Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are excellent places to build a community, develop business leads and attract new clients. As a business owner, you want to set clear goals for yourself on your social media channels so that you make the most of your time and efforts there. You’ll also need to know how to measure your progress towards meeting those goals so that you can focus on what is working best for your business.
Setting and measuring goals keeps you organized, is the most budget-friendly way to work and gives you valuable feedback about your clients. If you haven’t been setting measurable goals and tracking the results of your social media efforts, now is the perfect time to start.
Success Is More Than Appointments and Money
A goal with a very clear beginning and end is often called a “campaign.” Social media marketing campaigns are carefully planned to help a business owner achieve their business goals through social media platforms. Different campaigns focus on different goals, which are as unique as your PMU business.
Not all campaigns are designed to drive immediate sales, though. Perhaps, you’re just starting out and your first steps need to be getting your name out there or building your reputation. If you’re not so new, your goal might be growing your following instead, knowing that a greater following will lead to more appointments.
Whatever your goal may be, it’s important to choose an accurate way to measure your progress towards the finish line. The number of bookings or your take-home pay may not tell the whole story.
Here’s how to get started.
Define Your Mission
No doubt you want to become a leading artist. But, achieving your dream can be a lot to take on at once. Instead, break it down into smaller, achievable goals that you can work on one step at a time.
When it comes to what you can achieve through social media, think of one goal you want to reach through your platforms, and use that to guide you in choosing what to focus on and how to measure it. For example, you might decide to focus on driving website traffic. Or, maybe you want to increase your engagement with your followers (who could turn into clients one day).
Because those two goals are different, you will need to measure your progress differently as well. You and your PMU marketing agency should clearly define goals that will help you grow your business.
Develop Ways for Measuring Your Goals
Goal-setting for social media advertising is the first step in a carefully planned social media campaign. The next step is to regularly measure the success of your efforts so that you know whether to keep doing what you’re doing or try something else.
To measure your campaign’s success, you and your PMU marketing agency will look at different metrics. Metrics refer to the “how” of measuring your goals. For example, how will you know when you’ve reached your goal to double the number of followers you have on social media? You’ll look at your followers today and compare it to the number of followers last week or last month. As with this example, you’ll have a metric, or measurement, for every goal.
Assess Your Success
Once you know the metrics you need for your goal, the next step is to find the right tools to help you measure (like choosing a ruler to help you measure length).
Some social media channels and third-party services like Google Analytics and Hootsuite provide that service or allow you to customize your own.
You have many options, so research carefully. If you need help understanding or deciding what would work best for you, consult a social media expert (like your beauty digital marketing agency).
Planning ahead and setting up your measuring tools before your campaign starts is ideal. Take the time to become familiar with how it works and what types of information it can provide you. Starting early also gives you more data to compare to from before your campaign.
Check Your Progress
Regularly check on your progress, even in the very beginning. Early data will help you see how far you’ve come and what to change in the future. Make this step a routine, whether you do it daily or weekly.
Make Improvements
Reconsider your goals and metrics every once in a while. Think about ways to improve your goal, speed up your progress or measure your growth.
Continue Learning
It’s important to keep in mind that regardless of the results of your campaign, it is still a win for you because it gives you and your beauty marketing agency insight and data about the habits and values of your audience.
As the famous inventor, Thomas Edison once wrote, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” With your goals set, you’re always working on laying the groundwork for bigger accomplishments in the future. Set those goals. Measure the successes of your efforts. Make changes. Repeat.