Social media is a powerful tool that marketers can utilize to reach consumers across the globe. However, many companies are unsure of how to properly execute a global social media strategy or are not even sure where to start! Read my step by step guide to how to execute your social media strategy below:
Clarify The Brand Message
Before you develop this content for your international social media strategy, you need to determine your brand personality in order to deliver a clarified brand message.
In all of your social media posts, the posts should be written in a consistent tone that aligns with the voice of your brand. No matter which voice you decide is the best fit for your brand, it is most important to keep the tone consistent in all of your social media posts. In creating the copy for your social media posts, strive to keep the wording clear and concise. The consumer who is viewing the post should be able to precisely identify what your product or service is and be able to distinguish the value in what you are trying to advertise. You may also need to translate the language of your posting and consider revising the messaging depending on what country you are trying to market to.
Gather The Assets
On social media, the best way to create a desire for your brand is through your content. Make sure that the photos and videos that you are choosing to post on social media specifically cater to the target demographic of the country you are promoting your product in. Make sure to thoroughly research the characteristics of your target country and what type of advertising is most effective in that country or market.
When forming your content, choose photos and videos that are interesting and attention-grabbing. For example on Instagram, the photos stream looks the most professional when the content follows a certain “theme”. whether it be by color scheme, composition, subject matter etc. Whether your company decides to hire photographers and videographers or take photos with your iPhone – make sure that you are delivering quality content that is consistent with your brand.
You can also choose to curate content by using stock photos, but be wary of this technique. Especially if you are trying to take your company global, it is vital to your social media marketing strategy to incorporate original content that specifically highlights your product or service.
Create Content Specific To Each Target Market
It is crucial to understand not only the demographic characteristics of your target audience but also to understand where your international customers are spending their time online. Are you targeting an adult audience who consumes their information on Facebook, college students who are on Instagram, or preteens who are on Snapchat?
Choosing the right social network to reach your target audience is critical to the success of your international social media marketing campaign. It is also important to determine what content resonates with your audience. Would your target demographic be more likely to read an informative blog post, or rather a 30-second video? This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should limit your social media campaign to one platform, however, it is beneficial to determine which platforms you should focus on over others and which platforms are most likely to deliver the best results.
Engage With Your Audience
Engaging with your international audience through social media is key to maintaining a strong and successful customer reputation management. Your business must present itself well to its customer, make them feel engaged, comfortable, and trust in the credibility of your company. Once your company has delivered its campaign on social media, keep up with the posts and engage with your audience directly on the post. See what people are saying and deliberate what the best feedback would be. Keep up with how many views or “likes” the posts are getting and compare it to either competing posts or other campaign posts your company has run in the past. You always want to improve with each campaign and make sure each new campaign is even more successful than the first.
I hope you find this helpful in creating your international social media strategy!