Social media has turned out to be an absolute game-changer when it comes to marketing in the 21st century. In the 2000s, users worldwide marvelled at social media’s ability to connect them with their long-lost friends. Today, social media has grown to be much bigger and the features they provide continue to be unrivalled.

Besides flaunting their lifestyles and scrolling through hours of content, people also use social media to get to know new products and brands. Do not assume that a well-planned social media marketing strategy can only be carried out by a massive corporation with dedicated teams. Even if your business emerged in the market relatively recently, and your workforce is comparatively smaller, you can still use social media in your marketing strategies.

Why should you use social media marketing?

In this digital age, people live a large part of their lives virtually. This shift to the virtual world was accelerated in 2020 when real-life interactions became risky and social media seemed like the best alternative. Users started spending considerably more hours on their phones, and it was only natural to keep jumping from one app to another. Even if they were playing a game online, they would often open up Instagram and Facebook to see if they have any messages or replies. Social media also became the source for news from every corner of the world.

The accounts followed by social media users are not limited to friends and celebrities. Many brands with rock-solid social media presence have accumulated tens of thousands of followers who enjoy engaging with the content they publish. With the power of shares, likes and sponsored posts, these brands also acquired more and more followers each day. Read on to understand how you too can get the most out of social media for your brand.

Social media marketing goals

Each business would expect a different outcome from using social media marketing. Figure out if you want social media to bring in more customers to your digital marketplace, if you’re going to engage in discussions and receive feedback or if you want users to become familiar with your branding.

Once you understand what you want from these platforms, you can create an appropriate plan.

The content

Once you have an idea about how to proceed, you must decide on what you will be uploading on your social media pages. The best way to do this is to examine the pages of companies who have achieved remarkable success on social media. Understand the various techniques they used and the type of content they created for their audience base. You could also get familiarised with what your competitors and other businesses in your field are doing on social media.

Social media provides you with the opportunity to upload many different kinds of content, such as text posts, images, videos, live streams, etc. You can always use a mixture of all these and keep things interesting. But if you desire consistency, stick to one attractive format, complete with your brand logo, design, and colours and occasionally switch things up. Though your brand aesthetic must be present in your posts, they shouldn’t be too overpowering and make your page seem like a massive advertisement.

Being regular with your uploads will help bring in more followers. This does not mean that you upload five mediocre posts every day. Once you have settled on the content you will be delivering, create a long-term plan that includes upload schedules and the topic covered each day. Being systematic with your uploads will ensure that you will always have quality content at the ready for regular uploads. Deviate from the plan only if a noteworthy event has taken place or you come across an idea that can significantly boost the engagement.

Advertising

Advertising on social media can be comparatively less expensive and more effective. Social media platforms make use of specialised analytics that understand the behaviour and preferences of its users. So when you create an advertising campaign on social media, your product will be introduced to those who are more likely to develop an interest and become potential customers.

Many platforms give you the options to select the gender, age, region, income, interests, etc. of the people who will be shown your advertisements. This is an excellent alternative to advertising on traditional media such as Television and Newspapers were everyone is shown ads indiscriminately. You will save several bucks and reach the right recipients when you advertise using social media.

Influencer marketing

Another fantastic way in which you can use social media for marketing is by partnering with influencers. With their massive follower base, social media influencers can prove crucial to the success of your brand. Numerous online platforms designed to help you find the most suitable influencers for your specific field can be found online. Once you contact the influencer, you either pay them for talking about your product or send them free products to review.

Only tell the influencer the key points they must mention in their post regarding your product. Social media influencers often use a specific aesthetic or pattern that they follow both for regular and sponsored posts and asking them to design a particular post differently might not work in your favour. 

 There are several regulations regarding having celebrities and influencers talk about your product. Make sure that they mention that it is an ad or a sponsored post when they upload. Offering them a promo code that can be used by their followers is also an excellent method for conversion and attracting more users to your social media account.

Summing up

When choosing the right platforms for social media marketing, you must figure out where the majority of your customers go to socialise. Social media platform preferences can vary among different age groups, and for some brands, Instagram might be the perfect choice, while Facebook will provide the most benefits for others. There is no harm in cultivating a following on multiple platforms, but you must be well-equipped to maintain your consistency across all the locations. When creating content for your followers, you must also keep in mind your customers and their desires and preferences. Various analytic tools can be used to gather insights regarding those who engage with your posts and products.