing is plugging their product? Probably not, right? When it comes to the content that you share on social media, you want to make sure it’s suitable for that platform and that there’s a good variety.

You must also create a content strategy and distribution plan before starting posts on your company’s social media accounts. Without a definite direction, you’ll be distracted. A clear definition of your desired state is going to allow you to use gap analysis to create a laser-focused action plan that is going to take you to your destination.

Consistent posting is one of the best ways your startup can get more followers. No one wants to follow a profile where the most recent post is from two years ago. With that in mind, a consistent posting schedule with an interesting variety of content shows potential followers that you’re invested in your channel. It also makes your current followers expect and, hopefully, engage on a regular basis.

There you have it. We hope these nine steps give you a greater understanding of how to implement an organic social media marketing strategy.

Robert Clegg is a marketing professional with a decade of experience on both the client and agency side of marketing. Read more about Robert Clegg on his Wikipedia page here. Don’t get buried with ideas…Follow Robert Clegg Twitter here for a curated marketing tips and insights. Alternatively, you can also check out the Robert Clegg Amazon books here.