Social Media Strategy Development for BEGINNERS!

Have you ever spent money to advertise your business, but lost it all? Maybe you wanted to sell a product, but it seemed like no one wanted to buy it? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Millions of advertising dollars are spent every year, but they don’t always have happy endings. Here are some things you’ll learn today to maximize your spending! ​

Key Takeaways

1. Why you might be advertising to people who don’t care,
   
2. How often your strategy should be optimized, and
   
3. How to maximize your targeting abilities.
   

📣 Advertise to YOUR Audience
Imagine this... It’s your first day of retirement, and you’re excited to finally have unlimited time to do your favorite things. Maybe you’re about to travel, golf, volunteer, etc. As you go to check your mail, you come across what looks like an advertisement that reads, “Get ready for back to school! 15% off all supplies”. As you sigh in disappointment, the flyer lands in its new home, the recycling bin. Does this story sound familiar to you? We have all been the recipients of poor ad targeting from time to time, but it doesn't have to be that way! 

When building your strategy, be sure to pay attention to who may be most likely to engage with your product or service. Instead of targeting retirees or using “blanket” direct mail, the flyer from above could have been sent to households with multiple family members under a certain age and within a school district, etc. Demographic information can be found just about anywhere through primary and secondary research. Create surveys, look up census data, and get creative!

⏳ Strategize Frequently 
If you haven't yet noticed, things change fairly quickly in the 21st century. Because information evolves so quickly (especially online), it’s critical to review your strategy at least once per week, if possible! Some weeks, your strategy may not need to change. Other weeks, your strategy may need to be revised, but it’s unlikely you will need to go for a complete change. Make sure to track metrics that let you know if your strategy is working! More on that here: https://youtu.be/LpJVNZmEkjI.

🎯 Maximize Your Targeting Capabilities
In order to have an effective strategy, it’s important to advertise to YOUR audience; however, not every channel allows you to do so. Campaigns using billboards, radio ads, or any other form of traditional advertising often make it difficult to be accurate in your efforts. Instead, opt for social media platforms or search engine programs that allow you to choose the type of demographic you want to target. For example, Facebook produces “lookalike” audiences to help you target the demographic you’re looking for! 

📄 In Conclusion
It only takes a few simple steps to develop your best advertising strategy yet. First, think about who your true audience is. Will they want your product, or do you just think they will? Make sure to check sources of information to build your target demographic. After you know who your target audience is, be sure to meet on a weekly basis to determine if the strategy is working. The best strategies are the ones that are flexible and follow the trends in association with who the target audience is. Lastly, be sure you are able to actually target! Use platforms or marketing plans that will enable you to reach the maximum number of your target audience. Lastly, track your results; what’s the point of a strategy if you can't see it working?
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📽️ Watch the Full Video on YouTube

Quotes

​“You could be a hotel, and every advertisement you do that's extremely profitable will not be the same strategy that works for a clothing company. Why? Because you're in a different target market and your customers have a different mindset”
Dick Polipnick

“If you’re working with an agency or hired someone in your company to do it for you who is not talking to you on at least a weekly basis about your strategy development and execution, then you’re doing it wrong.”
Dick Polipnick

“This process of stepping back to analyze results, analyze goals, what strategies are working, what strategies are not, etc… needs to be analyzed on a weekly basis, tweaking the strategy then executing it.”
Dick Polipnick
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“If you're spending thousands of dollars per day, there will be more data to analyze in order to adjust your strategy as you go.”
Dick Polipnick

About the Host

Dick Polipnick
Serial Entrepreneur, Founder and CEO of Online Growth Systems

Dick Polipnick is the Founder of Online Growth Systems, a media company that helps big-name brands turn their e-commerce businesses to profit and advises high-growth, venture-backed startups.
The National Federation of Independent Business named him a top "Young Entrepreneur of the Year", AdFed listed him on "32 Under 32", and he's been featured on and collaborated with Business.com, Nickelodeon Studios, World Wide Fund for Nature, Clean Energy Resource, and more.

In addition to being a speaker and an entrepreneur, Dick is the host of The Dick Polipnick Show- where he interviews top 1% achievers and creates digital content including blogs, videos, podcasts, and a newsletter called "The #Growther's Digest."
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LinkedIn
​Website
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Links Mentioned

Online Growth Systems
Dick Polipnick's Website
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