What is social media marketing?

Social media marketing allows you to take advantage of the wide networks of online users to communicate directly with your ideal audience. 

Social media includes platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and more. On social media brands have the opportunity to:

• Post photos, videos and captions
• Create an profile 
• Send traffic to their websites and offers
• Communicate through direct messaging
• Build an audience
• Connect with influencers and ambassadors
• Collect data and analytics

Why Is Social Media Marketing Important for Your Business? 

Social media marketing is important for your business primarily because it allows you to create a relationship with your customer. When you engage on social media, people feel that you are approachable and they begin to trust you. 

However, there are two other very important reasons why you should consider focussing on your social media presence: 

• Your customer is there
• Your competitors are there

Even if you have decided that you don’t want to spend money on social ads, your social media accounts offer you a free opportunity to market to your customer. Chances are your customer is already seeking out your social media accounts and, if they don’t find them, or you haven’t updated them, they will follow your competitor instead. 

Social media offers a low barrier way for your audience to connect with you. The majority of Internet users are on mobile these days and simply clicking the chat button allows them to get answers to their questions more easily than visiting a website and filling out a form. Create a chatbot that thanks them for reaching out and lets them know approximately when you will get back to them. 

Build your platform and consider what content will generate a high level of engagement with your new followers. That’s what we’ll be covering in this introductory post to social media marketing. 

Social Media Statistics

When you look at the statistics, you can see why social media is important no matter what your business is. For example, a study by Hootsuite found that 75% of people over 13 were using social media. That doesn’t necessarily mean that your audience is seeing your post, but consider that the study also found that the average user was spending almost 2.5 hours per day on social media. This would suggest that you have a good chance of being seen, at least by your opted-in followers. 

Where can you reach the greatest audience? According to Statista, the biggest social media network is Facebook and it is unlikely to be threatened in its position anytime soon. However, TikTok is continuing to grow at a fast-pace despite facing security and privacy concerns. 

More important than number of users is whether or not your users match those of the platform. Even a minor platform like Alignable can generate big results if your business is focused on the local B2B niche. A company offering local tours might thrive on Meetup. Find your audience and focus on creating relevant content and connections. 

What Is the Main Purpose of Social Media Marketing?

In the constant drive to gain more followers and grow one’s audience so that they can have more people to sell to, many people forget that the main purpose of social media is to be social. 

Although, you can buy ads on social media, it’s important to remember that social media is more about building relationships. Don’t forget to connect with the people you encounter on social media just as you would with people who enter your business through other channels. 

This doesn’t mean that you can’t promote your products and services on social media. However, even when buying ads, it’s important that your copy and imagery meets the customers’ needs at the stage of the buying journey they currently occupy. 

On some platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, people will likely be in discovery mode as they go there to be entertained, not to buy. As they follow you and see more of your content, they may transition closer to the sale. This is why many accounts organize their ad around a free “lead magnet.” This could be an ebook, digital download, coupon or free course. This enables them to start a relationship with the new contact, usually through email, where they can then use more promotional messaging. 

Retargeting ads are also a popular way to follow up with anyone who has expressed interest in your product or service by clicking on your ad. 

On other platforms, like YouTube and Pinterest, people are actively searching for solutions to problems that you might be able to solve. 

Understand the platform and your customer to target the right content at the right time. 

What Are the Benefits of Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing has many benefits, but here are just a few:

Growing brand awareness: The more information you share about your brand, the more people will know who you are and what you are about. Social media is not just a great place to share about your products and services; it’s also a great place to share your mission, vision and values. Even when you aren’t talking about your product or service, people can get a sense of your brand personality by the types of content you share and your unique brand voice. 

What if you are just a solopreneur or a small business? Try sharing your expertise so you can be seen as an authority in your industry. 

Targeted audience: In the old days, people would advertise to a general audience in their local newspaper or television station. Today, it’s easy to find your ideal target market online by using tools like hashtags, ads and keywords. Once you know who you are marketing to, use the type of language and phrases that they would use to describe their wants, needs and problems. 

You can also use social media to test your messaging to see how your target market responds. For example, do they prefer one image to another or are they more likely to respond if you give them a choice between two products? Every audience is different and social media gives you the opportunity to receive feedback on your messaging in real time. 

Disadvantages of Social Media 

Two of the biggest struggles that business owners face with social media is the time commitment and the slow growth of their accounts. It can take time to build up a large enough audience, but when you do you will find that it is much easier to spark interest in your products and services.

Here are some tips for reducing the amount of time required for social media marketing: 

• Instead of logging in and posting once a day, create several posts at a time and schedule them out. 
• Repurpose your content across platforms. You may need to tweak the caption and resize your images. 
• Break your longer content down into short posts or short videos. For example, take one tip from a blog post and present it as a caption. 
• Be casual about short-form video. Not everything you post needs to look like you hired a professional crew. Viewers are used to everything including messy hair and somewhat too close-up framing. 
• Record all of your short-form videos at once and then space them out at regular intervals.
• Know what you are promoting. Plan your content around the current objectives for your business. 
• Use tools. There are tools for creating and editing posts from templates, scheduling, analytics and social listening or all of the above. You can also use native schedulers within the apps themselves. 
• Don’t try to be on every platform. Focus on the platforms where you get the most followers and engagement. 

What Are Six Types of Social Media Marketing?

When businesses think about marketing on social media, they are usually thinking about posting about their products and services and sharing related content. This is just one way to market on social media. Here are a few different ways you can connect with your target audience on social media. 

Feed posts: Regular content and updates posted to your feed. This can include photos, videos, memes, product or service offerings, infographics, links, questions, polls and more. Try to provide a variety of different content types to appeal to all audience members. 

Advertising and sponsored posts: Social media advertising is unique given its targeting features. You can upload your email list to find similar audiences, target by demographics and interests and even target someone else’s audience. Boosting your most popular posts can often result in more followers. 

Social video: With the popularity of TikTok, video is considered by many to be the future of social media. Brands that share short-form video, whether it’s on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or YouTube, tend to see higher engagement. Live-streaming is also a popular way to engage with an audience.

Social networking: Social networking involves a two-way conversation between brands and their audiences. Some of the ways you can increase this conversation is by asking for engagement, creating private groups or building your own social network off of a social media platform. You can also start a conversation with a potential lead by making a personal connection. 

Influencer marketing: Influencer marketing involves connecting with an individual on social media who has amassed a loyal following and asking them to promote your service or product. In some cases, you will need to pay for this. In other cases an influencer will be willing to do it in exchange for free product. 

Direct messaging: Today, many people prefer to connect one-on-one with brands. If you are active on social media it’s a good idea to monitor your direct messages and respond in a timely manner. However, many companies are taking it to the next level by using direct messages to sell. Regardless of whether you are using public or private means, it is always a good idea to lead with value and don’t ask for the sale too soon. 

Is Social Media Marketing Also Content Marketing?

Social media is one form of content marketing. In order to be successful on social media, you need to master the art of producing content. These days, you need to be more than a writer. You should also consider your photography, graphics, video and audio when crafting your content. 

Having a plan and a schedule can help you produce content for social media. Another tip is to consider repurposing your content. If you produce a blog post or long-form video, use snippets as captions on social media. Create shorter clips from your longer video to share as a story or Reel on Facebook and Instagram or as a TikTok. Short video can also be shared on Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube.

How Can Social Analytics Be Used in Marketing? 

(Note: If you are using a personal profile for business purposes, you may need to switch to a business account to see all of your analytics.)

Social media platforms provide a variety of helpful data that you can use as part of your audience research. You can get feedback in real time on the success of your posts and use this information to fine tune your messaging. Some people find the fact that people can comment on everything you share intimidating. However, even negative feedback can be useful. Just don’t let one or two bad apples prevent you from sharing. If people use your comment section to complain about your product or service, politely acknowledge them and direct their concern to the proper channels.

In addition to analytics on each post, you can also see aggregate data such as the interests and demographics of your social media audience. If you have a younger audience on Instagram than you do on Facebook, you can differ your messaging to appeal to your two audiences. 

Looking at the accounts of your followers can also help you better understand them. You can also identify potential influencers that may help you market your business. 

How to Market Your Products on Social Media

Marketing on social media requires tact. We have all seen the accounts that blast out product information all day and have few followers and no engagement. People do not come to social media to see advertisements. However, they do use social media to research their options for potential purchases. 

You do want to make sure that your followers can see the features and benefits of your product or service without being overly aggressive in your sales message. 

What are some tips for making sure people see your value without being turned off by a sales pitch: 

Share useful information: Understand the problems your customer is facing and offer suggestions that may, ultimately, include your product or service. 

Demonstrate your product or service: Why are unboxing videos so popular on YouTube? People don’t necessarily want to be sold to, but they are interested in seeing the various options available. 

Give a tutorial: Show people how to do something that relates to your industry. 

Provide a free resource: A free report, checklist, planning document or other free resource can help attract new subscribers. 

Create a case study: Show how your product or service has helped others. 

Have a strategy

One reason that businesses come on too strong is because they don’t have a plan. When they get around to posting, they blast instead of nurturing their audience. Instead, consider what people need to know to before they purchase your product or service. Your plan might:

• Educate people about the problem
• Present solutions
• Compare solutions
• Educate people about why you product offers a particular feature

Start your social media plan by leading with value and building trust. This will make it more likely that people will buy (or at least check you out when you are ready to make an offer. 

How to Engage With Your Audience on Social Media

Social media engagement is one of the factors that platforms consider in their algorithms. The more people comment on your posts, the more your audience will see them and the more you will be recommended to non-followers. Responding to your comments is a good way to generate more engagement.

However, some business owners struggle with how to engage on social media. The important thing is to remember to write like a real person and provide value. 

• Try to write in the first person. If your employee is responding, they can use their first name. 
• Visit the accounts of your top followers and leave comments on their posts. Make sure you leave more than a heart emoji or a “Great post!” People don’t tend to pay attention to those comments. 
• Respond to mentions as long as you are actually being referenced. (Some people “tag” accounts just to get them to their post, but this is not a best practice because many users find it annoying.) 
• Mention people who are relevant to your caption or in the photo or other media you are sharing. For example, if your product is being sold in a local store, mention the store. If you are sharing a group photo from a networking event, mention the other people in the photo.
• Keep your tone positive even when responding to criticism. 
• Ask questions in your posts to encourage comments. 
• Set up notifications so you can respond as soon as possible. Use a chat bot to let people know when they can expect a response from a real person. 

 How to Grow Your Audience on Social Media

There are many different ways to grow your audience on social media. Some are more successful than others and some are faster than others. Here are some organic (potentially slow) ways to grow your audience. 

• Maintain a consistent posting schedule
• Follow accounts to encourage them to follow you back
• Comment on other people’s accounts to encourage them to view and follow your account
• Spark engagement by asking interesting questions in your posts
• Put your social handles on your website, email signatures and marketing materials
• Embed social posts on your website
• Join groups that allow you to post your social accounts. These groups typically have themed days such as “Facebook Friday.” Beware that group members may not be your ideal audience. 
• Share helpful advice in Facebook or LinkedIn groups without being promotional
• Create your own Facebook or LinkedIn group
• Use video
• Use hashtags
• Offer a freebie in exchange for a follow or page like
• Ask people to connect on LinkedIn

While organic strategies may seem slow at first, you will often see a sudden bump in traffic or a large number of new followers in one particular week. This is generally because something you posted really resonated with your audience or an influential account shared your post. Stay consistent to reach a larger audience week over week. 

Here are some faster strategies that require investment of more than time: 

• Social ads
• Boosted posts
• Contests and giveaways 
• Influencer marketing

How to Develop Your Own Social Network

You can host your own group on sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and meetup.com or you can have your own social group using paid software like Podia. Keep in mind that if you host on a social media platform, you can take advantage of the organic reach offered by these platforms. For example, Facebook and LinkedIn will often recommend groups to join and pages to like. Whenever someone follows you on Facebook or LinkedIn, you can ask them to join your group. 

You can use tagging to get the audience to your group whenever they are active on social media. Your posts will also show up in notifications. 

On the other hand, if you build your social network offsite, you will have more control, but it will be harder to bring people to your group, even if they are already members. You will have to email them regularly or provide essential information that they can’t get elsewhere. 

Many standalone communities are organized around an online course or membership. However, other types of businesses might find success around a membership site. If your business is organized around a hobby like music, crafts, photography or sports, you might be able to sustain a site by sharing your work, tips and tutorials and encouraging others to share theirs. Business networking groups are also very popular. Bringing in special guests can help take some of the work of content creation off your shoulders. 

Do you want to drive more results from your social media content? Book a call to discuss your social media strategy.