There are many ways to do social media marketing, and you must find the best way for your needs. This guide will serve as a resource to help you better understand how to use social media marketing in your business strategy. We’ll cover everything from social media marketing, different types of platforms, tools/apps used for SMM, mistakes people make with SMM, and more!
What is Social Media Marketing and Why Should You Care?
Social media marketing is the act of using social networks, like Facebook or Twitter, for example, to market your business. It entails creating content that will be seen by consumers on their newsfeeds and engaging with them in some way (whether it’s liking a post, commenting on one, etc.) This type of marketing strategy can also include other marketing tactics, like paid advertising across social media platforms.
Why Should Business Owners Invest in Social Media Marketing?
Social platforms are where people are! In 2019, there were more than three billion active social media users worldwide, and that number is only growing. If you’re not using social media to market your business, then you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to reach new customers and grow your brand. Not only that, but studies have shown that businesses who use social media marketing see a significantly higher ROI (return on investment) than those who don’t.
Different Social Media Platforms
There are a lot of different platforms available to use, and each one has its purpose, which we’ll cover briefly throughout this guide. Some examples include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, just to name a few.
Growing Your Business With Social Media Marketing
Social media platforms provide businesses with an opportunity to get in front of their audience and show them what they have to offer, whether it’s through paid ads on Facebook or Instagram, or just creating a post on Twitter that gets popular. Social Media can be used to promote content, drive traffic back to your website and increase conversions through things like email marketing campaigns, PPC ads (like Google Ads), etc. In the end, it’s all about getting people interested in what you have to offer!
Creating a Successful Social Media Campaign
Now that you understand the importance of social media marketing, it’s time to start creating your campaigns. Here are a few tips on how to create a successful social media campaign:
- It’s important to consider your target audience and what type of content will resonate with them. Make sure the content is interesting, engaging, and relevant to your brand.
- Be consistent with your messaging across all of your social media platforms. Be sure to post regularly and stay on top of current trends.
- Use hashtags to increase the reach of your content and connect with like-minded individuals.
- Use paid advertising options available on different platforms to reach even more people.
- Always measure the results of your campaigns and make adjustments accordingly. Analyze the data to see what worked well and what needs improvement.
- And lastly, have fun with it! Social media should be enjoyable for both you and your customers. 🙂
Carry on reading, as we cover best practices, examples, social media tools, and more.
Best Practices For Running Different Social Media Accounts
There are a lot of different platforms available to use for social media marketing and each one has its purpose. Some examples include Facebook (for connecting with people who already know you), Twitter (a good way to get in front of new audiences and promote popular content), and Instagram (a great platform for influencers to build a following).
When creating your campaigns on any given platform, it’s important to remember that not all types of content will perform well across the board. For example, if you’re an e-commerce company using Pinterest as part of your campaign strategy, then infographics might be best suited because they lend themselves well towards visual storytelling; whereas if you were promoting a video game through YouTube or Facebook, then you might want to create a funny video that goes viral.
Different Types of Marketing Content
There are lots! Here are some examples:
- Infographics
- Podcasts
- Blog Posts
- Quizzes
- Videos
- Surveys
- Case Studies
- Product Demos
- Tutorials
- etc.
Which Social Media Platforms Should You Prioritize Over Others?
It can feel overwhelming trying to figure out which platform(s) to start with. Depending on what your business is all about and who your target audience is, there will probably already be an existing community for you somewhere online where people have questions similar to yours or need help finding solutions like yours. Some suggestions include starting with Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for business accounts (if you already have an established audience there) and YouTube, LinkedIn, Reddit, or Pinterest for content-focused accounts.
Everything You Need to Know About Social Media Posts
How long should your social media posts be?
There’s no right answer here! Like anything else in marketing, the best advice is to test different lengths of content on each platform to see what works. Things like video length can vary wildly depending on who your target demographic is; whereas blog posts generally range between 200-800 words per post. It all depends on what kind of message you want to get across and how much time people are willing to spend reading it. As a rule of thumb, however: try not to go over 500 characters since most platforms will break up longer pieces into screenshots when they’re posting them.
What are some examples of good social media posts?
There are actually lots! Here are some examples: A picture with a clever caption Quotes related to your brand or industry Questions for people in the community that you want feedback on etc.
What are some examples of bad social media posts?
There are too many to list! But here are some general points:
- Don’t use memes or pop culture references unless you’re absolutely sure that your target demographic will understand them (e.g., don’t reference The Walking Dead if most people who follow you aren’t fans)
- Don’t share clickbait articles/videos that have nothing to do with what it is that you represent.
- Try not to sound like everyone else – stand out by being unique and interesting!
I’m not sure what to post about, help!
This is a common problem, but don’t worry, there are lots of ways to come up with content ideas. Try brainstorming using one of these methods:
- Think about the questions that people in your industry or community are asking.
- Come up with a list of topics that you’re passionate about and think would be interesting to your target demographic.
- Look at what’s popular on other social media platforms and try creating content around those topics.
- Find unique or funny angles to approach well-known subjects
Use the right hashtags so people can find you more easily
Hashtags are a great way to not only connect with other like-minded people but also to make it easier for others who might be interested in your product or service to find you online. Just keep hashtags relevant and use them sparingly; otherwise, they become annoying and you risk losing followers! Use all the hashtags you can in a post, as long as they’re all relevant to the post’s content.
What’s the best time of day to post?
Again, there’s no right answer here! But some general tips include avoiding posting during lunchtime or early in the morning when people are too busy and experimenting with different times of day to see which ones get you the most engagement. You can also use social media tools like Hootsuite to help you figure out when your followers are most active.
The importance of being consistent with posting
One of the most important things to remember when it comes to social media marketing is that you need to be consistent with your posts. If you only post once a week, people are going to forget about you, and they’re not going to bother checking back in later on to see if you’ve posted anything new. Ideally, you should be posting once a day, or at the very least once per week.
Another important thing to remember is that you need to post more than just links back to your several websites. It’s great if you want people who are following you on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to click through and buy something from your site, but you also need to be posting engaging content that people will want to share with their friends. This can include things like pictures, videos, and infographics.
In addition, remember that it’s important to engage with the people who are sharing content from your site and other people’s sites as well. If you see a post that is interesting or funny, let them know by commenting on it or liking it so they know you appreciate their content.
What is the best practice when working with influencers?
When you talk about social media marketing, you almost always talk about influencer marketing. There are different types of influencers out there, but typically they fall into one of two categories: micro-influencers and macro-influencers.
Macros have larger followings across multiple platforms (generally between 100k – 500k+ followers) whereas micros may only be popular within smaller niche communities; however, their content tends to be more targeted towards those audiences as well. When it’s time to work together, make sure to provide the influencer with clear instructions on what you want them to do, and always be willing to give them a sneak peek of whatever it is you’re promoting.
Additionally, make sure that you have a way to track the performance of their posts (e.g. how many clicks, impressions, etc. they generate) so that you can use that data to report back to them and show the value of the partnership.
Ways to engage followers on Social Media Platforms
Twitter:
- Retweet interesting or funny tweets from other users.
- Reply to people who tweet at you, and include @username so they know you’re talking to them.
- Use hashtags in your tweets to attract more attention (e.g. #socialmedia).
- Create lists of Twitter users who are interesting or relevant to your niche, and follow them all at once.
Facebook:
- Like and share posts from other users that you find interesting or funny.
- Comment on posts from other users, and include their @username so they know you’re talking to them.
- Join groups related to your niche, and post content that is relevant to the group’s members.
Instagram:
- Post photos of things that are interesting or funny to you, and add a caption with hashtags.
- Follow other users who post photos that interest you.
- Like and comment on other users’ photos.
LinkedIn:
- Post articles, infographics, and other content that is relevant to your niche.
- Comment on articles, and include the author’s @username so they know you’re talking to them.
- Connect with other professionals in your industry, and follow their updates.
- Join groups related to your niche, and post content that is relevant to the group’s members.
Pinterest:
- Pin photos of things that are interesting or funny to you, and add a description with hashtags.
- Create boards for different topics, and pin photos from other users’ websites onto those boards.
- Comment on pins from other users, and include their @username so they know you’re talking to them.
- Join groups related to your niche, and pin content that is relevant to the group’s members.
Reddit:
- Post links to articles you’ve written on other websites (e.g. Medium) or infographics created by yourself or your team.
- Comment on posts from other users, and include their username so they know you’re talking with them.
TikTok:
- Post videos of things that are interesting or funny to you, and add a description with hashtags in it.
- Follow other users who post similar types of content as well as those whose posts interest you.
- Comment on their videos, and include the user’s @username so they know you’re talking to them.
Tools For Managing Your Online Presence So That It’s Not Overwhelming!
Hootsuite is a great tool for managing multiple social media accounts at the same time. Buffer is also good for scheduling posts in advance, and Sprout Social can be used to track your team’s performance across different platforms as well. Check them all out and find the best one that meets your needs.
Examples of Companies Who Have Been Successful With Their Social Media Strategies
Common Mistakes Made by SMM Marketers
These include sharing too many promotional posts and not enough helpful content or sharing uninteresting status updates.
Another common mistake is not targeting the right audience. For example, if you are a business selling pet products, your target market might be people who own pets, as they are more likely to be interested in what you have to offer. However, if you only share content that is irrelevant to this group, then you will lose potential customers.
Another mistake is failing to use images or videos in posts. According to recent studies, including visuals increases engagement rates by up to 85%. So make sure to use appropriate images and videos in your social media marketing campaigns!
And finally, one of the most common mistakes is not using hashtags correctly. Make sure to research which hashtags are relevant to your campaign and use them sparingly.
How Long Does It Take Before You Start Seeing Results From Your Investment Into Social Media Marketing?
It can take anywhere between a few weeks and a couple of months before results start coming through. The key thing here though is continuing to produce high-quality content so that once those results do come through, they stick around!
Why Should You Hire Someone as Opposed to Doing this Yourself?
There are a few reasons why you might want to hire a social media marketing specialist. Firstly, they will have the necessary skills and experience to create successful campaigns. Secondly, they will be up-to-date with the latest changes and trends in social media, which means your campaigns will be as effective as possible. And finally, hiring a specialist can save you time and money – you can focus on other areas of your business while they take care of your social media marketing.
Other Ways You Can Use to Market Your Business
There are a number of other ways to market your business. Firstly, you could try out content marketing. This involves creating and sharing high-quality content with the aim of engaging potential customers or clients, which can result in increased brand awareness and sales conversions.
Another option is email marketing – this typically involves sending regular emails featuring useful information about your company but often includes links to products that can be purchased from within said email for example!
Finally, pay-per-click advertising on platforms such as Google Ads allows you to get more exposure by targeting specific keywords relevant to what you have to offer.
Wrap Up!
Social media marketing can be a great way to connect with more people online and promote your business or blog. By being consistent with your posts, engaging with followers, using appropriate tools, and targeting the right audience, you can achieve great results.
If you’re having difficulty creating and launching your social media marketing strategy then contact us to help you get started.
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