There are so many elements to building your brand’s presence on social media that it can be tempting to dive right into posting. To be clear, setting social media goals is not the same as creating a social media strategy. Why You Should Set Social Media Goals I. It Keeps You on Track To start, setting social media goals gives you something to work toward. It Helps You Identify What’s Working On the flip side of that, as a social media marketer it’s important to be able to pivot when necessary and never feel married to a single path to achieving a goal. Selecting Goals & Metrics To start, you’ll want to consider your company’s overall objectives, then decide how social media can support them. In this post, we’re going to discuss two in particular: SMART and FAST goals. The SMART System If you’ve been in social media marketing for a while, chances are you’ve heard of SMART goals. The elements that make up SMART goals are a foundational part of any effective goal setting strategy: Specific – clearly defined Measurable – tied to at least one metric Attainable – realistic given time and resources Relevant – supportive of your team or business’s broader goals and objectives Time-bound – associated with a deadline Consider this example: Your business has a nascent Instagram account that you’d like to grow. These check-ins can be with yourself and your social strategy, with your team and manager, or both.
There are so many elements to building your brand’s presence on social media that it can be tempting to dive right into posting. You have to start somewhere, right? While that’s definitely true, where you start matters—a lot. Taking time to set social media goals for your business will help make sure your efforts don’t go to waste and that you’re building toward something, not just throwing mud at the wall and hoping it sticks.
To be clear, setting social media goals is not the same as creating a social media strategy. So if you haven’t already done that, go check out our post to learn how to create a strategy that works for your business’s objectives. To understand the difference between the two, try imagining your strategy as a roadmap and your goals as the destinations.
With those metaphors out of the way, let’s dive in.
Why You Should Set Social Media Goals
I. It Keeps You on Track
To start, setting social media goals gives you something to work toward. There’s so much to be distracted by in the world of social media—so many new ideas constantly being brought to the table from internal and external sources. Setting goals helps you focus on the areas that matter to your business so you can maximize the return on your efforts.
“Many social marketers get shiny object syndrome and try to tackle everything. Just because the trendy thing is new and exciting, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s what’s best for your company.” – Carrie Gotch, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, Lumosity
II. It Helps You Identify What’s Working
On the flip side of that, as a social media marketer it’s important to be able to pivot when necessary and never feel married to a single path to achieving a goal. If the tactics you’ve outlined in your social media strategy aren’t getting you closer to achieving your goals, you can identify new ways forward that will help you be more effective.
III. It Keeps You Accountable
If you’re like many in social media marketing, social is just one of a number of areas your job covers. It can be easy to place it on the backburner during times when you feel stretched thin. Your goals are a helpful reminder that your daily work on social is part of a bigger picture, and by executing on your strategy you’re keeping committed to reaching them.
Selecting Goals & Metrics
To start, you’ll want to consider your company’s overall objectives, then decide how social media can support them. In this post, we’ll use these common social media goals as examples: raise brand awareness, drive website traffic, and establish an active community. (Note: These purposefully lack detail; We’ll discuss how to turn them into actionable goals a little later.)
Once you’ve chosen your goals, you should select the metrics you’ll use to measure your progress. Below are a few that are often tied to the goals we mentioned above.
Metrics tied to increasing brand awareness:
– Average post reach: the average number of people your posts reached
– Social share of voice (SOV): the amount of chatter about your brand on social media compared…
COMMENTS