Social media has come a long way from networking platforms to its current status as marketing platforms. The initial growth of platforms was due to the human urge to communicate and connect globally. However, that is not the case now.
None of the social media platforms that are popular right now gained popularity just because of their networking quality. If that was the case, platforms like Orkut and Vine would still be alive today.
On the other hand, platforms with marketing opportunities like Facebook and Instagram found their way through the competition and are ruling the market. However, many brands and business owners still struggle to promote their products on social media platforms.
So, we compiled some of the result-assuring ways of social media marketing. Keep reading to understand what social media marketing is and how to do it right.
What is Social Media Marketing?
Social media marketing is the process of using social media websites to market products and services. However, there is more to it; social media marketing creates customized content for each platform at the right time.
There are ‘n’ number of social media platforms; each one has its own algorithms, formats, and that’s why they work differently. The audience of one platform won’t be the audience of another platform, and the content format will also be different accordingly.
A successful social media marketing campaign aims to create engaging content and drive potential customers to the business. It takes your business to the people who might be interested in your content and builds a connection with them. The more your potential customers see your product, the more they will become familiar with it. And of course if they’ll get familiar, they will definitely make a purchase.
So, social media marketing, in short, is an all-in-one solution to all the marketing goals of a company, if done right.
Why is Social Media Marketing Important?
We live in the 2020s where shopping is online and global; you can buy anything from anywhere just with a single click. When the doors for shopping are this wide open for people, why should you limit your business to your local area?
So, if you have decided to take your business to a broader audience, social media marketing should be your strategy. Social media platforms are the places that connect us to both local and global audiences.
There are more reasons to say that social media marketing is essential for any business. They are:
- Direct Communication with Your Potential Customers: You will get the chance to narrate your story to your target audience and let them trust your brand.
- Gaining and Channelling New Leads: Engaging social media content will generate a vast number of new leads, and you will also be able to channel these leads to your shopping website.
- Instant Feedback: No marketing strategies give instant feedback like social media. You will get to see how your audience responds to your posts and helps you to improve.
- Community Building: If you stay active on your social media handles for an extended period, you will gather a loyal follower base for your company. That way, you can build a strong and active community parallel to your brand.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Social media marketing gives you a more significant result compared to the money you invest for that. The exciting part is you can even do social media marketing without spending a single penny and still get good results.
How to Do Social Media Marketing, Right?
Now that you know why social media marketing is important, it is time to get to our topic; proven ways of social media marketing.
The following are the top result-assuring social media marketing strategies that you must follow:
- Social Media Calendar: Getting organized is necessary for the success of a social media marketing strategy. First of all, do your research and find out the right social media platforms for your business. Consider factors such as your target audience, business type, budget and type of content you are planning to post.
Then set up accounts in the selected platform and create a content calendar for all the platforms. Always remember, staying active on social media is a must to reach your goals. So, make a calendar that includes a content plan for all the platforms on days that you need to post. That way, all your pages remain updated even if you do not get ideas for new posts every time.
- Narrate Your Story: Do you know what sells the most on social media? Real stories; tell your followers/subscribers the real story about the company. When your followers learn more about your company, they develop trust for your brand.
So, post promotional content; cover special events organised by your company, to keep them up-to-date. Post short videos of your employees, your working environment and your internal celebration. Even if you have a small scale business without employees, keep posting about your efforts to build your business. Your audience will feel more connected to you, and many of them will become your customers.
- Brand Humanization: When you market your brand on social media platforms, use humanized content. Understand that social media platforms are the places where your audience comes to relax their mind. Don’t talk to them logically; use an emotional tone and speak like your brand is a person, not an organization.
Keep the content cool and casual; use appropriate emoticons to express your emotion. Let your content break that glass screen between you and your audience!
- Learn From Your Mistakes: When you are new to social media marketing, you will make mistakes. Your content might be misinterpreted and might even become controversial. There might even be situations where you won’t deliver the product at the time you promised. Customers might be unhappy with your product or service and criticize you on social media.
If anything of that sort happens, remind yourself that it is normal to make mistakes, and it is a chance for learning and correcting them. The first instinct of many people when something of this sort happens is to go offline for a long time or delete an account.
Never do that! Make an explanatory video or post and let your followers know your reason behind the situation. Give them a sincere apology and assure them that you won’t repeat it. Learn from the mistakes; do not get demotivated by the criticism; learn and move on.
- Optimize Your Social Media Posts: There is no point in posting your content if it does not reach the right audience. And to ensure that your content reaches the right audience, you should optimize it.
To optimize your social media posts, ask yourself questions like:
- When should you post your content?
- How many posts should you post a day?
- What type of content are you posting?
Take your time, do proper research and find answers to all these questions. You might not find answers to all these questions at once, so take time and learn through the process.
Find the timing that fetches the most views and likes on each platform and set the time for posting your content. Ensure that you use a minimum of 6 popular and relevant hashtags; that is one way you bring the audience to your page. Also, keep in mind that consistency is the key, post content on a fixed time; that way, you do not keep your viewers waiting.
Video is the King: Studies have proved that video content gets more views than written content. It is also proved that people share visual content more than blogs, as they are eye-catching. So, make sure that you post short videos at least once in a while to keep your audience entertained.
It might be difficult to shoot videos, edit them and post them initially; however, it will be real fun, once you get used to it.. Your audience will also appreciate the efforts, and it will bring more viewers to your page.
Final Thoughts
Social Media Marketing is all about posting the right content on the right platform at the right time. All it takes is one post to make your page sensational, so do not hesitate to experiment.