So, what’s all the fuss about social media marketing? There isn’t a single marketer in sight who wouldn’t indulge in rhapsodic testimonies of the wonders of a well laid out social media marketing strategy and rightly so! Has there ever been a bigger platform to showcase what you have to offer or have you ever witnessed a greater multitude of contrivances that literally bring the whole world together in one space? Dramatic as it may sound if Shakespeare was alive today, “all the world’s a stage” would definitely be replaced by “social media is the stage of the world’’. Picture this, from a marketing standpoint, an upcoming business which is trying to make a mark, what would it rather do? Sit around and wait for people to discover it in the slow lane or just go announce its attributes to a gargantuan marketplace looking specifically for what it has to offer? No prizes for guessing this one, but hey! The various social media platforms are the gargantuan marketplace and a social media strategy is the market player that can make if not break a brand. According to digital marketer, 79% of US internet users are on Facebook, Six out of ten Americans stay updated on news through social media, while 35% have used social media to look for or research for a job. Thus, the idea is to utilize the full potential of social media platforms for digital marketing, which goes much beyond likes, follows, and shares.
WHAT IS A SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING STRATEGY?
Social Media Strategy is a set of plans, ideas, goals, and a charted path to the goals you want to achieve as a business through the various social media networks. This involves creating and sharing content on various social media platforms in order to sell or promote a brand, product, or service. A typical social media campaign is all about publishing relevant and engaging content like videos, images, etc. on your social media profiles, listening and responding to your followers, and running social media advertising campaigns. These steps enable you to connect your target audience with your brand, increase sales and drive traffic to your website. Therefore, curating a well-thought-out, calculated, and personalized social media marketing plan for creating a social media presence for your business is instrumental in growing your business.
FUN FACTS and STATS:
55 percent of the world’s population uses social media.
Facebook is the most extensively used social media platform.
The average number of hours spent on social media per person is at least 2.5 hours per day.
In the USA, people aged between l 18-29 years make up the biggest percentage of social media users.
96% of Marketers indulge in a social media marketing plan.
BENEFITS OF HAVING A DEDICATED SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING CAMPAIGN
A wide majority of marketers around the world acknowledge the possibilities that social media content strategy holds, not only in terms of brand exposure but also cost-effectiveness, time-saving, traffic, and sales. Tapping into its full potential can bring about growth and success of any business, big or small, old or new. Let’s look into some of the major benefits of having a well-laid-out social media strategy.
Exposing your business to a broad range of audiences that social media networks offer, will help you increase your brand awareness. With every new update, you not only are able to reinstate your credibility to your existing clientele but you are also likely to be introduced to a new network of individuals who can be converted into paying customers.
Every social media profile created serves as a portal to your website. Using different social media networks opens up the doors to be accessible to a versatile clientele based on age groups, demographics, and preferences. Thus, syndicating your content accordingly helps you reach beyond the limitations of your fixed customer circle.
By creating high-quality content for your social media updates that incorporate your target keywords make your profile attractive and credible. It helps you build a social media community that will like and share your content for others to see. In other words, it is an indirect way to improve your search engine rankings though nothing can replace search engine optimization in achieving better rankings and traffic.
Direct customer interaction is a great way to demonstrate that your goal is to create customer satisfaction. Personalized responses to customers’ comments translate into business opportunities.
The more interactive your social media profile, the greater are the chances of creating a loyal customer base
Last but not the least, having a social media campaign is the most cost-effective marketing strategy. Creating social profiles is relatively free across most platforms and should you choose to indulge in paid marketing, the budget can always be fixed at your discretion. By just spending a small amount of time and money on social media strategy you can have a greater ROI and can divert what you save into other marketing and business expenses.
But, all this comes with careful planning and meticulous implementation and for this, you need to have a proper social media strategy in place. Here are a few guidelines you can follow to create a credible and impactful social media marketing strategy.
1. Set your Campaign Goals:
You need to be absolutely clear about the motive behind starting a social media campaign. Some common goals include;
Increasing brand awareness.
Increasing sales.
Getting new clients.
Increasing engagement.
Acquiring leads.
The more specific and earmarked your goals, the easier it will be to create well-structured campaigns that will hit the mark. Being vague is not an option. Experts swear by a planning framework called S. M. A. R. T when chalking out a social media content strategy. Let’s look at them one by one;
Specific- aim for a specific goal at a time.
Measurable- how would you measure your success? This is where metrics come in.
Attainable: Are your goals realistic and attainable with the resources at your disposal.
Relevant- are your goals relevant to your business objectives, vision, or values.
Time Specific- always have a deadline for your goals to be fulfilled.
2. Identify your target audience:
Your content should be created keeping your target audience in mind. In order for your marketing strategy to be successful, it is essential that you understand your audience.
Surveys, reports, and statistics help a great deal. Creating market personas will also help to adjust your campaigns according to their expectations.
3. Choose the right platform:
The idea is to choose a social media platform that is the most popular with your target audience and which also compliments your brand image. Different platforms come with different features and requirements and you will need to design your content accordingly.
4. Competitor analysis:
Your competitors will also have a running social media marketing strategy. Having the knowledge of their tactics and strategies will help you better understand what potential customers expect from your niche. You can even identify their weakness in their strategy and cash on that to have an edge over your competitors.
5. Plan your social media content strategy:
The content you post on social media should be balanced. Do not bombard consumers with excessive promotional content. You need to post informative and entertaining content as well, after all, it is a social platform and not specifically a marketplace. Being monotonous can be detrimental to customer engagement. Creating diverse content with videos, images, and compelling text gets the best response.
6. Customize your content for each social network:
Once you have identified the social media platforms that you are going to utilize for your social media campaign, and have created proper accounts, customize your content according to the posting specifics required by each of these platforms. For example, you cannot write more than 280 characters in a tweet, short videos perform well on Facebook, Instagram is an image-based platform so you need to post relevant images, Pinterest is image-focused, etc.
7. Engage with your audience and build a community:
Social media is a platform for people to interact and not just read or watch content. For a business to be successful, it is thus important not just to broadcast what you have to offer but also to engage with your audience. Responding to customer queries and social mentions is a great way to prove that customer care is a priority. Another way to engage with customers is by creating a community for them. Interactive posts that involve your audience makes your brand come across as a sentient entity and not just another business looking to monetize their interest in you.
8. Social listening:
You must monitor the social media conversations about your brand. As your following grows, so does the conversion about your brand. Followers tend to comment on your posts or tag you in their social media posts. Keeping an eye on these conversations helps you to know who is talking positively about your brand and also gives you a chance to rectify any mistakes or unwanted situations should there be a negative comment.
There’s this and much more when it comes to having an exceptional social media marketing strategy. To put it in simple words, it is about making an impactful presence in the place where today’s customers hobnob the most. We live in the age of social media where customers are constantly sharing opinions and experiences. Thus social media platforms become an intrinsic part of an ideal marketing strategy. We have put together the best possible ways for you to utilize social media marketing to grow your business. At Pravaah Consulting we have the expertise and experience to fully leverage social media in your social media marketing plan.
Are you ready for a Social Media Content strategy overhaul yet?
For any other additional information:
E-mail: pritesh@pravaahconsulting.com
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