“We love Pinterest!” says a prospective client who wants to promote their business with social media marketing.

You prod further and discover that in their industry Pinterest would represent roughly 5 percent of all “likes” or even leads ….but they want you dedicate at least half of your time to it …

What can you do when you know upfront that a project will have little to no success but a client has their heart set on it?

Pivot them in the right direction by sharing best practices. Social media marketing can be an effective tool to promote your business, if executed well.

You should keep in mind the following when executing a campaign on a new or existing social media channel:

1. Are you using your existing channels effectively?

   If your company’s website hasn’t been updated or had a major refresh in a while, your efforts may be better focused there.

   (Generally, the majority of your leads (60-90%) will come via your website.)

2. Set campaign goals.

   Do you want to increase awareness? Generate more buzz?

3. What are the primary social media channels that your audience prefers?

   Don’t have the information? Don’t have data? Research it!

   If the supporting data and research clearly shows Facebook, don’t launch a campaign on Instagram.

4. Are you as consistent on social media as you are with other communication channels?

   Remember social media is only another platform.

   The voice and imagery must be consistent with the rest of your communications. That also means proofreading!

5. On a continuous basis, use social media data and analytics appropriately and in conjunction with other research.

   Is a post with an image performing well? Is this a fluke or is can this be replicated?

6. Measure.

   After each campaign measure quantitative and qualitative results.

   Love this? Connect with me, let’s create something great together!