Traffic doesn’t just happen. It takes a lot of focused activity and hard work to generate consistently high traffic to your website or other social media platforms. However, to make this job both more accessible and more targeted, you need to take a step back and start from a more strategic place than the day-to-day numbers.
The best way to think about your traffic is your overall vision for your organization’s social media marketing. Your bigger vision is what holds everything you do in your company together. It is the cement between the various bricks that build your business. You must have a specific vision for your social media marketing to get the greatest return on your traffic-generating endeavors.
This subdivision, which will, by definition, be connected to your overall company vision, will help you define specific sub-level goals for your traffic-generating activities that work towards your central company vision.
Often, businesses skip on visioning because they feel that it is a glib, pie-in-the-sky statement that won’t provide any tangible benefits to the business. However, when visions are put together correctly, they can be the catalyst that shifts you from just another company in your niche to one of the thought changers or brand leaders in your industry.
For example, “a computer on every desk in every home.” Microsoft’s initial vision statement spearheaded the company to global success.
A clear social media marketing vision will help to create a mental picture of what you are trying to achieve so that your team will be focused highly motivated, energized, and inspired to achieve it. The social media marketing vision statement should:
- Be straightforward to understand.
- State the standard of excellence you aim to achieve with your social media.
- Inspire commitment and enthusiasm to using social media in your organization.
- Make clear the direction and purpose of your social media marketing.
- Force you to step outside your comfort zone to where the magic happens by being ambitious and thinking outside the box.
- Be generated in collaboration with your customers.
The common denominator for companies that are successful at using social media is the ability to deliver a superior experience—an experience that is so rewarding for the user that they are compelled to share it with others.
This type of interactive communication is not born of product specification. It results from a company’s vision beyond simply the efficient working of the parts. Imagine, for example, that your vision for your social media is to provide honest, transparent, two-way communication channels.
How you deliver this will be completely different from a company with no clear vision and a target to increase traffic by x% in the next 3 months. The first is a vision driven by the customer experience, while the second is based on an outcome for the company.
So why is the former better for traffic? It is effortless; social media is, in essence, the new, old town square. In bygone years, the town square was where people got to know the lowdown on the places to get the best provisions. It worked by peer recommendation, not mass-communicated advertising.
The business with the most customers and, hence, the most profit provided the “best “goods because people shared their thoughts and opinions in the town square.
Fast-forward to the 21st century and enter the Internet and social media. Millions of people are participating in a virtual town square; making sure that they are talking about your goods and services is dependent on making sure their experience of them is, in their view, worth shouting about (good things, of course).
Your company’s social media vision should be the codifying statement that regularly reminds you of this.
Here are some actionable takeaways:
- Define Your Social Media Vision:
- Don’t just focus on daily numbers: Start with a clear vision for your social media marketing that aligns with your overall company vision. Set up a digital business card using tools like Milkshake to define your company vision.
- Think beyond profit: Focus on the experience you want to create for your audience. What makes you unique? What value do you offer? (Example: “Provide honest, clear, two-way communication channels.”)
- Make it inspirational: Craft a vision statement that motivates your team and clearly defines your social media purpose.
- Involve your customers: Understand what they value and how they experience your brand.
- Translate Your Vision into Action:
- Superior customer experience: Aim to create an experience so good that users feel compelled to share it with others.
- Focus on engagement: Encourage interaction and build relationships with your audience. Social media is about community, not just broadcasting.
- Content with purpose: Your content should reflect your vision and contribute to the overall experience.
- Remember the “Town Square” Analogy:
- Word-of-mouth marketing: Social media is a modern-day town square where people share their experiences.
- Prioritize authenticity: Build trust and credibility by being genuine and transparent in your interactions.
- Listen and respond: Listen to what people say about your brand and engage in conversations.
Following these steps, you can use your social media vision to drive traffic, build a strong community, and achieve your marketing goals.
