Ensuring that your social media marketing effort yields results requires a little forward planning. You can ensure a good foundation for success by building on the following formula:

defined goals + unique content + targeted media + promotion + measurement = success

Here's how the formula works in practice.

1. Define Your Social Media Goals

What do you want to achieve with social media? Be specific. Do you want to increase sales? Drive more traffic to your website? Grow your Facebook likes? Without clear goals in mind, you won't know how to measure your social media effectiveness.

2. Create Unique Content

Google loves unique content, so if you want some Google love, you need to create original, valuable, and interesting content on a regular basis. Here are some tips to help you.

  • Maintain an ideas file where you can easily access whenever inspiration strikes.
  • Keep your blog varied and interesting by using multi-media such as eye-catching graphics, videos, podcasts, and slideshow presentations.
  • Update your readers on the latest industry trends.
  • Design an infographic.
  • Write a how-to guide.
  • Challenge a popular belief.
  • Share interesting case studies.
  • Create a white paper.

3. Targeted Media

First identify your target market. Find the answers to basic demographic questions about your audience, whether they go online for research and what issues they are concerned with, alongside which communities inform or influence them and where they hang out online. Armed with this information you can now target your efforts accordingly. Most marketing efforts are focussed on the trifecta of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, but visual platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram are also extremely popular. This doesn't mean that you have to be everywhere at once. Not every healthcare brand belongs on Facebook, and putting effort into building an audience there will be wasted if your audience are predominately on another platform.

4. Promote Content

Use a variety of channels to share your content, being mindful of which social network matches your content best. Scheduling your social media updates allows you to share your content numerous times and hit multiple time zones. Try a tool like Buffer, which will also provide feedback on which content generated the most engagement, which in turn helps you plan your strategy even better.

5. Measure Your Efforts

To determine how effective your social media efforts are, you will need to measure your results. Measurement tools I recommend include Google Analytics (free), MOZ Analytics (free for 30 days) and KISS Metrics (free for 14 days). Some key metrics to track are the number of followers you attract and retain, what people are saying about you, your company, or brand, and which social media channels drive the most traffic to your website Social media metrics should always be tied to your social media marketing goals and your target audience.

This social media formula has proved successful for many marketers the world over. It sounds simple, but it does require a measure of diligence and persistence and some trial and error to make it work. Keep coming back to the formula and your efforts will always remain on track for success.