Social Media Marketing
A major part of business is adapting to the current trends of the world. A trend that has only gained steam throughout the years is the use of social media. Really, social media has moved beyond trend status given its proven power. Nevertheless, a business that does not take advantage of social media marketing will be missing out on some serious reach. And missing out on reach means missing out on growth.
Social media platforms for your business include:
Social media marketing paints a picture for your business
What is the purpose of advertising? To make people aware of your brand and to create a positive image of your company.
Social media marketing does both, but it in a more effective and far less expensive way than traditional advertising, such as commercials, radio, and billboards. Most social media platforms are free to set up and any advertising expenses cost very little. You’ll hardly have to dip into your budget to reach hundreds, thousands, and maybe even millions of people!
Social media is all about engagement. You can post fun content, images and videos to promote your business and to get reactions from followers. Followers can like or share what you post, and the people that follow them will indirectly be exposed to whatever you post. It’s like a never-ending stream that only grows as time passes.
With so many people being able to see what your business posts, you can understand the importance of only posting in a positive manner. Posting about ongoing deals and upcoming promotions is wise. You certainly want everyone to be aware of what your business offers.
In addition, post and share memes, pictures and videos to your social media pages. Make people laugh! Bring a bright spot to someone’s day! That’s what social media is all about. People use social media to find entertainment and to have a laugh. Playing into that entertainment is key for your business.
If someone sees a funny meme posted by your business, that person will probably take a liking to your business. It’s that simple! And if that person likes, shares, or retweets the meme, a long line of other people will also be exposed, which could lead to additional people taking a liking to your business.
Don’t forget to engage with your followers
Beyond creative posting, social media marketing creates a platform in which you can converse with your followers. This may not be so simple if you have thousands of followers; however, anytime you can respond to a response, you are making a follower feel exclusive.
The follower will think, “Wow, I must mean a lot to this business if they take the time to read and respond to what I said.” It doesn’t have to be a one-off response either. You can literally have ongoing dialogue with someone from your social media accounts.
Talk about being in control of your business’ influence on people.
Five Keys to Effective Social Media Marketing
- Establish a social media plan
- Think like a consumer; post for the consumer
- Take advantage of advertising opportunities
- Monitor your social media accounts
- Post consistently
1. Establish a social media plan
You know the saying “think before you speak”? Well, for social media marketing, the saying goes “think before you post”. It’s always wise to plan things out amongst yourself or with your social media team. Thus, before anyone posts to social media, do the following:
- Draw a line between what is okay to post and what is not okay
- Set goals for posts per month and total followers after each month
- Establish a posting schedule—when to post and who posts
- Go over the tone and voice that you want to portray for your company
- Determine the types of posts that will be most engaging and influential
As long as everyone is on the same page, your business should benefit from streamlined social media.
2. Think like a consumer; post for the consumer
Just like with content writing, social media marketing is for the consumer. Those consuming the content are the ones you are hoping to convert to customers. As such, you have to post content to social media platforms that will make people want to click on links. Moreover, make people want to learn more about your business.
Social media posting is very brief. Literally, you are limited to the number of characters you can use in a post. But that plays into the social media formula. Part of the formula is posting very brief content that serves a purpose.
If consumers want to read in length about a certain topic then they would search the internet for articles and blog posts. They engage in social media to find quick-hit entertainment. Consumers want to spend no more than a few seconds reading. Sometimes, they don’t want to read at all. Hence, the importance of images and videos uploaded to social media.
3. Take advantage of advertising opportunities
Social media posting goes a long way, but so do ads. A number of platforms enable businesses to set up advertising. Facebook is a tremendous advertising asset, as you can target your ads for a very specific audience. You can ensure your ads are shown primarily to an audience that is 30 to 40 years old in Dallas, TX.
You’ve probably made observations over your years of business as to what your typical clientele is. So, you should make the most of such an observation and steer your advertisements that way.
Advertising through social media marketing can make a huge difference for your business. Smart phones are used every day, and tablets and laptops just about every day. Thus, the best way to reach people is in fact through digital media.
4. Monitor your social media accounts
Of course, it’s always nice to know whether or not something is working. In this instance, whether or not your social media posting is leading to more followers and more customers. You can find this out through a management system.
There are all sorts of social media management systems that you can incorporate into your social media marketing. Each should in some capacity track analytics, pinpointing which posts are performing well and which ones are not. For example, Facebook analytics will tell you how the current week compares to the past week in terms of post reach, post engagement and new page likes. These numbers will be traced on a weekly basis, monthly and yearly.
Analytics are perfect for trial and error purposes. You’ll quickly determine what is working at what is not. This way, you can proceed with what is working and stop what is not working. In all, you’ll be running more productive social media accounts.
In addition, a social media management system can schedule posts. You can choose an exact time and day that you want a specific post to publish. This helps with organization and prioritizing. You or your social media team will not have to set reminders to publish and their time can therefore be spent more efficiently.
5. Post consistently
The more you post, the better! You don’t necessarily want to be overbearing with your social media accounts; however, you’re not going to get results if you don’t post. That leads us to another saying…
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”.
-Wayne Gretzky (or Michael Scott depending on when you first heard it)
Take some shots! Some posts will get very little attention and others will get a ton. The only way to find out which posts get the most popularity is by introducing them to the social media public on a regular basis.
Consistency is crucial with social media posting. Periods of inactivity on whichever platform will likely result in a loss of followers. This especially applies the most popular of platforms, like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Randomly posting throughout the day is great, but it’s also a good idea to have post at designated times each day. Perhaps a handful of people look forward to the regular 3:30 PM post from your business to aid their break from the workday. You want to give your followers what they want, and they want to see activity from the account that they follow. That’s why they followed an account in the first place.
Another important note…
It’s okay to post the same link more than once. Sure, it seems repetitive, but the trick is to post the same link, but with different supporting text. Followers will likely catch on to a repeat post, but they likely won’t catch onto the same link if it is presented in a different way than the last one.
You’ll get added web traffic to links that were big hits initially. Post the link another one or two times over the next week or two and get more people to look at it. Some followers may have already seen the link, but it never hurts to remind them of it.
Click4Corp
If you’d rather leave your social media posting to the experts, give Click4Corp a call! Our social media team is devoted to helping your business gain reach through a number of platforms. We post on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and LinkedIn. We will get your account set up throughout and manage them for you. This way, you can use your time to handle the everyday operation of your business.
Our team also uses social media insights to track performances across the board.
Please visit our website—www.click4corp.com—to learn more about our many digital marketing services. Also, see our blog for all sorts of helpful digital marketing tips and input.
