Using Social Media Mapping For Startup Success

by  Amanda Soriano, Guest Contributor

Social media is an integral part of any startup’s marketing strategy. That being said, it’s also a journey from obscurity to greatness. Like any good journey, you’re going to need a map to keep you on the right path.

That’s why we’re going to look at how startups can create a social media map that takes them right into their marketing strategy. This will help you focus your efforts and optimize your time for maximum results.

​

Mapping Your Way to Success on Social Media
The secrets of social media are wide and vast, but if you can focus on mapping out your first steps, then you’ll put yourself in a better position to succeed in the long run. To start your social media mapping process, follow these steps:

Step One: Identify Your Ideal Channel
The first mistake a lot of startups make, is to try and create profiles on as many channels as possible. They immediately spread themselves too thin and quickly find that they’re in over their head.

With social media, quality is more important than quantity. You want to focus on the channels that offer the most potential for your business. Start by asking yourself some questions:

• Do you want to increase brand awareness through paid promotion and reach?
• Are you focused on generating leads through social media?
• What platforms are your audience members and competition using?
• What type of content best represents your brand? (photos, video, etc.)

Once you’ve answered these questions, you can better approach your platforms of choice. For example, if you found that images were the best type of content for your brand, you’ll probably focus on Instagram or Pinterest. If your audience is mostly women, you’ll move more towards Pinterest.

While Facebook and Twitter are great places to start, there’s plenty of other reasons to focus on different platforms if your business calls for it.

Step Two: Harness Tools to Optimize Your Time
Once you’ve found your ideal platforms, it’s time to find tools you can use to streamline your work. Time is money, and saving one saves the other. Luckily, there are plenty of tools out there you can use to optimize your social media efforts in the same way you optimize your website.

• Buffer - an excellent tool for scheduling and sharing posts across multiple platforms.
• IFTTT - a tool for creating automated processes. It stands for “If This, Then That”
• Pocket - An easy way to save content online so you can share it to your followers later
• Canva - My favorite tool for creating custom images. Also, it’s free to use!

Social media is a machine that never stops, so you need to find way to ensure you’re always present without spending too much time managing everything.

Step Three: Build Connections and Followers
In today’s world, it’s all about who you know, and on social media that’s more important than ever. Making connections and building your audience is the last step to take before you truly explode onto the social media scene.

For startups, using a platform like LinkedIn is a great way to make professional connections, but you shouldn’t neglect the audiences you’re building on other platforms. As you’re building connections, try some of these other strategies:

• Create complete profile pages, with plenty of information and links to your site
• Place social media share buttons on your pages
• Share quality content from other people in your industry
• Cross-promote your social media accounts
  
  

Final Thoughts
Mapping out your social media strategy involves starting on strong foundations for your future. As a startup, it’s important that you follow these steps so you can set yourself up for success. How do you map out your social media strategy? Let us know in the comments!


​Amanda Soriano has been a social media manager for countless brands, but now she's sharing her knowledge of today's platforms with startups and growing companies.