Social Media Marketing Tips

Social media marketing is a key part of modern business. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to start a successful strategy.

Social media has provided multiple platforms on which businesses can brand, advertise and ingratiate themselves with their audience all at once, while also seeing what competitors are doing. To help you get started on a successful social media marketing campaign, business.com created this step-by-step guide on how to create a social media marketing strategy, what to avoid, and tips to make sure your campaigns are successful.

Why marketing is important

Marketing has become a necessity for all modern businesses that wish to connect with customers where they are – online. Customers have come to expect some level of online presence from almost all the businesses they patronize, with over 75% of consumers reporting that they go online and research a business before choosing whether to make a purchase.

There are several other benefits of marketing as well.

Increased brand awareness

There are over 3.8 billion people on Facebook and other social media in 2020, which means there are 3.8 billion opportunities to get your brand out to a new customer. Social media increases brand awareness through engagement, meaning that if you create a business page for your company and engage with other social media posts, you are increasing your brand awareness just by that simple act. Furthermore, social media can increase traffic to your website through posts, shares and comments. Social media is one of the best word-of-mouth tools out there. All you need to do is get your audience to share to their friends, [and] if you plan your campaign content correctly, you can do that.

Lead generation and conversion boosts

Promoting and sharing content on social media is a great way to improve lead generation, which is the process of attracting and converting strangers into potential customers. You could also use social media to boost your conversion rates, since you’re actively promoting content to people who have already indicated that they are interested in your content.

Tips for an effective marketing campaign

Once you’ve done your research and outlined your steps, it’s time to make sure your campaign will be successful. Below are some tips to help you ensure your campaigns hit your goals.

A common saying regarding social media is that content is king, and it’s true. Content should be your No. 1 concern when creating social media campaigns – if it’s not quality, don’t post it.
The heart – and greatest challenge – of social media marketing is finding unique ways to connect with your customers and provide content they want to engage with. If you simply create content for the sake of creating content, you’re unlikely to connect with your audience or grow your follower count and engagement rate.
“An easy tip for increasing engagement is to engage positively on noncompetitive but relevant content on the same social channel. If you were to comment on tweets related to your subject, and are also putting out useful content, you’ll find others will engage with yours as well.
Provide fun ways to generate more leads, like contests, links to your website or special offers in your profile bio, live videos with exciting updates or news, and Facebook or Instagram shop.
Think about your end goal first. Are you trying to drive more engagement? Awareness? Followers? Then build out your campaign in a way you think will get your desired result. A lot of campaigns are trial and error, so don’t worry too much about nailing it at first.

Things to avoid in social media marketing

Because it is such a pervasive aspect of most people’s lives, detailed and nuanced etiquette has formed both for social media generally and for each individual platform. Generally, there are a few things you should avoid in your strategy.

Posting too much: Your followers want to see your content, but they don’t want to see it all the time. A good rule of thumb is to post during business hours (i.e., between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.) and only when you have a good reason to post, like genuinely good content or an update.
Flashy trends: Trends come and go, but they could make or break your business. If you see a trend you are interested in, think carefully about the benefits of participating versus the risks, keeping in mind how your followers are likely to respond.
Fake followers: As you get further into the world of social media, it can be easy to get caught up in follower counts and be tempted into buying followers or using influencers with a high percentage of fake followers. These accounts provide no actual engagement, which is ultimately what matters in social media marketing.
Not prioritizing your customers’ needs: Think about your target customer and what they want, not what you want. A lot of businesses … get wrapped up in the idea of their product or service, not understanding their customers’ needs.
Inconsistency: Try to remain consistent in the types of content you post and when. Customers will be confused if you put out different personas or engagement styles each day, throwing them off of your brand. Determine the kind of online presence you want to have and stick to it.
Inauthenticity: Remember why you got on social media in the first place – to expand your audience and increase your brand awareness. If you are projecting a persona on a social platform that is not true to your business, customers will feel misled and confused.

“The best campaigns are authentic – stay true to your brand voice while keeping in mind the audience you are appealing to”. And don’t forget you can always get leads free with your website. Don’t just live on Facebook, Twitter, and others.