More companies appreciate the need to mark an online presence through social media platforms. While many people rely on their phones for information and convenience, they are exposed to more products, which usually means higher competition. Therefore, companies must carefully create strategies on how to create social media content and how they will monitor the performance of their approach.

Ronn Torossian, Chairman of 5WPR, explains these essential social media elements, why they are crucial to companies, and how to go about them. Here is a breakdown of Torossian’s view on strategy and monitoring for companies looking to start or upgrade their social media marketing planning.

Strategy

The core foundation of any initiative is planning, which is no different for social media marketing. Regarding strategy, Ronn Torossian suggests:

• Defining the objectives of the company.

The first step is to understand the primary company goals and whether or not social media is viable to get them there. The company’s ultimate objectives also define the methods and approach the company can use on social media platforms. For example, one company may primarily turn to social media platforms to generate organic traffic to its website. At the same time, another may focus on using different platforms to promote the brand by boosting awareness.

• Focus on different platforms.

Since companies have different needs and goals, it is crucial to understand that social media marketing optimization is about quality rather than quantity. This means a company does not have to use all the available social media platforms. Instead, they can maximize on the few they are already on and generate better results. Ronn suggests figuring out what you want to do on social media, then identifying the platforms you want to do them on.

• Figure out the target audience.

Companies must understand customer behavior and patterns while selecting a social media platform. For example, if a company is targeting a younger demographic, they know better than to focus their attention on older platforms, such as Facebook. Ideally, most of them are on the latest platforms or the trendiest platforms, depending on the moment.

• Figure out the type of content.

Once a company knows where to get its target audience, it can go ahead and design the most appropriate content to capture their attention and match their interests. It is also imperative for companies to focus on creating more engagement to raise their conversion rate.

Monitoring

Once a company establishes a robust foundation through formulating the best strategies, there is a need to keep track of the growing numbers and keep up with the engagement. Essentially, as a company becomes more visible, more customers become invested. Some leave comments, others send direct messages, while others boost the company’s marketing efforts by leaving reviews and tagging them while creating their content.

With the buzz of activities going on, it is easy for companies to miss out on some of it, thus the need to invest in monitoring tools. These tools do more than notify companies of information relevant to them. Aside from listening, they also help companies:

1. Assess the performance of their social media efforts.

Social media listening tools help companies weigh their social media productivity based on the reception of their content. That also helps them adjust their strategy to align with consumer demand and, if necessary, restructure their entire approach. It also defines the direction needed while designing new content toward achieving its goals.

2.Keep track of the content-generated engagement.

Companies can actively engage their customers by creating and distributing or participating in their audience’s content on the various social media platforms. Fortunately, these platforms make it easier to follow engagements through various elements, including mentions, tags, and comments which help them keep track of every conversation. Additionally, numbers speak for the companies thanks to the amount of followers, likes, and shares. These key features play a huge part in helping them earn higher rankings, which inherently generates more traffic their way.

While an excellent strategy paves the way for social media success, constantly monitoring the different platforms promises long-term results. The two elements complement each other while empowering businesses to support other promotional efforts and marketing campaigns.