Implementing a social media strategy can be difficult.

But with these 5 easy steps, getting it off the ground and maintaining a robust social media presence can be much easier.

It can certainly seem like the wild west out there, what with the seemingly random algorithm changes that social media sites like Facebook have made in recent years.

As a result, organic reach has been harder to come by, and businesses have every right to feel like they’ve been held hostage.

If you’re just getting started or if you’ve been dipping your toes into the social media world for a while but haven’t made any impact there yet, don’t worry. It is still wide open to everyone.

These 5 strategies will help get you up to speed as you grow your social media strategy and presence.

Pick One Social Media Platform

While it may seem tempting to sign up for all of the social media platforms out there, it’s probably wise to stick with one or two, at least at the beginning.

Each of the platforms requires different types of content and if you’re trying to pick just the right kind of content for each of them, it will drive you crazy. So, choose one or two and move on.

Also, keep in mind that there are different types of people using each of them.

Facebook is still, however, the most popular social media network out there.

It’s probably best to master one platform before you move on to another.

If you’re in the B2C space, Facebook is definitely the place to have a presence. For those in the B2B space, LinkedIn seems to be a good bet, especially in recent years as its daily feed is looking more like other social media platforms. There is one major difference, however.  The content is almost entirely focused on networking and business matters, with most users staying away from the controversial content that has plagued Facebook.

In the end, however, it really depends on where your audience is hanging out.

Create a Buyer Persona

The content you create to gain followers on social media is important in that it must attract the right people, your ideal customers.

If you’re not 100 percent sure who they might be, it’s a good idea to complete the Customer Avatar Worksheet, which can be accessed here. Print it out and jot down a few answers in the spaces provided in the worksheet.

The idea is to develop a profile of your ideal customer, crafting the right marketing messages that will attract them to your business. You may, however, need to create several personas so that you can accurately reach different customers in the hopes of eventually selling to all of them.

The exercise is also a good way to rethink your current customers and what they mean to you.

What type of people are they? Why do they buy your products and/or services? What problems do they typically experience and how have you solved them?

Incorporate Video into your Social Media Strategy

There has been an increasing shift toward visual content over the past few years, which makes video an integral part of any social media strategy.

In a 2015 article, Facebook reported that video posts per person had increased 75 percent globally and by 94 percent in the U.S. alone. I’m sure those numbers are much higher today.

The trend among users is to watch, not necessarily read content. Watching is more entertaining and can be consumed passively. Reading takes more effort.

If you choose to post videos, they should be relevant to the audience they are being promoted to. Facebook suggests that shorter, timely video content will do better in a news feed. Remember that auto-play videos play silently until a user turns on the sound. If the visuals are attractive, that will catch the attention of most Facebook users.

There’s no need to hire a huge production team to make your own video content. Hiring a professional can have its benefits, especially when creating brand videos, which are typically created as part of a company’s larger advertising campaign.

If you’re on a tight budget, PowToon is a great option. You can choose from their many templates and then make it your own.

Demo videos can be great for showing potential customers how your product or business works. If you’re a personal chef, why not do a quick video on creating a popular recipe, or if you’re a make-up artist, why not make a quick tutorial?

Another type of video you might want to consider is the animated video. If budget is a consideration, try out Animoto’s free video-creation service.

With animated videos, you can create short, fun clips that are guaranteed to entertain. All that’s needed is a script and the ability to successfully incorporate Animoto’s features to create the finished product.

If you truly want to surpass your competition, you’ll need to think outside of the box like Northern Ireland’s number voiceover artist Aaron Watson. For the past year, Watson has used LinkedIn exclusively to plug his business by shooting short, quirky videos that authentically promote his voice over business.

While the video below illustrates Watson’s professional work, you’ll have to follow him on LinkedIn to get a flavor for his daily promotions.

Watson says he generates about four new business deals a month through his video promotions.

“The videos on this platform for me, personally, have absolutely blown my business out of the water,” he says. “And it’s not just once-off business either.”

Watson says that in addition to making the almost daily videos, he is also intent on building solid relationships with potential clients.

“Just from using this platform, I get stopped most weeks in Belfast by people I don’t even know because of my video content,” Watson adds. In the past year, he has been interviewed on a podcast and been invited to speak at events, evidence that video promotion really does work.

Plan your Content Wisely

A mistake that many businesses make is posting the same content to different platforms. As mentioned above, every platform is different and it’s not wise to duplicate.

If you’re only using one platform, like Facebook, then it’s much easier to complete this task.

Think like a magazine when creating content for your Facebook page. Publications, in general, are good at long-term editorial planning, which is often geared around a specific theme or season.

Here is an example of an editorial calendar, courtesy of Hootsuite.

Evernote is another great organizational tool, as is Trello, which is useful when working collaboratively.

There are, however, a few tactics that you can implement to get your creative juices flowing.

Photos are always great to share on one’s social media page if they relate to your product or service. But you’ll need to be posting more than just that.

If you have a blog, you can manually post updates to your social media page or set them up automatically to appear when a new post is published.

Running competitions and eliciting interest through surveys is always a great way to gain attention. Re-sharing someone else’s content is also appropriate as it helps relationship-building with other brands, and it shows that you are interested in giving your followers useful information.

Lastly, Google Alerts is my favorite way of finding shareable content. Just create an alert for whatever makes most sense for your business and Google will send you the appropriate alerts when they become available.

Return on Investment

Measurement is key when it comes to social media. Don’t expect everything to go beautifully all the time. What’s attracting followers now might not work in six months.

That’s why it’s important to mix things up.

Make it a habit of checking the analytics results associated with the social media platform you’re on. If that’s Facebook, you’ll get pretty frequent updates from Facebook on what posts are doing well, and based upon the overall results, you’ll get a good idea as to what’s doing well and what isn’t.

Becoming successful on social media and seeing the monetary results takes time. Engaging in real conversations and avoiding the hard sell are surefire ways to success.

Let me know what strategies have worked for you. And don’t forget to sign up for my regular e-newsletter to get more marketing tips like these.