Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms to market products and services. In doing so, businesses are able to reach, connect, communicate and engage with their current and potential audiences. It is increasingly popular because of social media’s ability to reach a large number of people in real-time as well as its cost-effectiveness – which means that no matter the size of your business, you can use social media marketing to your benefit.
There are numerous benefits of using social media to market your business, which is why it is so popular. Some of these benefits include promoting your products or services, growing brand awareness, building customer loyalty and improving SEO to name a few. Ensuring you are able to reap the rewards of your marketing efforts involves a repetitive combination of planning, implementation, analysis and sometimes advertising.
Planning
Although it may not always seem like it, most businesses plan their content for social media marketing. Looking at what they will publish, on which platform, on what days and times and how many times a day or week – this all requires planning.
The first point of call is to establish what your goals are, keeping in mind that social media goals are derived from and support the business goals. These goals will then influence which are the best social media platforms for your business as well as the type of content you will share. It is okay to start with only one or two platforms and add more in future, you would rather do one thing well than do five mediocre things.
Advertising
All social media platforms provide an advertising function that can be used to grow your following. These ads allow you to be exposed and in turn, reach a larger audience. To make the most of your campaigns, you can set targets and create target audiences based on demographics, interests and more. These paid ads are a great way to boost your organic goals.
Implementation
Implementation does not only include publishing the content but also monitoring any engagement and conversation about your business – the good and the bad. Because social media works in real-time you can interact, you’re your audience in a timeous manner. For positive comments, you can interact with them to boost their experience and resonate with your business even more and for any negative comments, offer support and rectify any issues within your control.
Analysis
Analysis is just as important as planning as it lets you know how your social marketing efforts are doing. For example, your top-performing posts would be an indication that that content resonated with your audience and so you should aim to produce something similar in future. Metrics are also used to analyse your social media marketing efforts, with each metric being associated with a specific goal(s). The results of which will be used to refine your next cycle of content.
Social media marketing has become an integral part of any business in this technological age. Its wide reach, ease of accessibility and cost efficiency are a few reasons why it is so attractive. Because of this, businesses are able to reach, communicate and interact with a wide audience, allowing them to grow. As you can see, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes for businesses that utilise social media marketing. We have a range of packages to suit any budget, contact us to manage your social media marketing.
