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May 8, 2022
Long gone are the days when Facebook was merely a platform for people to connect with their friends and families, when Twitter was nothing but everyone’s virtual diary, and Instagram, everyone’s virtual photo album.
Now, these social platforms have become extremely popular channels for brands to market themselves – and these stats show why:
These numbers should be enough to convince you to start your own social media marketing strategy, or finetune it if you already have one. And what better way to do that than by learning from a leading digital marketing Miami agency?
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Social media marketing involves the use of social media platforms to promote your products and/or services, connect with prospective and existing customers, build your brand, drive traffic to your website, and generate more sales. In other words, it’s all about leveraging the power of social media networks to turn your marketing goals into reality.
Whether you’re using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, or YouTube, social media is definitely the place to be to make these things possible.
Typically, a social medial marketing plan includes:
Keep in mind, though, that your social media marketing strategy will differ based on which platforms your target audience usually spends time on.
For instance, if you’re targeting middle-aged men, marketing on Pinterest is almost completely pointless, considering that it’s dominated by female millennials (80%). Odds are, you won’t be seeing any rise in your sales, which means you just wasted all your time and effort for nothing.
Mapping out a killer social media marketing strategy requires expanding your social media vocabulary. Have a look at some of the most important terms:
Content refers to anything you create and post on social media, and it’s actually the most crucial element of social media marketing. It’s what catches the attention of your audience in the first place. The more relevant your content is to them, the more likely they are to become invested in your brand and share your post.
Social media content can take the form of:
Reach is the total number of users who have stumbled upon your social media content.
There are two types of reach: Organic and paid. With organic reach, you attract a new audience without having to spend a single dime, as opposed to paid reach where you need to shell out cash to grow your following.
When social media users interact with your content – be it liking, reacting, commenting, or sharing – that’s engagement in play.
In social media linguistics, impression means the number of times your content is displayed. The number of views or clicks isn’t taken into account.
UGC is any form of content that’s produced and posted by consumers on social media, and then shared by the brand itself.
For example, someone posts a photo of their favorite coffee on Instagram and tags the café shop. The owner (or the person managing the café’s IG account) then decides to repost it on their account as means of social proof. That’s UGC right there.
Conversion rate is the ratio of the number of people who checked out your post and took the desired action to the total visitors.
CTR tells you how often your visitors click on the CTA link in your post. It is measured for the link that directs them to another page.
Hashtags are words or phrases used to classify content on social media platforms, especially Twitter and Instagram. They’re used mainly to enable cross-referencing for content sharing, making it easier for users to find content associated with a certain hashtag.
Going viral involves sharing content at a constantly growing rate, with the virality rate caused by various factors, such as the social media channel, the audience, and the creativity of the content.
As the name implies, social media management is the process of managing a brand’s online presence on social media platforms. It usually involves creating and publishing content on multiple channels and analyzing their performance, as well as engaging users and converting them into leads.
So, why should you incorporate social media into your marketing? What makes it such a vital part of your business’ success?
Based on our years of experience working with businesses of all sizes as a digital marketing Miami agency, here’s what we can tell you:
Millions of people are on social media every day. Without a strong online presence, you’ll miss out on the potential to grow your brand and expand your market.
Social media has proven time and again to boost engagement. This happens when people interact with your content by liking, commenting, saving, sharing, and reposting. The more your post gets shared or reposted, the more exposure it brings to your business.
One of the easiest ways to convert leads and converting them into sales is by promoting your products on social media. That’s because you’re advertising to those who are already interested in your brand when they decided to follow your account.
But, how can you convert them into actual customers? Here are four suggestions:
Social media can also be a fantastic channel for boosting quality traffic to your website. It’s as easy as adding direct links on your profiles and sharing your blog posts.
Social media presents an opportunity to show your human side to your audience. How you tailor your bios, post your content, and interact with your followers will form their perception of you. By displaying a warm and friendly persona, people won’t have any trouble approaching you; they’ll find themselves wanting to know more about you.
Another wonderful thing about social media is that it allows you to directly communicate with prospects and consumers alike. You can respond to their comments and questions, hold discussions, and build a community.
Plus, it gives you the freedom to gather feedback from your customers. Letting them address their concerns openly shows them how much you genuinely value them.
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Now that you’re well-aware of how social media marketing can take your business a step ahead, let’s explore the leading platforms so you’ll know which ones suit your needs and goals.
With 2.93 billion active users worldwide, Facebook is the largest and most established social media network out there. Companies in the B2C industry have been using the platform mostly for raising brand awareness and advertising, leveraging features like the Facebook Business Page, Facebook Stories, Facebook Groups, live streams, and paid campaigns.
The platform also offers a free tool, the Facebook Business Suite, which enables you to promote your products and/or services in many ways, as well as to manage your marketing performance. You’ll be asked to pick a goal (e.g., getting more conversions or driving more web traffic), after which Facebook gives you an array of options to create the intended audience.
In terms of attracting people with visually appealing content and getting a high engagement rate, Instagram is undoubtedly every brand’s go-to platform. Whether you’re looking to post photos of your latest products or short clips highlighting your company culture, this should be your best bet. It’s especially popular among millennials.
Apart from images and videos, you can also leverage Reels and Stories, both of which are exciting features that help you increase visibility, engagement, and conversions. And, you certainly can’t go wrong with Instagram’s advanced e-commerce tools. Users can now discover brands, browse their products and/or services, and make a purchase without the need to leave the app.
While TikTok started in 2016, it has since become the fastest growing social media platform of all time – so fast that it only took five years to reach one billion active users!
Generally known for dancing and wacky challenges, there are actually countless categories on it that continue to grow. Brands are looking for ways to use it as a marketing channel and get their names out there, and some have already done so successfully.
People (Gen Z and millennials, mostly) are on TikTok to entertain and be entertained, which is why your videos should also be super entertaining in order to get their attention. Nobody will want to interact with your brand if your content’s too formal for their taste, that’s for sure.
Whereas Instagram and TikTok are all about visuals, Twitter is all about text – quick thoughts, insightful discussions, useful tidbits, you name it. Besides expressing their thoughts, people are usually there to get news, follow and interact with brands, and keep up with the latest trends.
Most businesses use Twitter for three reasons: customer service, public relations, and community building. They’re taking advantage of the tools available to them, including Twitter Moments for sharing interesting content with followers, Twitter Communities for forming communities of like-minded users, and Twitter Spaces, an audio tool.
What makes LinkedIn stand out from the rest of the social platforms is the fact that it’s the only one with a clearly defined audience: working professionals who are looking to network and seek out new job opportunities. LinkedIn's versatile advertising options also make it an invaluable platform for small businesses, offering targeted reach and engagement through LinkedIn ads for small businesses, allowing them to tap into the platform's professional user base and drive meaningful connections and conversions.
In short, it’s the perfect place for B2B companies to build industry-specific communities.
With YouTube, you’ll be able to gain new audiences by sharing long-form video content they find helpful and engaging. You can focus on explainer videos, how-to’s, tutorials, or even shoppable live streams.
The key is to add value as much as possible.
Ready to kick off your social media campaigns with confidence? These steps will get you on the right track:
List your goals and make sure that they align with your overall marketing strategy. We also suggest that you follow the SMART principle – be specific and realistic, use numbers, and set a deadline.
A good rule of thumb is to break your goals down into smaller actionable steps. That way, it’ll be much easier for you to achieve them.
With your goals in place, your next move is to learn about your ideal audience. To figure out the wants and needs of your audience, here are some of the things you should do:
Once you have a better understanding of who your audience is, winning them over on social media will be easier. People prefer brands that genuinely care about them.
Posting content on social media just because you need to post something will set you up for failure. People are looking to get educated or entertained. That’s why every piece you post should be meticulously planned and crafted.
It’s also important to note that your content strategy will vary depending on the platform you’re using. What works for one won’t work well for the other.
Take LinkedIn, for example. Since it’s a professional network designed for B2B audiences, snarky content is less likely to do well. You’ll only leave a bad impression on the users there.
In general, you can create compelling social media copy by:
With intrusive marketing becoming a thing of the past, salesy talk is a big no-no. Consumers today find it off-putting when brands constantly post content that pushes them to take action. Instead, focus on content that humanizes your brand so they can connect with you.
Have you ever wondered why your engagement rates often stay low despite posting quality content consistently? What if we told you that it might have something to do with your timing?
There are specific days and times that will get you the highest engagement when posting on social media. Sprout Social found that Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 9 or 10 in the morning are the most ideal, and Sunday is the worst day to post.
If we were you, we’d set up a content calendar to make everything more convenient. There are tons of tools available to help you plan, organize, and publish all your content in a timely and efficient manner. Trust us, having one will make your life more convenient.
Hosting social media contests is a surefire way to grow your brand’s following and online reputation. We’ve used this tactic countless times while serving as a digital marketing Miami agency, so we’ve seen how effective it could be.
The trick is to keep your contest mechanics simple so that more people will gladly take part. Chances are, they’ll refuse to join if they see how complicated the rules are.
Offer rewards that will entice your audience not only to participate, but also to invite their friends to tag along. Discounts and exclusive deals, as well as free services that can be availed of anytime, can guarantee you full slots in no time. Oh, and don’t forget to tell them that these prices are limited!
87% of marketers say that posting video content gives them a positive ROI. 84% say video has helped them generate leads.
68% of consumers would rather learn more about new products by watching videos. 64% make a purchase after viewing branded social videos.
Are these stats enough to convince you to post videos regularly on your socials? If the answer’s a resounding yes (and we’re confident it is), here are some ideas that will help your brand stand out:
Imagine being on seven different platforms and posting manually on each of them not once, not twice – but three times a day! That should be enough to drive you nuts!
Fortunately, there are social media tools designed to keep you sane. Whether you need one to schedule and publish your posts all in one go for the month, track your campaigns, or monitor your brand’s online reputation, there’s always a tool for that.
For a list of social media must-haves, head over to this page. You’ll thank yourself for it!
So, how will you know whether your efforts are successful or not?
It’s simple: review and manage your social media metrics. Below are the 10 most essential metrics to keep an eye on:
Influencing all of these metrics isn’t complicated, really. In fact, it’s as simple as using the same tactics you would to generate leads and increase conversions.
According to Stephanie Morgan, founder and CEO of a social media agency called Social Lock, the metrics you focus on will depend on which season you’re in. This is her formula:
You might be wondering, are there tools that can track and measure these metrics? Absolutely!
Google Analytics is a top pick among marketers. Others prefer the tools built into the social media platforms, such as Facebook Analytics, Twitter Analytics, and Instagram Insights. TapInfluence, BuzzSumo, Keyhole, and Curalate are also great recommendations.
By choosing the right social media analytics tools, you’ll get the answers you need to put your brand a step ahead of the curve. Just make a point to dig deeper into your data so you can get the most out of your future social campaigns.
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With billions of people spending time on social channels every day, it’s not surprising why businesses are investing in social media marketing. Now’s the best time to hop on the bandwagon – unless it doesn’t bother you to miss out on leads, customers, and sales!
Our social media marketing team here at Digital Resource will be more than happy to help you build a future-proof online presence. They have a toolkit full of creativity, experience, and know-how to tailor the perfect custom strategy for your company.
Contact us today to get started!
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