Have you added social media to your multichannel mix? Intelligent businesses are combining direct mail and email, but social media? That’s for doomscrolling over your morning coffee, not for marketing…or is it? It is! Innovative brands go where their customers are, and your customers are on social media.

Social media is not just where your customers spend their time, but studies show that customers are more likely to buy from brands they engage with. In fact, according to Sprout Social, when consumers follow a brand on social media, 67% are more likely to spend more money with that brand.

So, where do you start?

1. Create a buyer persona.

Everything starts with a buyer persona. This description of your “typical” buyer helps you focus your marketing efforts. Say you find that your ideal customer can be summed up in the buyer persona, “the tech-savvy Millennial.” This persona is 25-34 years old, college-educated, and living in urban areas with a focus on tech hubs. Based on this information, you focus your social media efforts on Instagram, X, and YouTube. Another example of a buyer persona is the working Millennial mom. This persona is 34-55 years old, with a college education and a professional job, but she is living in the suburbs and at a life stage in which she is looking to further her career. This time, you start with LinkedIn.

2. Identify your marketing goals.

What are your goals with integrating social media marketing? It might not always be sales. It might be developing brand recognition. It might be managing brand reputation. Different platforms are better suited to other goals. If it is sales, you’ll want to focus on Instagram, which offers shoppable posts. If it’s community-building, you’ll want to look to Facebook, which lets you create targeted communities.

3. Set appropriate KPIs.

How will you measure success? Depending on your goals, your KPIs will be different. You’ll want to track followers, likes, and shares to build brand awareness. You might want to look at your engagement rate to build a community. For sales, you’ll want to measure conversion rates and revenues instead.

Once you are ready to start integrating social media into your marketing plan, break these three steps into an actionable strategy. Identify your buyers, set your marketing goals, and establish the right KPIs. Then, it’s time to start creating. Get your message out there! Don’t forget to promote your social media channels in email and print.