Over the last few years, many digital marketers are starting to increase their budgets allocated to social media marketing. In reality – social media works. It is a way for businesses to communicate their message to their target audience and engage directly with them. A couple of years ago marketers relied on one way communication channels to broadcast their message in hopes that someone will take notice. It used to cost them dearly to acquire insights and research on the depth of their campaigns and most of the time, it was a shot in the dark.
Social media opened the door to this, but many still don’t understand the very basics of this medium. The social web continues to mature and it is time for digital marketers to start using this social instrument on communication as a key marketing tool to engage and collaborate with the audience they are trying to reach.
What are the basic social media guidelines to start building authority on the social web?
What is your business goals?
It is important that you determine your business goals for your social media campaign before you dive into the social web for your business. In my experience, most businesses are focusing on raising brand visibility, build awareness, increasing sales, acquiring new customers, and keep existing clients. It all depends on what you want to achieve and the complexity of your sales funnel, your social media goals may be more in-depth.
Who’s your targeted audience?
While knowing who your targeted audience should be part of any marketing initiative, on the social web you should take this further to understand more about who they are. Expand your buyers persona to include the social media channels they are using. How are they using social media when they are in the buying mood? Do they just use social media for input or for much larger decision-making in terms of more information and influence?
Select the right social media channels
Social media requires a lot of time, engagement, and commitment on the part of digital marketers. By researching and creating buyer personas, use the social media channels that your audience is using. Spend some time on using these channels and understand each channels problems to make sure that your approach resonates on the channel.
Keep your mind on branding
Branding is a very important part of every business communication and social media is not to be treated differently. For many organizations, social media requires going beyond their marked branding guidelines to use a 360 degree that outlines their brand.
Content is king
You must have heard this saying before, but it’s true. Content is king with digital marketing. Don’t just publish any type of content because it is all the buzz right now. Create content that your targeted audience will find interesting and valuable. Determine your audience’s needs on the social media channels they are using and create “magnetic content” that will draw them in to take an action. Social media is not about selling directly so find clever ways to incorporate links and call to actions on your offering.
Expand your social media reach
Exactly the same with any other form of marketing, the saying build it and they will come doesn’t work with social media. Remember that your clients are using social media to engage with their friends and family, not directly with you. It is very important that you create a promotional plan to use with your targeted audience to persuade them to visit your social media presence. Use some sort of enticement such as freebies or discounts to draw them in.
Measurement
To track the effectiveness and success of your social media campaign, you must set up measurement metrics that are in line with your business goals. These must be established before you start with your campaign to make sure that you have used the means to check the success of your campaign and that your analytics can capture this data. If you don’t have any ways to measure your success, you’re left with no means to effectively monitor if your campaign is actually working.
As more business are gaining experience using the social web for marketing purposes, it is important to make sure that your campaign is aligned with your business objectives. You must create a living social media marketing strategy and integrate it with your other marketing initiatives.
Social media is really for branding and communication directly to your consumers ,it is really right if you work by keeping your goal in the mind.It helps me to improve my social media strategy.
That is true Priyal. Social media is an instrument on communication, but that is unfortunately where many businesses are getting it wrong. It should be called “social media communication” instead of social media marketing.
Couldn’t agree more! You took the word right out of my mouth…
I did? yay!