It's a jungle out there. And if you're not doing social media marketing, you might as well be sleeping in the wilderness with your eyes open (and mouth shut). But what is social media marketing? What are the best ways to go about it? And how do you make sure your efforts are effective and profitable? These are all questions GNB Agency will address in this guide. Read on!
What is social media marketing?
Social media marketing is using social media platforms and tools to promote your business or brand. Social media marketing can build your audience, create trust and credibility with potential customers, drive traffic to your website, generate leads and sales - the list goes on!
Social media has become an essential part of digital marketing because it allows you to connect with people interested in what you have to say or sell. You don't have to pay this attention; all it takes is some strategic planning and execution consistently over time.
What social media marketing is not.
Social media marketing is not a quick fix. It's easy to get excited about social media and think it will solve all your problems, but this isn't the case. Social media takes time and effort, especially when you're just starting. You have to commit yourself fully if you want success!
Social media marketing isn't just another sales funnel or one-time event where you post posts and then forget about them until next year when it's time again (if ever). It's not even like advertising - you can't just throw money at an ad campaign and expect results! There are so many factors involved with getting results from any marketing campaign that only through constant work will they show themselves as positive outcomes over time rather than negative ones like wasted money/time spent poorly on ineffective strategies.
Why is a strategy important?
You may be thinking, "Why do I need a strategy? I'm just getting started!" But it's important to understand why having a strategy is important:
A strategy helps you focus on what's important. A good social media marketing plan will show you how to use each platform most effectively for your business goals instead of spreading yourself too thin across multiple platforms.
A good social media marketing plan helps you decide what to post, when and where - and why. For example, if one of your goals is driving traffic from Facebook ads, posting content directly from Facebook might not be the best idea (since users can't click through). Instead, use Instagram Stories or Snapchat filters because they allow users to click directly on the destination page (which could be an ad).
A good social media marketing plan also allows you to measure progress and adjust as needed, which is crucial when managing campaigns across multiple platforms at once!
How to create a social media marketing plan that works.
To create a good social media marketing plan, follow the next steps:
Step 1. Listen and learn.
The first step of any social media marketing strategy is to listen and learn.
You need to know what your customers want, which influencers they trust, what the news is saying about your industry, and how people are talking about it online.
Step 2. Set smart goals.
The second step in creating a social media strategy is to set smart goals. Smart goals are specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant (SMART).
A good example of a SMART goal would be: "I want to get 100 new followers on Instagram."
Step 3. Choose the right channels.
With your business goals, target audience, and content strategy in mind, you can start to choose the right social media channels for your brand. Remember that not all platforms are created equal: some may be better suited to certain businesses or industries than others. Also, remember that what works well for one brand might not work well for another. For example, sell luxury handbags on Instagram but have a more mature audience than other brands selling similar products (which can skew toward younger ones). It might make sense to try another platform like Facebook instead, where there's likely less competition among similar products and audiences tend to be older overall.
Step 4. Build your brand image and tone of voice.
Now that you've defined your audience and set goals, it's time to build your brand image and tone of voice. This is where many marketers get stuck because they don't know where to start.
Your brand image is what people think of when they hear your company name (think Apple or Coca-Cola). Your brand tone of voice is how you communicate with your audience--the words and images you use on social media posts or ads, along with how those posts look visually. The goal here is consistency: if someone sees one post from your company in their newsfeed, then another one later in the day from a different employee at the same company, there should be some sort of correlation between them--and ideally, no surprises! This helps build trust between customers and businesses; without it, people may wonder whether companies are trying too hard or not.
Step 5. Create a content schedule (and stick to it).
Now that your content plan is ready to go, it's time to implement it. You can use a spreadsheet or calendar app to schedule your posts and keep track of when they are due, but if you're going to do this right, then it's best to use a tool specifically built for social media management like Hootsuite or Buffer. Choose one of these platforms and start using them regularly. They'll help keep track of all the different tasks associated with creating content on multiple platforms at once (e.g., scheduling tweets from an iPhone while uploading images via desktop).
Once again: consistency is key! When people see new content from their favorite brands every day--or even several times per week--it builds trust in those brands as trustworthy sources of information. That's why it's important not only to create schedules but also to stick closely within those schedules so followers know what they can expect from each post without variation or delay.
Step 6. Make sure you're measuring the right things and make adjustments as necessary.
There are a few key metrics for measuring social media ROI, and it's important that you know what they are.
Social Media Engagement: This is the amount of time spent on your brand's pages and how many people have interacted with posts, liked or shared them, commented on them, etc.
Customer Service: The quality of service you provide via social channels can mean the difference between someone becoming an advocate or a detractor of your brand. Make sure you're monitoring customer service interactions and responding quickly when necessary!
Brand Awareness: If you want people to buy from you (and why wouldn't you?), keeping them engaged in conversation about what makes your company different from others in its industry is key!
Conclusion
Now that you know more about social media marketing, it's time to start! Remember that there is no "right" way to do this--as long as you have a plan in place and are listening to your audience, you can tailor it to fit their needs.