Gone are the days where promoting your products or services meant handing out leaflets or putting in quick ads on various radio and TV channels. These times, the tools available to companies in this regard are much more extensive and overall efficient. Few can deny the importance of digital marketing in running a modern business.
And even on the Internet, there's always a bigger fish, no matter if you're a small coffee shop, a gardening store, a political lobbying firm, or a financial advisor. Few digital marketing methods can offer you as many advantages as social media marketing. Being free, the sheer number of potential customers available, and even the capacity for improving your brand image - this is only the tip of the iceberg. But entering social media marketing without a solid plan may not be the best idea.
To help you develop it, below you'll find a
list of the most important things to consider before building your SMM,
including defining your goals, researching your target audience, deciding which
platform is the best for your type of business, understanding the value of good
content, and deciding on your style. Read on and know what to focus on before
you start formulating your social media tactics!
Define Your Goals
Setting goals is the first step to achieving success in anything you do. Without it, the path to your desired result becomes unclear, and you can easily lose focus and perspective. This is especially true for social media marketing - with so many possibilities to engage with, it's easy to get lost. Not having a clear goal from the beginning will be your biggest mistake. It's vital to define what exactly you want to achieve and then work toward it until you achieve it.
So what are your goals? To get more customers?
A better audience engagement? To improve brand
awareness? These are all valid goals, but they can be refined into smaller,
more manageable steps. For example, a good goal for increasing customer
engagement may be to boost the number of likes on your Facebook page. If you
already have a decent amount of likes on Facebook but want to increase them by
20%, you can do so by boosting your ad campaigns on Facebook or developing a
referral program.
Research Your Target Audience
Once you decide on your goals for your SMM campaign, you need to research your target audience. You have to know who exactly you're trying to reach, what their needs are, and how to best approach them. This is often referred to as creating a persona - an imaginary person that represents your ideal customer.
After all, no matter how cool your product or service is, there are only so many people who will buy it. So who are these people? Why should they choose your company over your competition?
To
create a persona, you need to look at your current customers and see
if there's a pattern. Look at their age, gender, income bracket, and the areas
they live in. Look at what language they use and what social media channels
they are active on. Look at what they like and their behavior when shopping
online or offline. Once you have an idea of your ideal customer, you can start
working toward engaging them by tailoring your content to their specific needs
and interests. So before anything else, understand the people you want to
reach!
Choose the Suitable Platform
There are dozens of social media platforms out there - each with its unique advantages and disadvantages. Some of the most popular ones include Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram, but many companies have found success on less popular platforms as well.
If you have plenty of time and resources available but a limited budget, consider starting with building a presence on some of the smaller niche channels, such as Tumblr or Pinterest. However, if your budget limits you to only one platform, the choice should be made based on which platform has the largest audience relevant to what you offer.
This means that if you're looking to sell
skateboards online, it may be best to start promoting your products on
Instagram rather than on Youtube - even though Facebook has more users in
general. It's not really that surprising - skateboarders are a generally
younger crowd that prefers Instagram over Facebook for its stronger visual
appeal. This way, you can use the same channel for promotion as well as
customer interaction - something that is great for customer retention and
satisfaction!
Understand the Value of Good Content
Good content is essential for any form of marketing - and social media marketing is no exception. In fact, the competition between various brands for customer attention is much stronger than ever before, and in order to succeed, you need to work harder than ever before. So before you start posting links or sharing photos and videos of your products or services - make sure your content is worth sharing!
This goes back to defining your goals - if you want publicity, for example, then make sure you share links relevant to your industry and/or targeted audience. If you want engagement and customer retention, then it may be better to go for images or videos instead of text-based content (especially memes!).
If all else fails and you just want traffic -
go straight for paid ads! There are many different ways to go about it, but
make sure to always stick with the quality over quantity mentality. Posting too
much content can actually hurt your chances at engagement - so try to find a
balance between sharing enough content and keeping your fans engaged!
Decide on Your Style
One of the most important things to decide when building your SMM campaign is your overall style. As much as it seems like a minor detail, your style has a huge impact on how people perceive you and react to your content.
If you're a more serious business, try to post
more informative and educational content to go along with your promotional
material. On the other hand, if you're a more relaxed company, try to make your
posts more personal and playful - it will give your brand a more human touch
that others may find appealing. No matter what you choose, make sure to stay
consistent, and don't change your style too often!
Conclusion
Using social media for advertising and promotion of your business is a great way to get more customers quickly and cheaply. It's easy to get lost in the vastness of social media, especially if you're new to it - but with this guide, you can avoid the most common pitfalls and focus on achieving your goals.
Just remember that in order to succeed, you
need to define these goals clearly, research your target audience, decide which
platform is best for your type of business, and then make sure your content is
excellent and written in a style that's suitable for your target audience. Only
then can you expect to actually succeed in your SMM! Good luck!
