The number of social media users worldwide in 2019 is 3.484
billion, up by 9% year-on-year.  People
around the world use one or multiple social channels. With Social Media evolving-by-the-second,
you need unique skill sets to fully understand and reach out to your
audience.   So whether you are an
entrepreneur or an established business, here are 10 social media strategies
you absolutely need to implement, to get started and succeed;

1. Choose the right networks

With a horde of social networks out there, how can you zero in on the right ones?  Experts advise joining four of the most popular ones depending on your audience, geographical location and most importantly your objectives.  Here’s some information you may find handy:

Facebook: Is the largest platform with 2+ billion active monthly users.  It is ideal for businesses that want to generate leads and build relationships.
Instagram: With 500 million users that browse this app every day, Instagram is home to some of the most engaged audiences around the world.
Linkedin: This business networking platform is good for both B2B and B2C businesses to create trust, build authority and engage audiences.
Twitter: Perfect for businesses with an audience under 50 years of age and those who are time-sensitive.
Snapchat: This is one of the fastest-growing social networking sites.  Businesses can leverage it by offering promotions, providing personalized content, exclusive access and building relationships with influencers to drive brand recognition.

2. Set your goal

There is a lot you can accomplish with social media e.g. customer service, customer engagement, lead generation, driving sales, increasing web traffic, gaining valuable insights and feedback, etc.  But in order to achieve these with a reasonable measure of success, you need to have a goal in mind and a strategy to achieve it.  For example, your techniques for driving sales will be different than your approach to gaining customer insights or feedback.  So it is imperative to know what you wish to accomplish.

3. Strategize

Once your goal is set for social media marketing agency presence, you now have to work on a plan that will get you there!  Start by putting together your social media team and assigning each member with their dedicated responsibilities.  Create your content calendar and plan the frequency of your posts.  Bear in mind who your audience is, what topics and subjects they are interested in, what content you already have and that which needs to be created and what platforms will you publish it on.

4. Create quality content

It is critical to know your audience if you want to succeed with social media engagement.  The interests and needs of your audience will determine the course of your content and engagement.  Irrespective of who your audience is, make sure the content you share is always of high quality, personalized and relevant.  Videos, captivating imagery and other high-quality visual content are most popular among all demographics and audiences. 

• Create your online personality
  It is very important to humanize your brand by giving it a tone-of-voice.  It describes how your brand communicates with the audience, it influences their perception of you, your personality and values.  Having a tone of voice helps you build connections with your audience. 
• Audience engagement
  The key to social media success is “engagement”. That is what social media was meant to do – Connect and engage with people!  Hence, make sure to engage with your audience by replying to their comments, starting and participating in conversations that best suit your brand/audience, sharing relevant information/news, addressing complaints and criticism with sincerity and wit and last but not the least, always being appreciative of your audience/customer’s interaction with you.

• Maintain consistent presence
  It takes time and patience to cultivate and retain a reliable presence on social media.  Using the right automation tools readily available, you can minimize the time required for social media posting.  But be sure to monitor your channels and respond promptly to queries, complaints, and conversations

• Use brand advocates
  your
  best promotional tools are the people who love your brand.  While you are focusing on finding new
  customers, don’t forget to leverage the existing ones. Testimonials from
  existing customers make for a great post! 
  Another great way is to appreciate loyal customers who consistently
  engage with you on one or multiple social channels

• Cross-channel campaigns
  Engage further with your customers by running cross-channel campaigns across all social media platforms you are using.  To make yourself heard over the noise and clutter, add an emotional component to your social media campaigns wherein your audience relates with you.  Tell an engaging story, link back to a specific landing page that will allow your audience to get more information on your campaign, create a unique and memorable title coupled with relevant hashtags.

Go live!
You can go live with your audience in real-time.  Facebook, Instagram & Snapchat, among other platforms, have live-streaming features allowing you to share your stories live with your audience!  Take them on a journey of your company in real-time, show them you are more than just a money-making business.  Engage and inspire them by creating shareable and memorable content.