The new year is finally here, so what small business goals for social media should you set?

Do you want more followers, a higher engagement rate, an increase in conversions or something else entirely? Start thinking about this now, and by 2019 (hopefully much earlier!) you’ll see how effective you’ve been.

Here, we’ll explore some popular small business goals for social media in 2018, and offer some tips on how to achieve them!

Why do you need goals for social media in 2018?

By setting small business goals for social media, you can measure your success and effectiveness. This can really help define your strategy and improve your output.

However, remember that these goals must be realistic and measurable. If you’re overly ambitious or can’t track key metrics, you’ll only be wasting your time.

So, now with the serious stuff out of the way, let’s take a closer look at how to pick small business goals for social media. We’ve got a few simple ideas…

5 small business goals for social media in 2018

1. Get better at targeting

Knowing your audience and targeting them specifically is key to social media success. Otherwise, how will you create relevant and interesting content?

Luckily, there are lots of platforms and tools that can help you target key demographics and audience segments. Facebook even offers a service that helps you find ‘lookalike’ audiences that match with key traits of your existing followers. Try using some of these features in the new year!

2. Increase engagement rates

Social media is a two-way street. The only way to know if you’re really connecting with followers is if they’re communicating with you. Here are some of the ways they can do this:

  • Likes
  • Retweets
  • Shares
  • Comments
  • Mentions
  • Replies

Increasing engagement is one of the most popular small business goals for social media. That’s why most social media platforms offer engagement analysis. Try using this to measure your success and find areas for improvement.

You can also help increase engagement by creating relevant, valuable content that followers can really get involved with. Competitions, polls, games and debates are always fun!

You also need a variety of content and formatting options that will keep followers on their toes; looking at the same old stuff can become boring and lead people to disengage.

3. Improve response times

A fast response time can set you apart from the competition. Your company will seem loyal, reliable and trustworthy – qualities that every business aspires to!

Today’s customers demand a quick response time. A whopping 84% of consumers expect companies to respond within 24 hours on social media, so you’d better get to work!

Put a process in place this year to facilitate a quick response time. Monitor how long it takes your company to get in touch with customers and always be on the lookout for areas for improvement.

4. Boost brand awareness

This is the top reason marketers use social media – to grab the attention of potential consumers. So, it’s no surprise that boosting brand awareness is one of the most important small business goals for social media in 2018.

Measure your current level of awareness using these key metrics:

  • Follower count
  • Reach
  • Mentions, shares and retweets

Then give it a boost by carefully selecting hashtags, posting in specific (and relevant) groups as well as creating valuable content. You’ll start to see improvements in no time!

5. Send more traffic to your website

Google Analytics has the perfect metric to analyse this goal: ‘traffic from social media’. Simply set it up and watch the figures roll in!

Assess the customer journey and figure out why individuals may bounce, or choose not to click through to your site. Use A/B testing to really understand how your followers are acting and make positive changes.

That’s it ­- five small business goals for social media in 2018. Do you think you’ll achieve them?