Social Media Marketing
FEATUREDSOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
A significant 81% of millennials regularly check Twitter each day, while 76% of Facebook users visit the platform daily. Additionally, 35% of individuals check Instagram multiple times throughout the day. The widespread use of digital technologies and the prevalence of mobile devices have fostered a constant connection to social media, making it a primary communication channel for many.
Social media channels have become integral to both personal and professional aspects of our lives. For businesses, social media is a consistent element in their marketing strategy, offering an ideal platform for brand development, customer service, and conversion.
Regardless of whether you're embarking on your social media marketing journey or have some experience under your belt, our best practice guide serves as a valuable reference. It ensures that you maximize the impact of your efforts.
1. Gather Data: In today's data-driven digital landscape, success is synonymous with knowledge. The more detailed your insights, the better you can pinpoint strengths and weaknesses within the social realm, refining your approach accordingly. Numerous social listening tools are available to leverage essential information, offering a better understanding of your target audience, competitors, and your own brand.
Tools like BuzzSumo enable you to discover your competitors' top-performing content across various social channels, from Facebook to LinkedIn. Monitoring top-trending social content in your industry can help identify additional competitors. Setting up Google Alerts provides a simple way to track the competition, allowing you to receive notifications based on specific keywords, including your competitors' brands. Platforms like Hootsuite allow you to create streams to monitor social accounts and hashtags, providing insights into your competitors' engagement patterns, content types, and overall online presence. Utilize these tools to enhance your understanding of how competitors interact with their audience, the timing of their engagement, the content they share, and their overall impact.
To better understand your audience, you can utilize BuzzSumo to identify your most shared content. By filtering its performance based on various criteria, such as format and length, you can tailor your social posts more effectively. Additionally, use Sprout Social for detailed reporting on your social channels' performance, allowing you to maximize the impact of your social media marketing efforts.
2. Choose Your Channels: After understanding your audience's needs and preferences, as well as those of your competitors, selecting social channels becomes a straightforward process. Consider your target audience and explore social media demographics for platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google+. Factor in the demographics of your existing audience using tools like Sprout Social and Facebook's Audience Insights. Evaluate staff resources, organization type, and industry involvement to make informed choices. Starting with two social channels initially allows you to gauge performance and effort before expanding.
3. Create a Content Calendar: Crafting thoughtful and carefully curated content is fundamental to social media marketing success. Utilize social listening and demographic data to understand topics and formats that resonate with your audience. Develop a content calendar outlining titles, formats, descriptions, keywords, calls-to-action, and targeted channels. This strategic planning enables you to prepare for seasonal events, significant campaigns, and other important dates. Adapt your calendar as needed and use social media management tools like Buffer to schedule posts across multiple channels.
4. Consider Paid Advertising: Strategically implementing paid social media advertising can boost your organic content distribution. Determine your target audience and align your ads with your overall social media marketing objectives. Choose the social channels based on your goals and existing following. Leverage tools like Facebook's Adverts Manager for advanced targeting and budget control. Facebook's Lookalike Audiences feature helps reach new users similar to your existing audience.
5. Measure Your Effectiveness: Measurement is a crucial step in any digital marketing campaign. Utilize native analytics tools on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for channel-specific performance data. Ads managers provide insights into individual ad performance. Alternatively, use tools like BuzzSumo, Hootsuite, or Cyfe to aggregate data from various sources into a comprehensive report. Regular measurement allows you to optimize your approach and ensure ongoing success in your social media marketing efforts.