How To Get Savvy With Your Social Media Marketing In 2021

By Claire Saxton - Saxton Marketing

Halloween is over and Christmas preparations are well underway which can mean just one thing . . . 2021 will soon be here! Just like planning for Christmas, now is the time to be planning your social media marketing for next year so you can be visible, engaged and reaping the benefits for your business from the 1st January. I know that sitting down to plan social media marketing isn’t everyone’s idea of fun but it’s one of the most important tasks you can do at this time of year. It’s by reflecting on your social media and wider marketing this year, seeing what’s gone wrong and what’s worked well, creating ideas for what you want to try next year and getting those foundations in place that you can achieve what you hope for in 2021. So, here are some of my savvy tips that I use everyday when creating social media strategies for clients here at Saxton Marketing Ltd you can use right now to get started with your social media planning. Review your analytics to see what’s worked and what hasn’t before you plan When was the last time you looked at your social media analytics? Yes, I know, data and statistics isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but if you don’t know which social media content has performed well for you and which posts have been a flop, you’re not going to know the kind of content to be planning and creating for 2021. Just a cursory glance can be enough, each social media channel has their own analytics page with some easy to read statistics. They highlight your best performing posts in terms of views and engagement. It’s a good idea to ask yourself “why have these done better than the others?” and see if there’s a running theme. Maybe it’s a story style post, or an offer, or simply sharing a tip your audience have found helpful. It is also a good idea to compare the performance of your social media channels as a whole. Has Facebook had double the engagement than Twitter? Is Pinterest working better for you than Instagram? Is one channel simply getting no attention whatsoever? Knowing which social media platforms are working well for you and focusing on them for 2021 will help you get more from your efforts and understand the kind of content to be creating for them. Scope out your business year ahead Your social media marketing should be a part of your wider business marketing rather than a separate entity. By that I mean ensuring your holiday seasons, special events, industry events, planned sales etc are reflected in your social media content rather than being an afterthought. Do you have any product launches planned for next year? Will you be taking part in January sales and Black Friday? Is Small Business Saturday an important part of your calendar? Make a note of occasions like this and plan your social media content around it. It’s much easier to gain sales from social media when you’re able to take your time to build awareness and hype over the weeks leading up to the event. Knowing the key events and what your year ahead looks like makes it easier to batch write your posts too. For example, you could create all your sales posts in one go and tweak them as appropriate when you schedule them. Consider if social media marketing is really working for you I love social media marketing because it’s such an effective tool for making your business visible to your target audience. You can engage and interact with prospective customers and industry professionals that is difficult to do through other means along with having a strong presence working for 24/7 while you’re getting on with managing your business. But social media marketing can also be difficult for many small business owners. As I mentioned earlier, social media marketing can be time-consuming, and you do need to be consistent and present to make the most of it. If it’s taking you days to respond to a comment or enquiry because you haven’t got the time to check your notifications, chances are you’re missing out on leads, sales and other opportunities. When you don’t have the time spare to go social but don’t want to miss out on the benefits this form of marketing can bring to your business, one solution is to outsource to me here at Saxton Marketing Ltd. I offer a full range of support for social media marketing through a range of packages and bespoke services. From creating a detailed social media strategy, creating the content and scheduling on your behalf to assisting with specific tasks like managing pages, training your staff on using social media for customer service or even breaking down your analytics data into easy to understand reports; I can help. Want to make 2021 the best one yet for your social media marketing? Readers of Savvy Women magazine can get a special discount of 20% off one of my social media packages if you book before the end of January 2021 quoting ‘SAVVY 2021’. Find out more at www.saxtonmarketing.co.uk to discover how I can help you use social media marketing to achieve your business goals in 2021.