SMM 101: Getting started with the basics of social media marketing
Your online visibility is crucial to the success of your business. If you haven’t established your social media presence yet, then you are missing out on a lot of opportunities for growth. As a growing business in the digital age, it’s more than crucial to learn the basics of social media marketing.
You can find literally everyone from all age brackets on social media. More so, these people do not just use social media platforms to engage and communicate with other people. Statistics have shown that 72% of people use social media to make purchase decisions.
Establishing your brand on different social media channels will require time, proper knowledge, money and tools. Before you master the art of marketing your brand on these platforms, you have to learn the basics of social media marketing.
Importance of learning social media marketing basics in this digital era
Social Media Marketing (SMM) is the use of social channels to market certain products or services. It is a kind of digital marketing approach that lets you promote your brand and build your credibility in the online community.
The top social media platforms you can utilize to market your brand are:
- Youtube
Over 3.6 billion of the global population in 2020 are present on social media platforms, and this number is expected to reach 4.41 billion by 2025. The widespread use of social media marketing goes to show why it is now the most significant part of online marketing.
How knowing the basics of social media marketing benefit your business
Knowing and understanding the basics of social media marketing will help you effectively promote your business online. Additionally, it lets you get a hold of the following advantages to scale your business:
- Having an SMM strategy helps you reach wider audiences from different geographical locations.
- It enables you to build, maintain and cultivate good customer relationships.
- Social media marketing lets you boost your brand awareness as more and more people engage and connect with you.
- Your social media channels can serve as an avenue to help you improve your site traffic.
Social media marketing is also cost efficient and more effective compared to the traditional marketing methods. These days, social media is not only used for promotional purposes. Channels like Facebook and Instagram are now also used to acquire sales, provide customer support, and boost brand name and customer interaction.
Understanding the basics of social media marketing
The basics of social media marketing will serve as a getaway to better opportunities for your business.
Follow these social media marketing basic steps:
Know your target audience
Make sure to research who your target audience is, then find out the right social media platform for your main audience. For example, if you are in the food industry, you can find more food enthusiasts on Instagram or Facebook.
Knowing your target consumers enables you to choose which social channels you can use for social media marketing.
Create your brand’s social profiles
Now that you already have an idea about which platforms to use, you can start creating your social media profiles. Remember that you are showcasing your brand so you have to incorporate your brand logo, theme, and colors on your page/s.
To establish your credibility and authenticity include your business details on your social profiles. Do not also forget your business number, address, and your website link.
Post regular content
You need to post regular content to connect and communicate with your audience and target leads. Make sure to have different variations of the kinds of content you publish.
You have the option to post videos, images, quotes, and other content that will spark interest in your followers.
However, the various tasks needed to be done when running a business may leave you with no time to spare for managing your business’s social media profile. In such cases, outsourcing social media management to a well-established outsourcing firm like Doxa7 can significantly help.
Monitor and analyze your metrics
Keeping track of the results of your published content is important in your marketing strategy. Check for the following metrics on your social media marketing efforts:
- Total views
- Account tags
- Your page followers
- Post engagements (likes, reacts, shares and comments)
- Post reach
Being able to analyze these metrics lets you determine whether your posts are effective. Moreover, how you can improve your content marketing and engagements.
Build and establish your audience
The more you post regular content, the more people will notice your brand. Once you’ve built trust among your followers, it can be a good time to convert these people into your possible leads.
You can direct your followers to your website and turn them into your loyal patrons. You can also choose to sell your products or services directly on your social media profiles.
Few tips and tricks for your social media marketing
Now that you already know the basics of social media marketing, here are some tips to help you seal the deal:
Set-up a strong content strategy
The secret of social media marketing is to set-up a kickass content strategy that will go viral and have a wide reach. Start by knowing what your target audiences’ interests are.
Know the rules for the right social media engagement
It starts with the type of content you publish on social media, from there you can start interacting with your target audience. You should know how to interact with your audience properly and in a professional manner.
Include a call-to-action
Once you have already established a good relationship with your audience, you can start including call-to-action on your posts. Your call-to-action could be in the form of an invite to subscribe to your newsletter or download your ebook. You can also offer discounts, coupons, or vouchers.
Take note that social media can make or break your business. Learn the basics of social media marketing and don’t forget to follow our tips. Good luck!
Independent
