Social media is now the most widely used marketing tool. Statistics indicate that more people spend at least an hour on social networking sites each week. Digital marketing has become integral to most businesses’ marketing mix. Although digital media has come a long way in terms of innovation and tools, social media marketing has also made steady progress. In fact, social media has evolved to be so useful that some companies are starting to see it replace traditional marketing strategies.
User Friendly Social Media Strategy
Social media marketing is simply the application of online marketing techniques to social media channels. A social media strategy will usually focus on the aspect of user friendliness—making sure that the set-up is easy for friends and family to use. Another important factor is the ease with which the content can be shared. Many companies, for example, have found that providing useful information through Facebook applications and e-mails is far more effective than having to send out mass print advertisements. The key, of course, is to create a social strategy that effectively captures the attention and interest of the target audience.
Getting Personal
One of the advantages of social media marketing is that it allows a brand to reach its audience at a very personal level. In addition to providing a platform for interaction between business and its customers, it lets people get to know a brand much better than they would be able to through other means. This is because it’s impossible to predict what your audience wants to hear or see. Unlike television and radio shows, there’s rarely an element of surprise— a factor that keeps audiences coming back for more.
Methods Of Social Media Marketing
There are several ways to apply social media marketing. The first step is to set up an official account on any one of the many social networks. It’s important to note that even some of the most popular social networks have policies concerning spamming. In general, it’s best to avoid such promotional avenues if at all possible. However, once a brand has established an official account, it’s important to stick to it.
Once a website or channel is established, it’s time to start developing quality content. A great way to do this is to post links to company-related articles or press releases that are related to the products and services that a brand offers. Preferably, these websites should all be mobile friendly because we all know how addicted everyone is to their phones. One of the benefits of mobile marketing is that you can be constantly engaging your target audience. Additionally, a brand can take advantage of video-sharing services like YouTube and Metacafe to give viewers a chance to see in detail how their product will benefit them. While these methods may not immediately bring a large audience to a brand’s website, they serve as excellent platforms for building customer relations and trust.
The final step in developing a social media marketing strategy is to set up giveaways or contests of some kind. These events can be used to promote product releases, as well as build brand awareness. These events should be carefully planned and promoted in a way that makes the winner feel personally appreciated. This helps increase the likelihood that a marketer’s target audience will participate in future promotions, as well.
Planning Is A Crucial Step
Effective social media marketing requires careful consideration of each component of the plan. Even the most well thought out strategy will be useless unless there are concrete plans in place to carry it out. One of the best ways to begin is by engaging with a selected group of followers on one of the channels a marketer maintains. By connecting with these followers on a personal level, a marketer can begin to establish a rapport with them and grow the relationship over time. This personal connection will prove integral to successful marketing, especially for a first timer like Rinny Torossian.
Followers Are Important In Marketing
For any marketer, securing followers who appreciate what he or she is selling is paramount to the ultimate success of a campaign. In this sense, each social platform is an extension of the social media sites themselves and should be treated as such. When building an audience, it is important to remember that there are many users on each site and not everyone will necessarily be interested in what you have to offer. For example, the demographic of most Twitter followers may not be ideal for a marketer targeting younger audiences. This is why social media marketing should take into account who the target audience is and plan accordingly.
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