Planning and implementing a social media campaign takes time and it’s important to get many facets in place before launch day. This can be a daunting task, but I’m sharing with you some of my top tips to make this challenge seem less scary!

Know your target audience: from the start it is vital that you identify your target audience. What are their tastes? Which social networks do they love to use? What times are they active online? These elements are the foundations of your campaign.

Pick your platforms: with a wealth of social network platforms to choose from, it’s important that you do your research at the outset. Select channels that represent your brand and for the content you are producing. For example, if your campaign is video-focused, YouTube is where you need to be, but also consider using Instagram, Vine, Twitter and Facebook for the additional sharing and engagement benefits.

Hashtags: devise a catchy hashtag for your campaign and use it on everything that you produce. You can also use the hashtag to monitor your brand’s value, the campaign’s performance, and your brand’s trendsetters.

Analytics and management: many social network platforms now have reliable analytics tools built into their accounts. Take advantage of what they’re offering to monitor the performance of your campaign as well as seeing what’s popular (and what’s not.) The Pinterest tool for Business is really helpful in enabling me to see which of my pins are most popular!

It’s also essential to use web tools like Hootsuite or Buffer to monitor your accounts in one place as well as scheduling posts for the future.

Reward campaign supporters: consider rewarding your followers either through a sweepstake or through something that they can download for free. For example, an e-book providing top tips for a particular industry, or a really great prize will help to create engagement and raise brand awareness.

What techniques do you use to make your social media campaigns a success? Let us know!