What is social media marketing?

Social media marketing offers a 24/7 dialogue with all members of your organization; it’s a combination of communication and marketing tactics such as copywriting, advertisement, video production, etc., executed through social media apps. These social media platforms enable brands to connect with their audiences to:

  • Build brand awareness
  • Increase sales
  • Send traffic to their websites
  • Create an engaging community

Marketing benefits from social media because it’s where people share their experiences about the places they visit, the moments they share with family and friends, the brands they love, and so much more. It helps marketers understand their ideal buyer’s behaviors, emotions, pain points, and challenges to present practical solutions.

Social media marketing is also the best way to get instant customer feedback and understand what people like or dislike about a product or service.

If you have a marketing team, they will be able to help you set a clear social media marketing plan that aligns with your business’ voice, target audience, and core message.

Let’s dive into the phenomenal world of social media marketing!

The 5 Pillars of Social Media Marketing

If you don’t have a marketing team, don’t worry. We’ll lay out the pillars of social media marketing for you to set your strategy and start one step at a time. First, start with one social media channel and always have your ideal client in mind. Next, ask yourself if your target audience is an active user of the social media app you want to use. Finally, always place yourself in your buyer’s shoes to create content tailored to their pain points, challenges, or what they want to see.

Here are the five pillars of social media marketing:

Social media marketing strategy

You’ll need to set clear goals, social media channels, and the content mix you want to use. It must be clear what you wish to accomplish with these efforts. Is it brand awareness, lead generation, or to increase revenue? Your goals will help you set the right actions you need to take.

Planning and publishing

Consistency is vital when it comes to social media marketing. Use an editorial calendar to organize your content and set precise publishing dates. Consider using a content scheduler like Hootsuite or HubSpot to manage your content and make publishing easier.

Man holding a phone with social media apps

Listening and engagement

Patience is the first thing we recommend after you create your content and start publishing. If you’re starting from scratch, the likes, comments, and shares don’t happen overnight, so don’t feel discouraged.

Posting without paying to maximize reach on social media is what marketers call an organic effort, and it takes time. Unless you’re one of the few who can skyrocket to a couple of thousands of followers in a few days or hours, that would be an exception to the rule; organic growth is considered a long-term goal. However, once followers and comments start coming in, you’ll need to be aware of the conversation and interact with your audience, a.k.a social listening. Some tools to explore are NetBase Quid and Brandwatch, which can help you stay on point with what your audience is saying about your business.

Analytics and reporting

Track your social media efforts constantly to learn how your strategy performs, whether weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. You’ll understand what your audience likes about your content, products, and services. It’s also essential to detect areas of improvement, stakeholders, brand ambassadors, opportunities, trends, etc. Finally, include an advertising strategy to help you reach a broader audience if you’re not reaching your goals on time.

Advertising                       

An organic effort will benefit from an advertising campaign. If you pay for ads on social media, you’ll have a greater chance of segmenting your audience by demographics, location, and interests. As a result, you’ll reach your ideal buyer, build a community interested in your offer, and generate clients in the future. Ads will also help to promote posts, capture leads, and send messages to the right audience.

Person working on a social media app (Instagram)

The Social Media Platforms and Their Users

Facebook – 2.9 billion Monthly Active Users (MAUs)

Almost all formats work on Facebook, like text, video, pictures, etc. Mainly 200 million small businesses use Facebook tools to promote their business.

YouTube – 2.2 billion MAUs

It’s the second largest search engine after Google. Choose this platform if your business relies on video marketing.

WhatsApp – 2 billion MAUs

It’s a messaging app to communicate with friends and family, but businesses now use it to support their customers.

Instagram – 2 billion MAUs

A visual social media platform showcases products and services with photos or videos. Get rich analytics with a business profile.

TikTok – 1 billion MAUs

A short-form video-sharing app that overtook Google as the most visited site, about 47.4% of TikTok users is 10 to 29 years old in the U.S. Use this app to reach a younger demographic.

Snapchat – 539 million MAUs

It uses short videos known as snaps; 69% of its users are teenagers. So, use this app if it matches your target audience.

Twitter – 436 million MAUs

“The news app,” some call it. Users share news about entertainment, sports, politics, and more. It relies on real-time information; it’s great to learn about trends. In addition, some businesses are using Twitter as a new tool to provide customer service.

LinkedIn – 250 million MAUs

This is a social media app for professionals and businesses. Some claim it’s an excellent choice to use as a B2B (Business to Business) marketing tool and to position yourself as a thought leader.

Ensure you understand your target audience to select the appropriate social media channel and content. Even more, apps are looking forward to becoming game changers in the social media industry. So, keep up with trends and make room for innovation and progress.

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