When someone first signs up on a social media platform for personal use, they are forced to think about themselves a great deal. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and all the others want you to create a cohesive digital identity on their sites for several good reasons. It will help tailor content to your specific interests, allow people you know to find you, and allow the social media experience to be the personalized (and profitable, for them) journey it was always meant to be. That being said, even for those creating a personal profile, it can be a daunting task to answer all these questions. Creating a social media presence for your business can be even more challenging.

As a business owner, you should already know your company inside and out. But how well do you really know your work? There’s no doubt that your knowledge about your enterprise will be put to the test when setting up your social media pages. This goes far beyond knowing your mission statement or hours of operation. You have to ask yourself what the goal of your marketing is. What do you want out of your social media marketing journey? 

I created the following questionnaire to help you make sure you have answers to the most important questions. As you will see, most business owners will be able to answer some of these questions. However, others will require a bit more thought. Have your marketing team ready to do some soul-searching for the sake of the business! 

1. What is your industry? 
2. Who is your perfect customer? What are their demographics (age, income, profession, family dynamics, recreational activities)?)
3. Do they interact with your business online or in person? 
4. If you were a customer, what information would be needed to have a successful and positive experience?
5. What are your business’s basics? (Hours of operations, address, phone number, email, website, etc.)
6. What is the tone of your brand’s message?
7. What are your spotlight products or services?
8. What products or services are the most profitable?
9. What is your desired geographical reach? (Local? Regional? National? International?)
10. What was your business’s online presence before social media?
11. What content does your ideal customer actually enjoy reading, listening to, or watching?
12. What content do your competitors share? 
13. What online presence do your competitors have?
14. How much are you willing to spend on social media advertising?
15. What visuals do you have at your disposal?
16. Who are the thought leaders in your field?
17. What news sources can you incorporate into the mix?
18. What are the busy and slow times for your team?
19. What pre-existing marketing material (blogs, podcasts, banners, etc.) do you have to use?

And of course the ultimate question: 

20. What is your marketing goal?

The reason why number 20 is so critical is due to social media’s diverse possibilities. Attempting to figure out when and how you can recoup your marketing budget is an outdated mentality.. Although keeping a watchful eye on your return on investment is important, there is another ROI that is equally crucial for the success of your campaign – “return on influence.” Social media has the ability to increase your stance as a legitimate and influential thought leader in your industry with a large following. Keeping this in mind, your ultimate marketing goal could be the following: 

– Increased website clicks 

– More blog visits

– Increased podcast listens

– More substantial sales inquiries

– Improved lead generation

– Better quality customer service and communication

Social media marketing can do all this and much more, but you have to figure out what your business’s particular focus needs to be; otherwise your online marketing strategy will be a mess and not produce anything at all. Once you have the answers to all these questions, you’ll be on the pathway to social media success.