What Is Social Media Marketing?
Social media marketing (SMM) is when a company uses social media platforms to connect with its customers to build its brand, increase sales, or improve website traffic. The process includes social media content posting, audience engagement, follower attraction and retention, and data and result analysis.
It is considered a type of digital marketing with its most unique feature being the varied mediums upon which it is used and the specialized audiences it attracts. Social media marketing can help your business boost your social media presence and attract more customers.
Why Use Social Media Marketing?
The reasons to use social media marketing include:
- More than 3 billion people use at least one social media platform to connect with each other online.
- Social media platforms provide vast potential for companies to build brand awareness or attract more leads for sales.
- Companies can measure the results of any post in a short amount of time.
- Content has the highest chance of going viral on social media.
Your business should remember these benefits when deciding whether to use social media marketing.
What Are the Different Types of Social Media?
There are varying types of social media, including:
- Social networks: These social media platforms are primarily used to connect with other people online for general or specific purposes, such as Facebook and LinkedIn.
- Media sharing networks: These platforms are primarily used to disseminate content either created or found by the user, like YouTube.
- Discussion forums: An early form of online social networking, forums are spaces in which users of similar interests gather to share and discuss ideas, news, or other types of information, such as Reddit and Quora.
Your business should consider the different types of social media and which will work best for your company’s goals.
What Is included in a Social Media Campaign?
A social media campaign varies on a case-by-case basis. The most successful social media campaigns typically have these four traits in common:
- Clear goals: Determine if you want to increase followers, web traffic, or leads.
- Specific plan: Craft a strategy that is specific to your goals and the nature of your business.
- Cross-channel promotion: Use more than one social media platform to increase the reach and effectiveness of a campaign.
- Analysis: Measure all the relevant factors to determine the effectiveness of the campaign.
Focus on these goals and you will have a strong and sensible social media campaign.
How Do You Develop a Social Media Marketing Strategy?
Developing a social media marketing strategy for your business should follow a few basic steps:
1. Identify and state your goals: These goals need to be:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant to the business
- Adhere to a timeline
2. Research your market and potential competitors: Conduct surveys or other similar means to discover what your target audience wants and what competitors are doing to serve those needs.
- Consider the 3 Ps: product, price, and place.
- Test everything: Ensure relevant data points check out and thoroughly analyze how all relevant social media factors affect whether you are making the best decision.
By following these tips, your business is more likely to have an effective and appropriate social media marketing strategy.