Yes, social media is everywhere and we can’t exactly escape it. Nowadays, even the most niche, obscure things have their own Instagram profiles, Facebook pages, or YouTube channels (and yes, YouTube is, at least partially, a social media website as well as a video hosting service). Naturally, it makes perfect sense that social media would be so popular. After all, everyone who uses the internet needs to stay connected with colleagues, family, or like-minded people, and these platforms are perfect for that kind of interaction.
With that in mind, it’s small wonder that even some of the biggest multimillion-pound corporations have their official social media pages. And while the platforms might be the same, the approach to using them differs between each individual company. In this article, you will learn what social media marketing is, how you can use it effectively, and what some of its benefits are.
The Inner Workings of Social Media Marketing
Let’s compare social media marketing with regular advertisements. With an ad, be it on TV, radio, or online, all you can really do is praise your product or service. And while that works for some, it turns many others away from you. Nobody likes a braggart, even if their product is top-of-the-line.
On the other hand, imagine posting a relatable, witty thought on Twitter, or a nice candid photo on Instagram. Not only will the person seeing them be thrilled, but they’ll also share the post or the pic with others. In other words, you have free viral marketing, all for simply posting something that the average Joe Public found interesting.
Now, if you focus on improving your social media presence as a business owner, you will gain a few important things in return. Let’s list them off in the paragraphs below.
Content Variety
Depending on what type of business you operate, you will have several different types of content to choose from. And all of them will be exceptionally vital for your success.
For instance, do you enjoy writing? Then you can promote your product via blog posts and articles on Facebook, Minds, and even old niche platforms like MySpace. Video content can find its way on YouTube and TikTok, while audio content requires a platform like Spotify or SoundCloud. Pictures can be shared anywhere, but the best bets are Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and even some alternative platforms (think Gettr, Gab, Telegram, and Parler).
Market Research
One key aspect of social media marketing is that you have first-hand market research ready. As you engage with your clients, you can learn what they like and what they need, how their tastes change and what the latest trends are. Moreover, they will directly tell you what you should focus on, and nothing beats direct feedback.
In addition, social media presence enables you to pay attention to your competition. You can see what business practices work for them and learn from their mistakes (as well as your own). It’s the best way of growing your brand organically with the customer right there alongside you.
Brand Awareness
What happens if you have a post that resonates with a few people? Well, they get on social media and share it with other people. And those people, in turn, share it with others. Your post will grow exponentially until you have a whole host of new clients to service.
Brand awareness is best done when it’s promoted both actively by the company AND organically by the clients themselves. Even in today’s day and age, word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool that every single corporation aims to tap into properly. And with social media websites, that word of mouth spreads like a wildfire.
How to Start Social Media Marketing in 7 Steps
Of course, you can’t exactly just jump into social media marketing unprepared. These websites are tools, and like any other tool, you need to learn how to use them effectively. So, to take full advantage of social media, make sure you follow the steps listed below.
Step #1: The Idea
There are more than a few things that you can achieve with social media. All you need to do is figure out what exactly it is you want to achieve. Most business people use social media to:
- Increase their SEO rankings
- Increase brand awareness
- Promote their products or services
- Build a community.
Once you have a goal set, you can start to build your social media presence geared towards reaching said goal.
Step #2: Who’s in Charge?
Obviously, as a business person yourself, you won’t be handling all of your social media posts. You could, but it would take a lot of time and effort you simply may not have. In this case, it’s best to hire someone who specialises in social media marketing.
If you happen to run a big company, designate one person to handle everything social media-related. On the other hand, if you happen to be the sole owner and employee of your company, you might want to think about outsourcing.
Step #3: Research
Generally speaking, zoomers hang out on TikTok, millennials on Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr, and Gen Xers and older on Facebook. However, it’s never that cut and dry. You will need to do your own independent research and figure out everything you need about your particular niche. In terms of popular hang-out websites, always consider:
- What the trends are
- How old your clients can be
- What general interests your clients have
- Where the competition often posts
- How each post resonates with individual demographic groups.
Step #4 Consistent Output
What happens to a social media page that doesn’t post anything in as little as one week? Well, it’s simple — it loses a huge chunk of its followers and nobody pays any attention to it even if the posts continue to pop up.
The key to any successful social media presence is consistency. Companies, employees, and even individuals know just how ruthless the algorithm can be. That’s why they continue to post stuff daily, as it helps keep their numbers up. The more consistent you are on your social media, the more people will think you’re actively engaging with both your brand and the clients loyal to it.
Step #5: Scheduling
Scheduling kind of plays into the consistent output step from earlier, but on a much more streamlined level. Have a schedule in mind (weekly, monthly, quarterly, AND yearly) and try to stick to it. In fact, companies would often create social media posts well ahead of time and mark them for automatic posting on a future target date. This type of automatisation is perfect for both small and big businesses, as it allows them to be a bit more hands-off with their social media activity.
Step #6: High-quality Content
Nobody likes content where all that a brand owner does is brag about themselves. Remember, your products are just one option out of many, and you have to prove to your customer why they need to turn to you if they have an issue to handle or have an item they desire to purchase.
With each post, each piece of content, you have to show high quality. That’s achieved by doing several important things every single time:
- Always research the topic you’re covering well before creating content
- Make sure to cite sources and pay attention to the experts’ claims regarding your item or service
- Be clear, concise, and to-the-point with each individual piece of content
- Refer to both the experts and your past bits of content when creating new material for your social media pages
- Don’t hesitate to correct any mistakes (and make sure your clients know when and where you made the correction).
Step #7: Feedback and Discussion
User input is key to growth. Let your content be open for other people to discuss and even criticise. By hearing directly from your clients, you can know exactly what you need to work on and, equally importantly, what the strengths of your brand are.
The Pros of Social Media Marketing
As you can imagine, there are plenty of benefits to social media marketing. Some of the key ones include the following:
- By engaging with your clients honestly, you develop brand authority and trust among both old and new customers
- Social media gives your company a voice, one that can talk to customers directly regarding any topic
- Using social media pages, you can personify your brand and show some of the inner workings of it, which will help you relate to your audience more
- Social media can actually help drive your official website’s traffic up by a huge percentage.
A Few Closing Words on Social Media Marketing
While social media websites might be relatively new in the world of business, they have proven themselves as invaluable tools for business growth. By using them correctly, you will be able to see your brand expand and reach horizons never before thought possible.
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