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SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING PLAN 2020 –  IKEA THEMED!

 

Welcome to our Ikea themed Social Media Marketing Plan, It’s true, we’ve all been there. Stood helplessly over a pile of fixtures and fittings, ten minutes into an argument, hoping for divine intervention to magically put up our flat-pack furniture. From bookcases with the names of elderly gentlemen to fancy Scandinavian abbreviations, building furniture really is one of the most hated jobs within the home, but building your companies online furniture; the fixtures and fittings that everyone out there inspects daily, really doesn’t have to be so taxing.

Breathe and grab a brew, because here at Create8 our instructions are going to be much more concise, include no fancy terminology or jargon and will offer all the social media marketing first-timers and those who have been around a little longer, insight into how to truly perfect your online presence.

Looking to get straight to the point…👇

Click our quick links below

social media guide 2020 ikea picture

The first question is inevitable, where do you start? 🤔

Well… when it comes to social media marketing, our opening advice would always be to establish what makes you and your company tick, what makes the wheels go round at HQ and why are you the best at what you do? Would you just throw up furniture in your living room without working out whether it fits? No! Your profile says a lot about you before a potential customer has made any actual contact, keep things clean, tidy and informative. Messiness will not be tolerated!

What would you like to achieve? 🎯

OK, you’ve worked out what it is that sets you apart and how you want to be portrayed, so our next question is… What are you looking to achieve? Beyond sales, what are you actually looking to achieve? Will you be using social media marketing to source staff? Or to outsource work? Will you be purely selling, or will you be buying too? Will you be using social media as a business CV or will you be looking to catch the public eye and build-up your brand recognition? These are such vital questions as every social media platform has differing strengths and weaknesses, knowing where and when to post certain information, and what you should be looking to achieve across each platform is paramount. For example, with Twitter you should be focussing on interaction with other companies, whereas on Facebook your profile should read specifically as if you want a potential customer to know the vital information about your company, opening times, contact numbers etc.

Where is everybody? 👋

Starting with questions seems obvious to some, but in our experience, it is the companies who have leapt into the ocean of social media without the necessary forethought who have needed a complete overhaul once they’ve realised their online issues. Planning is a necessity when setting up your business, and building your social media presence should be no different. As technology continues to flourish and more and more of us find happiness working for ourselves, we can’t stress the vitality of allowing us to help you build your online furniture. There’s nothing we would like more than for you to be comfortable enough to invite your prospects into your digital business, allow them to wander around and hear what you have to say through the content you produce.

social media guide 2020 do and dont

The social media do’s and the do not’s!

With every good instruction manual comes a list of the things you need, the tools that will annoyingly not be included, that specific tiny screw driver that you don’t actually own. Well in the case of social media your tools are your imagination and creativity, so what are the dos and don’ts for this?

Do

  1. Be you. You are your own most valuable asset and there is no better place to let this be known than online. Potential customers want to see that there is an actual human being behind your eye-catching logo and branding. Offer an insight into the day to day running of your business, snippets of your staff and a look into your thought processes in relation to your industry.
  2. THINK! Often overlooked, but please, think before you post. The internet is an incredibly fickle place and mistakes are very rarely forgotten. So be tactful in your interaction and remember this also counts for your personal feeds because as mentioned above you are your own best asset. Try not to engage in arguments on socially debatable subjects.
  3. Know your Audience. Hopefully you know your audience better than anyone else, so tailor your content for those people, don’t be concerned with those who aren’t interested in what you do, and ALWAYS write for those who do. Avoid being overly formal and leave jargon for those who understand it.
  4. Be realistic. Your expectations of social media should never eclipse what is actually possible. Just because you’re around doesn’t mean you’ll immediately make sales. Progress will certainly be noticed over time but it’s impossible to put an actual scale on this, so stick with it and keep on posting and producing great content.

Do not

  1. Use a chatbot. There is undoubtedly a time and a place for one of the quickest growing and most time-saving technological advances in business. But social media is not that place, although the facebook messenger initial chatbot can be useful – if you are able to have a member of staff constantly monitoring your social media then go ahead! People want to feel valued and often a robotic reply to a question can feel impersonal.
  2. Engage. Don’t engage with hate, spam or anything that seems like it has come from an internet troll. There is only ever one winner and it is always the person who has nothing to lose. That being said, it is vital to differentiate between real criticism and a troll. Criticisms of yourself or your business should be addressed with honesty and integrity. As far as engagement is concerned, it’s also important that you don’t ignore your followers, it will build-up an undercurrent of unhappiness, and we want smiling faces.
  3. Spread yourself too thin! Being noticed on every social media platform is not only unnecessary, it’s also very difficult to maintain. Finding the best social media platforms for your business and making sure you target those correctly will offer much more long-term value.
  4. Forget to proofread. A sure-fire way to alienate potential customers is by posting content that doesn’t make sense.
  5. Concentrate on the competition. In business, competition is healthy. However, it’s vital to remember not everything you see on social media is accurate, and not everyone will be following this fantastic social media marketing plan like you are! Take things with a pinch of salt, you won’t grow into the best you that you can be if you are constantly concentrating on someone else’s shadow.

So…with your creativity and inventiveness as your tools and this list of tips on how to avoid negating the brilliant prospects that social media can bring to your business. You have now read up on all the parts and pieces you have and will need, so let’s start to put together the furniture!

🏁 Looking for help with your social media marketing click here to start a project

 

How to make Social Media Content

Ok, this seems a little back-to-front but before we put the furniture together we are going to look at the content that will fill the shelves afterwards. So, all those books that we’ve never read can sit perfectly next to the collection of cacti and oddments we’ve picked up on our travels.

It’s no secret that any successful social media presence is wholly based around the content they produce and post. From riveting imagery to creative blogs it’s vital that your business stays ahead of the competition and catches the eye as frequently as possible.

1. So how do I do it? 💭

As we keep mentioning, the only door between your business and social media dominance is your creativity. Thinking outside the box is heralded when it comes to producing great content and offering something different from those around you will always help you stand out from the crowd.

2. Plan before you do 🗓️

Social media content plans are very much the here and now, with external agencies offering their know-how in fully packaged monthly plans. A content plan simply highlights the suggested posts for the coming month and should include relevant information in relation to each post. For example, what hashtags will be used and what time the post will go live.

An agency will be willing to upload the posts on your behalf and also micromanage your social media marketing as a whole. So…why not do it yourself? Simply think in advance, highlight certain products or services at specific times of the month and do this across all your feeds. Use a simple table layout, and then once you’re happy we would recommend using a scheduling system in order to make sure each post gets sent out at the right time of day.

🚨 Helpful tips for planning your social media

Social Media Guide 2020 Scheduling

3. Create or get Imagery / video that stands out 📷

As we all have less time on our hands images have rapidly become the generation’s favourite online content. But what is it that makes an image successful? We’ll go into the specifics for using different images on various platforms further into the guid. So for now, let’s focus on the obvious; the masses want to see something that they don’t see everyday! If your business has a new product, show the world, if you are offering a new service, show the world! Brighter, more aesthetically pleasing images always seem to outperform badly taken photos, and although we would never suggest deceiving any potential customers, making sure your lighting and exposure are perfect will produce a better photograph.

Keep your profile consistent, if you’re producing brighter and sharper images, focusing on green or blue hues then try to keep this consistency throughout your profile. Also, keep in mind, people don’t want to see you enjoying cocktails on a beach or your fancy new car. Keep your business profile strictly for those who follow it and put your brilliant products front and centre.

🚨 Helpful tips for creating great imagery

Colourful Social Media Guide 2020 Images

4. Write Blogs ✍️

When it comes to written content, it is difficult to fully stress the importance of producing relevant and memorable content. Blogs are one of the best features for driving traffic towards your website and so if you are able to offer information to your potential customers that your rivals are not then you immediately stand-out from the crowd! Blogs are also fantastic when it comes to ticking those very valuable SEO checkboxes, so carefully tailor to your audience, be creative, helpful and do something different.

Blog content shares particularly well across Facebook and Twitter, but it can also be linked in with fantastic imagery on apps like Instagram – just make sure you change the link in your bio so customers can get to the blog easily if they want to. As a business, you should establish your voice and decide on what sort of information you are going to specialise in. If writing isn’t something you are particularly skilled with there are lots of fantastic copywriters out there who will be more than willing to offer their services. 

🚨 Helpful Blog Tips: 

Writing the perfect blog

5. Learn while you do💡

One of the most important parts of producing content are the lessons you learn along the way. All businesses need to find their feet, so if you are stressed about your engagement or whether people are valuing what you post, don’t worry…everyone has been there.

In the first few months, you will start to understand your audience. What type of images do they want to see? What time of the day do they want to hear from you? Most importantly, have you managed to convert any of them into customers? For all businesses in their infancy, social media is a must and creating content that makes people want to buy from you cis one of the most important steps in early growth.

Now you know what you need and you have the tools and knowledge to do so it’s time that we break each social media down and show you, the good, the bad and the ugly of putting it all together.

🚨 Helpful tips for Learning 

  • Take a look at the analytics of your social platform and see how they did compared to other posts.
  • Start understanding your audience by experimenting with different types of content, that might motivational posts, tips, tricks, data, your work or just nice bold imagery.
  • Try posting some behind the scene shots of your business or product, people love to see how things are being made.

🏁 Looking for help with your social media marketing click here to start a project

 

Facebook – The Billy Bookcase of Social Media Marketing

1.62 billion users visit Facebook daily

Your online home is pretty bare, where do we start? Let’s begin our race to a fully furnished home with the Billy Bookcase of social media.

“But, I thought facebook is more for my personal stuff, friends, party invites…”

Well, no! Start your ascent to the top of the social media ladder with Facebook, and there are countless reasons why. First of all, there are lots of people who think this way; and so there are plenty of businesses missing out, and as a result countless people are waiting for your business to be waved in their face, brilliant!

1. Creating your Business Pages 🖥️

You have the option to build a Facebook Page for your company. It allows you to create a buzz around your business and build that much-needed brand recognition. Posts can be limited to you and you alone, so go ahead and promote your brilliant content to all those who are genuinely interested in your business. Authenticity is vital when running your page, so make sure the values expressed mirror that of the company, no one wants to buy vegan products from someone who shows off the plush leather seats in their car.

Your Facebook page is essentially another website, it’s the face of your company! People are going to look you up online and on Facebook to see if you’re real, active (posting recently) and to potentially read any reviews you may have. Make sure you spend just a long perfecting your page as you would on your website, it may be the first thing a customer sees.

🚨 Facebook Business Page helpful tips

  • Try and use everything given to you, how about trying out Facebook live or Facebook Stories.
  • Invite all your friends to your page, you can do this by going to your Facebook Business Page, scroll across the top to the right, go to Community, click invite friends, click all and then wait 10-15 seconds for your friends to be invited.
  • Make sure to fill in all the information to promote your business.

setting up facebook page social media guide 2020

2. Using Facebook Advertising 🔈

Honestly, this could have a chapter all of its own! When it comes to hitting your customer demographic, no one has got it quite as perfected as Facebook. Their marketing platform is vital, especially if you operate on a smaller scale. As a business, you can use facebook adverts in several different ways; you can target people who are interested in similar companies, maybe people who work in the same industry, or the people who are interested in reading a particular magazine; think this through and learn to use the platform.

The most important thing we would say about this integral part of your online furniture is that you use every tool at your disposal to fully support what your business does best. So, if you are currently selling holidays at a discounted rate, put your best price or best location on your facebook ad, allow it to work hand-in-hand with the landing page you are sending those potential customers to.

Facebook will inform you when you are setting up the advert itself, that it should be limited on text, no more than twenty percent text or facebook will decline your ad in its infancy, and if that happens on a prime selling day, you’ve just lost sales! Bright, bold imagery with short or no text is a good start.

📏 Facebook Sizing 2020

  • Feed (Video and Image): 1200px x 1200px – Alternative: 1080px x 1350px if you want it larger.
  • Stories (Video and Image): 1080px x 1920px
  • Profile Picture (Image): 720px x 720px
  • Cover Photo (Image and Video): 820px x 312px – Video can be a maximum of 90 seconds long.
  • *New* Theme Event Photo: 1336px x 700px
  • Previous Theme: 1000px x 524px
  • Group Photo: 640px x 334px
  • Sharing Link Image: 1200px x 630px

🚨 Facebook Advertising helpful tips

  • In most industries videos tend to work better than static images, use this to your advantage!
  • Make sure you get the Facebook Pixel installed on your website as soon as possible.
  • Tell a story, don’t just try and sell, sell, sell.
  • Facebook usually says you can only have 20% text, check with the online 20% checker. 

Facebook Advertising Guide

3. Service With a Smile 😊

Facebook is a personal platform, if you can, don’t use the built-in bot to reply to Facebook messages. Although it’s a brilliant technological advancement, it isn’t for you, trust us. Connect Facebook to your phone, make sure your notifications are turned on, and reply as promptly and honestly as you can. A potential customer can spot an automated reply a mile away, so be you and keep smiling; and remember, it’s easy to sense tone and emotion from the way you word your replies.

There we have it, Billy Bookcase is up! You have your books (content) so they can go on the shelves. Maybe add the odd curveball in between all that brilliant content, throw a plant on the bookcase, maybe throw a giveaway on your facebook page?

🚨 Facebook Resources

🏁 Looking for help with your social media marketing plan click here to start a project

 

 

Instagram – The Pastel Suede Sofa of Social Media Marketing

Over 500 Million Users Daily

Instagram really has become a rite of passage for all businesses when it comes to innovating your social media standing. ‘Insta’ as the cool kids call or it, or ‘the gram’ as the even cooler ones do, is without a doubt the most important platform when it comes to highlighting your products in all of their glory. So when it comes to your living space we would say it’s that redesigned, pastel pink sofa; and the assembly booklet comes with more instructions than any other. If you get this wrong, there’s nowhere to sit, and if people don’t feel comfortable, are they ever going to buy?

1. Handle With Care 👍

Your handle or name on Instagram is the perfect place to start. Don’t just jump into the commitment without thinking it through! Check the platform for similar-sounding handles and make sure they aren’t going to steal any of those vital customers from you. We would also suggest aligning it with your name on facebook and twitter, so check all three to make sure what you want is available throughout.

People who want to tag your business in their posts will need to get your handle right time after time so if possible make it easy, if not easy, make it memorable!

setting up social media name social media guide 2020

2. Looking at the Numbers 🔢

Social media is a numbers game, and Instagram is the leader when it comes to those significant digits. Did you know there are over 500 million daily users? And over one-third of the total active users have used the platform to buy a product online.

The beauty of Instagram is its simplicity. So, don’t overcomplicate things. Grab your camera, take great shots or videos of your product and let Instagram do its thing.

social media analytics

3. Pick The Correct Profile Type 🏢

Instagram is home to both personal and business profiles. Make sure you have set up a business profile as it offers a whole new world of marketing and industry-related options, such as a call to action button for potential customers. Don’t panic, you can change your profile to be a business one after you’ve made it!

4. Learn Your Hashtags #️⃣

You might ask ‘why do people put so many hashtags?” The simple truth is that in most cases, less is more, but the reason behind the hashtag is to reach more people. For example, if you #wanderlust, anyone who searches or follows this hashtag or frequently likes pictures that include that specific tag is more likely to see your post. So investigate your competitors and find the most successful tags in your market-place; you don’t want to get left behind.

🚨 Tips on learning your Hashtags 

  • Do your research, have a look at different Instagram accounts that are similar to yours that are doing well.
  • Go online and look at the most used Hashtags.
  • If you’re looking for more local searches, include local Hashtags into your post.
  • Don’t use over 30 hashtags, some people even think that looks spammy!

5. Paint your product 🎨

Let’s be honest, before Instagram; we were all caught up with blog posts and in-depth informational reads. Post-Instagram we are all for mind blowing creativity, whether it’s a great picture of the food you serve or the products you make. It’s vital your business sells to the insta-savvy, tap into the aesthetic generation in any way you can, by making your product look unbelievably good.

Make the most of interactive posts, ask questions on your story using the stickers available and encourage people to buy into your dream.

taking photographs for social media

6. Influenced by influencers 🤳

How can your business benefit from influencers? It’s important not to get caught up in any political debates when it comes to the influencer job role. If you reach more people, you could increase your brand awareness, potential customers and hopefully sales. If an influencer has a track record of their posts leading to sales for the products they promote, then get yourself involved.

If your business is to see the influencer success that brands like Pretty Little Thing have had, you’ll need to bring in some experts who know what and where you need to invest. So don’t be afraid of reaching out.

🚨 Tips on finding the right influencer

  • Research into who your followers are following.
  • Once you’ve found out who’s popular within your niche, send them a message.
  • The influencer will usually come back with some kind of fee or agreement to sell your product or promote your business.

7. Use User-Generated Content 🌎

One of the most important types of content on Instagram is User-Generated Content (UGC). UGC is pictures or videos that have been posted by your customers. Instagram is absolutely brilliant for customers to talk about your product and give it the clout it deserves. UGC is another reason your handle is so important; you want your customers to be able to easily mention you in their post. Always reach out once they have, thank them for their custom and enquire about using their photo in your marketing campaigns. Engaging with this will encourage others to create UGC for you, and then you’re really onto something.

There we have it, a lovely sofa all ready for your business to invite customers in and make them want to stay around.

📏 Instagram Sizing 2020

  • Feed (Video and Image): 1200px x 1200px
  • Stories (Video and Image): 1080px x 1920px
  • Profile Picture (Image): 720px x 720px

🚨 Instagram Resources

🏁 Looking for help with your social media click here to start a project

 

 

Twitter – The TV Stand of Social Media

Over 145 Million Daily Twitter Users

Twitter is knowledge. As a platform, most of Twitter’s users are around for the latest news and discoveries from across the online world, this is why it’s your trusty TV stand. So, why not throw your business into the mix? Where Facebook and Instagram rely on structure and measured posts, Twitter is all about instinct and reactions, for business it can be absolutely brilliant.

1. Why Twitter? 💭

Well, in terms of brand interaction, Twitter is the best online social platform. It’s short and snappy character limit means less of the needless rants and more constraints on your content to be as innovative as possible. Conversations between brands often dominate the platform, but be aware, if you can’t think on your feet, don’t get involved with the banter of those savvy social media managers.

2. Attempting to go Viral 🌏

When it comes to something going viral and really getting your business that much-needed brand awareness, there is no platform quite like twitter. Twitter’s easy to retweet mentality means if your company puts something genius out there the likelihood of it getting seen multiplies tenfold. Most of the viral content that you come across on other platforms will have originated on Twitter, which means if it’s getting your company into the limelight…do NOT neglect Twitter!

We found this video very interesting..

3. Support your supporters ⚖️

Twitter could be the best platform when it comes to knowing your customers. Introducing a fully operative social media presence within your business brings you out of the shadows and right into the eye line of potential customers. This can be hazardous if you’re not careful, no customer wants to see the company supporting something they don’t. However, when used correctly, Twitter puts you right in the living room of all of those prospects.

The beauty of the online relationship you can form with your customers is that it works both ways. Yes, being responsive allows you to deal with any criticism or questions you may receive, but if used correctly, Twitter will also offer you that much-needed customer insight. To make the most of Twitter, you will undoubtedly need to pick out a set of hashtags that are relevant to your industry and product. Twitters ‘open’ nature allows anyone to search through every mention of these tags; therefore, you will be able to see what people are saying and why they are saying it. Do they want someone in your industry to make their product more pocket-friendly or do they want it even bigger? Do they think the packaging is clunky and over the top, or is it sleek and chic? Get out there, get searching and find out.

🚨 Tips on supporting other users on Twitter

  • Interact with other users, tell people how well they are doing!
  • Retweet other users tweets if you think it will benefit your following.
  • React to trends and put your spin on it, but be careful that you’re not being offensive.

Retweeting Social Media Guide 2020

4. The Crowds Are Engaged 💬

There are over 300 million active users on Twitter, and one of the most brilliant figures when it comes to Twitter users. Around 45% of the people who visit a Twitter profile then visit the website attached to that profile. Basically, due to the character limit, the people of Twitter want to see and hear more about your brand.

So our advice would be set up your twitter profile, make it as informative as possible and be certain to include as many links to your website as possible without making it too pushy. We’ve spoken about great content already, engage your brain and get going!

📏 Twitter Sizing 2020

  • Feed Video: 1044px x 588px
  • Feed Image: 1040px x 584px
  • Profile Picture (Image): 720px x 720px
  • Cover Photo (Image): 1200px x 400px
  • Sharing Link Image: 1200px x 630px

🚨 Twitter Resources

🏁 Looking for help with your social media click here to start a project

 

LinkedIn – The Accessories for your room

Over 260 Million Monthly Users

Now that you’ve got all your furniture in place, it’s time to find the accessories to match! Pick up some pencil pots, a laptop stand and a new desk chair, we’re looking at LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is all about connections, showing you know what you’re talking about and developing your personal brand, which can potentially bring sales into your company. Its unique selling point was originally all about finding jobs, but it’s quickly become a go to place for business people alike. I mean, you get quite a lot of gloating and opinionated people, but that’s the nature of LinkedIn. Show off what you know… but don’t be an idiot! 

1. Why LinkedIn? 💭

Have you ever been to a networking event where you’re sat there, nobody is communicating much and you think, what was the point of this? Well, LinkedIn is kind of the opposite, everybody is connecting and talking, it’s the perfect online networking platform, whether that’s to grow sales, recruit new team members or just getting business advice. One thing I would advise though, try to stay out of the big online debates, if you don’t know the information to back yourself up, LinkedIn members, like most social media platforms, can be savage.

2. Using it for Recruiting 👔

LinkedIn has over 660 million users, it’s the perfect place to find professionals who are looking for new roles, take a look around and find the perfect member for your team. It’s also a great place to find partners for your business who can help you grow further. You can find more information on Linked in Recruiting here. 

🚨 Tips on LinkedIn Recruiting 

  • Do not use a copy and paste templated message to everybody, it’s annoying!
  • Do your research on the type of person you would like to recruit.
  • Target the person you would like to recruit by starting a conversation.
  • Blog Post: Is LinkedIn right for your business?

 

3. Growing your Network ⚙️

People buy from people, right? Being a helping hand, giving tips to other businesses on LinkedIn can boost your network and improve your personal brand. When your services are then needed by the companies you’ve helped and advised, you will more likely be top of their list.

🚨 Tips on growing your Linked In network

  • Connect with people in your industry and start a genuine conversion.
  • Interact with other people and help them out when possible.
  • Join LinkedIn Groups and become part of a community.
  • Start conversations, by posting interesting topics.

Linked In Guide 2020

4. Finding who you need to target 🧭

Getting your marketing into the right persons hand is essential, why not use LinkedIn to source who you need to be targeting, send them a connection, start a conversation and grow a relationship with that person before throwing a load of sales down their throat?

📏 Linked In Sizing 2020

  • Feed Video: 1200px x 1200px
  • Feed Image: 1200px x 1200px
  • Profile Picture (Image): 640px x 640px
  • Business Cover Photo: 1128px x 191px
  • Personal Cover Photo: 792px x 198px

🚨 Linked In Resources

🏁 Looking for help with your social media click here to start a project

Your Room, maintaining your social media 

Everything is now in place, it’s all matching up. It’s time to sit down on your newly built sofa and relax.. nope! It’s now time to maintain all the furniture and bits and bobs you’ve built. Keep building ideas and making sure they last! We’ve put our top tips for maintaining your furniture below.

  • Keep Organised – Download something like Trello to make sure you know where you’re up today-to-day, it’s like a great big to do list!
  • Schedules – Have you ever seen those robot vacuums that clean around your house for you? If not, take a look! Utilise a similar way of automated working with platforms like Hootsuite and Buffer.
  • Keep Learning – Things change, new trends come into play and you may want to switch a few things around, keep an eye on Our Voice for handy tips! 
  • Research – Explore even further than this post, take a look at this more in depth social media advertising guide for Facebook and Instagram. And we would highly recommend learning about Facebook Pixels too.
  • Keep Up – Like everything, trends come and go, make sure you’re looking at trending topics often to think of new ways to create content.
  • Looking for Royalty Free Photographs to use on your Social Media, try Pixabay, Unsplash or Pexels.

⚠️ We are looking to add more points to this blog post about Youtube, Snapchat, What’s App, Tik Tok & more, so keep coming back!

How did you find our Social Media Marketing Plan, make sure to give it a share!

conclusion to guide

 

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