Social media platforms continue to be among the most significant and unifying online spaces, despite recent criticism from commercial and political critics. There are already more than 2.5 billion individuals on the planet who use social media, and that number is only likely to rise.
To make the most of social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, marketers need to employ strategies beyond the use of hashtags and emoticons. Marketers who have found success in social media use a wide range of complex methods aimed at articulating a unique point of view that attracts new customers, increases brand recognition, and makes existing ones happy.
Let’s take a look at seven novel approaches employed by the best social media marketers to significantly boost their results on these platforms.
Create a strategy that uses many channels
A short time ago, Twitter was the social media marketing tool of choice. After then, Facebook became the go-to social media platform for advertising. It appears that Instagram is currently the platform of choice for most advertisers.
It’s impossible to predict which social media platform will become the industry standard in the next years. Any marketer worth their salt knows that putting all of their eggs in one social media basket is a bad idea. Instead, businesses should learn more about their intended demographic. Many people frequently switch between various networks depending on their needs.
Similarly, social media marketers need to use a variety of channels to get their message out. In order to get people to follow your brand on different services, you need to exploit each one in a distinctive way.
Spend money on social media influencers
One survey found that 95% of businesses who use influencer marketing consider it to be successful. Famous companies like Nike, KitchenAid, and Rolex use influencer marketing to reach people online.
Traditional advertisements have become increasingly suspect to internet users. Ad blindness has set in, whereby people simply disregard the prominently placed display adverts on social media.
Some companies have responded to this by paying social media influencers to create material that would help them connect with their ideal customers.
Immediately interact with people that leave comments
Algorithms are used by the majority of social networking sites to choose which posts are featured and which are buried. Facebook and Instagram prioritize “engagement” when deciding which posts to show users.
Comments are a primary method of interaction. Comment-heavy posts tend to rise to the top of social media feeds and discovery pages like Instagram’s Explore.
Have a social media monitor on hand ready to respond to user comments at any time to encourage members of your target audience to interact with your material. Other users are more inclined to interact with your content if you respond quickly to comments. Your ability to comment in a way that is both on-brand and original will have a direct impact on how your target audience perceives your brand.
Expand your impact by targeting people who are similar to your current customers
In order to expand your social media marketing’s audience, you need to do more than just post organic content. As soon as a strategy has been determined, paid components should be added to increase exposure.
In order to find people online who are most like your ideal consumer, look-alike audiences leverage the algorithms built by social media platforms. Simply submit an email list of your greatest clients to Facebook, and the social media site will find persons who share their demographic and psychographic characteristics.
Then you can promote your site or page to attract customers. As time goes on, this method will aid you in rapidly expanding a more robust social media following.
Use both online and offline metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of your strategy
If you want to know if your social media plan is successful, analytics are your best bet. Growth in followers, activity, and reach are all excellent indicators of success on social media platforms. However, it is equally important to evaluate success on the ground.
Can you, for instance, get people who interact with your business on social media to visit your site? If so, what kinds of actions do they do while on your site? Do they quickly leave (bounce) or spend time reading what’s there?
You can tell if your current plan will yield useful business results by examining the data collected with a program like Google Analytics.
Construct a distinct and memorable brand name and logo
Users of today’s most popular social media platforms are continually reassessing the content they want to see and what they don’t want to see in their news feeds. Thus, it is crucial that your company have a distinct and alluring brand identity. Otherwise, your social network profile will look like a copy of someone else’s.
Create a plan that uses a variety of media to present a unified story about your brand in fresh and engaging ways.
Think of original ways to make people happy
On average, a satisfied customer will tell nine others about their positive service encounter. Finding unique ways to make people happy on social media is an excellent strategy for gaining a sizable, genuine following without paying for ads or other promotional methods.
Create an editorial schedule that includes exciting events that will make your audience proud to be associated with your brand. While major global events and holidays present the most possibility, creating a lighthearted, on-brand video during the week is still a fantastic way to surprise and delight your social media followers.
It’s important to adapt your marketing strategies to the ever-shifting nature of the social media landscape. Although techniques evolve with time, the principles discussed here will not.
Create a sponsored and organic social media mix that delivers joy to your followers and clearly articulates your business voice. In due time, you amass a sizable social media following, one that can bring in serious cash for your business.