The struggle is real for social media leaders, managers, and teams. When people hear you work in social media, they often think it’s as simple as taking a photo or video and hitting “post.” But managing a brand on social media involves much more work than meets the eye. Social media plays a crucial role in brand discovery, reputation management, community building, and brand awareness and engagement. However, the social media industry still lacks the necessary resources, budget, and respect it truly deserves.
According to Sprout Social, 55% of consumers discover brands for the first time on social media. This highlights the importance of social media as a platform for consumers to search and discover new brands to follow. The relationship between brand and social media is symbiotic.
SociallyBuzz reports that 78% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase from a brand after a positive engagement on social media. Despite this, many struggle to prove the return on investment (ROI) of social media efforts to organizational leadership.
To address this challenge, we will outline steps to help you make a case for social media marketing, empower your social media teams, and ultimately demonstrate the ROI of your social media initiatives. It is important to conduct a thorough audit of your brand’s social channels before implementing these steps.
1. Discover your “why” as a social team
Successful teams are guided by a common vision or mission. Define your brand’s north star and then determine your social team’s “why.” Establish the team’s roles, responsibilities, boundaries, and processes for collaboration with other teams.
2. Create social KPI’s aligned with business objectives
Understand your company’s business objectives and develop social team KPIs that contribute to these goals. Focus on building relationships, customizing KPIs, testing and optimizing strategies, data storytelling, and marketing your wins internally.
3. Data Storytelling is Key
Utilize data-driven strategies to educate stakeholders and build brand reputation and loyalty. Tailor data presentations to leadership by highlighting concise, visually appealing, and business objective-focused metrics.
4. Stand in your Power as Social Experts
Embrace your expertise and empower your social team to be data-focused. Build strong relationships with senior leadership, involve them in decision-making processes, and communicate the importance of social media initiatives for the brand.
By following these steps, you can effectively demonstrate the ROI of social media to your organization’s decision-makers. For further assistance, consider reaching out to a strategist for guidance or scheduling a consultation to enhance your social media strategy.