Social media has been around for awhile now but it’s only been growing in strength over the years. Just a few short years ago, your social media marketing strategy probably didn’t exist, and you got along just fine without it. But if you’re still haphazardly tossing out random marketing into the social media world, it’s high time to step up your game.
Why? Because everyone else has. And if you don’t, your online social standing will fade into nonexistence.
Choosing not to pursue social media marketing is totally fine if you’re not interested in a cost-effective way to improve your brand awareness and loyalty, easily engage with your customers, and boost your SEO rankings. But I have a feeling those things are actually important to you, so here are some tips to winning the social media marketing game:
Set an Attainable Goal
Just like any marketing effort, you need to have very specific goals for what you want to get out of social media. These goals need to be attainable, though. A million likes or follows would be nice, but let’s start with some much more realistic goals. You may be wanting to:
- Drive traffic to your website
- Increase brand awareness
- Build a community
- Generate leads
- Boost sales
- Offer quality customer service
When you have your goals in place, research which social media platform is ideal for achieving your goals. You absolutely should not be on every single social media network. Choose only one or two platforms that fit your strategy, and manage them well.
Whatever your goals may be, write them down. You’re much more likely to attain them that way. And before long, you’ll be able to look back and see just how far you’ve come.
Know Your Audience
The best way to decide which social media outlet to use is to research your audience. You’ve probably already done some research as a business owner, but now you’ve got to see how your potential customers or clients use social media.
Take the time to listen, so to speak, to your customers. What kind of content do they interact with? Where are they most active on social media? Here is a nifty and super convenient Social Audience Guide to help you find your future customers through the right platform.
Know Your Competitors
Because social media is chock full of businesses vying for attention, the various platforms use algorithms so only the best of the best show up in your newsfeed. If you want to be one of them, you need to pay attention to what they’re doing.
A simple way to do this is to do a google search using keywords someone might use to find your business. Search through the results for companies that most line up with yours and do a little stalking. What are they doing on social media that is clearly working? I’m not suggesting you copy them. Instead, I’m encouraging you to learn from them. What’s working? What’s not? Brainstorm how you can implement the good ideas in your own social media marketing strategy.
Give Them Content
Content is king! And it needs to be treated as such. Everything you put out there needs to be thought through carefully and intentionally.
Content is how your customers and clients get to know you. This isn’t to say that all of your content is all about your company. In fact, your new social media followers most appreciate the content that benefits them. Instead of advertising all day long, offer content that is helpful to your potential customers.
Build a Connection
Social media really is the best way to connect with your customers. It’s super simple to respond to questions and interact through whichever platform you’ve chosen. Through this intimate connection, you’ll be generating loyal customers because they’ll feel cared for and heard.
The more engagement on your social media page, the more likely your page will show up on newsfeeds. The bottom line is, it’s not about finding those millions of followers or fans. If there isn’t any engagement, what’s the point? A hundred engaged fans will trump a thousand uninvolved followers every day of the week. Create connection. Build relationship. Embrace the social side of social media.
What’s Next?
The time to be flippant and careless about social media marketing is gone. Creating a strategy, setting goals, researching, and connecting is essential to a successful presence on social media, and will go a long way in your overall success in business. We are incredibly social over here at Blackwood Creative. Let us be your guide by contacting us today.
