Social media isn’t just a way for people to stay connected to friends and family members anymore. The right platforms are also valuable tools for brands that want to boost their sales and increase customer loyalty.
Smart Insights tell us that users spend around 2 hours and 24 minutes each day interacting on social media apps. In other words, these channels are often the best way to connect with possible leads and buyers.
Unfortunately, though social media marketing has been around for quite some time now, there are still many companies out there that aren’t taking full advantage of its potential.
If you’re eager to start reaping the rewards of a better social strategy, the following tips will lead you in the right direction.
Identify the Right Platforms
Facebook used to be the go-to choice for social media marketing in the digital environment.
Not only does this platform have the largest number of users, but it appeals to customers from different backgrounds and of varying ages.
Facebook continues to have a lot of value today, but it’s only the first step in a successful social journey.
The key to successful growth is figuring out where your audience is already active online and exploring one channel at a time.
For instance, if you’re a fashion company selling products that thrive through visual advertising, it makes sense to consider social media channels like Instagram and Pinterest.
If you’re a company selling to younger audiences like Gen Z, you might decide to begin your strategy with TikTok.
Once you’ve found one channel that works for you, build your presence out slowly.
Don’t make the mistake of rushing into too many platforms at once and allowing your content to suffer as a result. Take your time and use the unique features of each platform to your advantage.
Create Diverse Content
Social media marketing is all about connecting with your audience on an emotional level. To do this, you’ll need to create the kind of content that impacts your customers.
Don’t just stick to regular text-based updates on Facebook; experiment with what’s possible.
Instagram offers options like Stories that allow you to connect with your audience through authentic snippets of content that only appear for short periods of time.
On Twitter, you can get involved with hashtags, while TikTok has video-focused hashtag challenges.
One of the best kinds of content you can add to your campaigns is user-generated content.
This basically means that you repost or draw attention to the content your customers create.
For instance, you could ask your clients to share a branded hashtag every time they post a picture of them wearing one of your items of clothing, then repost the best pictures on your profile with an @mention of the original creator.
User-generated content is more authentic than anything your business can create on its own.
It’s also a form of social proof, demonstrating that other customers already appreciate your products.
Reuse Your Existing Assets
One of the biggest problems that many businesses have with social media marketing, is finding the budget to invest in both website content and social content at the same time.
Having enough time to fill a schedule with immersive content is difficult for any business owner – particularly if you don’t have a marketing team to help you.
So why not use and repurpose the assets you already have?
Pull snippets or quotes from your existing blog posts and add them to a beautiful background for an inspiring Instagram post.
Remember to link back to your blog in the bio so people can check it out on your website if they want to learn more.
You can create shorter versions of your blogs and add them to LinkedIn as mini-articles, or generate excitement for your website by turning articles into videos and interviews that you can share on YouTube or Facebook Live to liven up your Facebook page.
Repurposing existing content into new formats gives you an easy way to fill your calendar.
It means that you can attract a wide range of customers who like to consume information in a variety of ways.
Get to Know Your Audience
If you want to build connections with your target audience through social media, then you need a solid understanding of the kind of people you’re going to be connecting with.
Getting to know your audience through detailed buyer personas and consumer surveys before you start advertising on Facebook or Twitter will save you from wasting money on strategies that just won’t work for you.
Research the kind of customers that you want to reach with your social media efforts, and ask yourself what kind of posts they’re most likely to respond to.
At the same time, think about the goals you want to accomplish with social media for your business and ask yourself how you’re going to measure your progress or success.
For instance, if your aim is to increase brand awareness with potential leads who can increase your revenue, you can look at your follower numbers for evidence that your strategies are working.
To ensure that you’re collecting the right leads, score the people who reach out to you with an effective lead scoring system.
Prepare to Change and Grow
Social media is one of the most valuable tools that any business can access today.
However, it’s also something that requires careful planning if you want to get the most out of your campaigns.
Taking the time to identify the kind of audience you want to reach and building content that really speaks to those customers is crucial.
It’s also worth remembering that the social channels and the customers who use them are constantly changing.
Make sure you keep your finger on the pulse of the latest features and trends to avoid falling behind the competition.
Measuring the results of each campaign carefully with metrics your entire team can understand will ensure that you’re spending your money on the most successful plans for growth.