Social media marketing (SMM) allows startups to reach many people cheaply, making social media presence a useful tool for growing a company.
Statistics published by marketing experts from HubSpot, Social Media Examiner, and eMarketer tell that:
- About 30% of total US internet time is spent on social networking sites
- More than 90% of marketers indicate that investing in social media dramatically increases exposure for their businesses
- More than 30% of consumers discover new brands, products, and services on social media
- About 50% of online users rely on social media when making a purchase decision
These numbers are growing continuously! This means that Social Media is a core component of every marketing strategy today.
Warner Bros Brilliant Marketing
Remember the Barbie Movie? Warner Bros. nearly broke the internet with it. Warner Bros. released trailers for the film very slowly, enticing their audience.
The second trailer was wildly popular, trending 28th on YouTube and having 18M social networks.
They also created a free filter, allowing users to create movie-themed custom posters which would then be shared on social media. Genius!
Mastering Your Social Media Strategy
Just being “active” on social media isn’t enough. It’s like having a shiny Lamborghini… locked away in your garage.
A successful social media strategy is tailored to your business and the market you are trying to reach. These are factors to consider regarding SMM for small businesses.
Define your goals
What do you want to achieve using social media marketing? Whether you design a strategy for a medium-sized business or a startup, you can leverage the power of social media to:
- Build brand awareness: By strategically posting, engaging, and interacting with your market, you will naturally get your name out there.
- Show your products: By posting content about your products and services, you show people what you can bring to the table. What can you do that will solve their problems? Creating quality content people care about will make them want to share your content which increases your exposure. That results in other people advertising for you – could it be better?
- Build trust: Building a relationship with users is crucial to your business, especially when you are a new business that does not have strong relationships yet. By interacting personally with people, you add a human side to your business!
- Get more business: After having raised brand awareness, solved a problem people have, and built relationships, it is logical to then increase business. At this point, social media becomes very powerful in getting more customers and increasing how much they spend.
Choose your social media platform
Use the platform that your target market uses. However, don’t overshoot. It’s nearly impossible for a small startup to use 6-10 platforms. Start with one to three platforms and focus on them. Remember, quality over quantity.
Here are some social media platforms to pick from:
- Facebook: If you are not sure where to start, Facebook will always be the best option to reach a great number of people. Share blog posts, and photos, advertise using targeted ads, and interact with users all in one place. All credible businesses use Facebook – you should do, too.
- Instagram: Here, users can only share photos. Therefore, consider Instagram if you intend to use beautiful visuals to entertain, engage, and spread your content. Instagram now allows businesses to create shoppable posts directly.
- X (formerly Twitter): A great platform for more personalized interactions with users. X is also a great place for content distribution. For bloggers, X represents the ideal opportunity as it is very link-friendly.
- YouTube: If you can create high-quality videos that can capture a lot of attention, YouTube is the platform to go for. YouTube is a great way to build brand awareness.
- LinkedIn: As the most professional social media platform, it is great for global and business-to-business (B2B) marketing and networking. The platform recently added interactive polls in posts, increasing audience engagement.
- TikTok: Features short, catchy videos and is popular with younger generations. A large chunk of the content is music, dancing or lip-syncing. There are also jokes, DIY, and challenge videos. Don’t expect anything too serious or professional.
Recently, short-form content has become popular with younger folk. When marketing to them, consider TikTok, Instagram reels, or YouTube shorts.
Choose your voice
Before you reach out to people, think about the way you want to be perceived. Do you want to appear funny, serious, laid-back?
Know the current trends
Is it Super Bowl season? Is it close to Christmas? Halloween? Did a random 2000s movie or song become suddenly popular?
Knowing the current trends and being up to date helps to understand what people are interested in at the moment. It helps you to tailor your social media marketing strategies to what people want to see and read.
Hop onto trends and create content that relates to them.
Put people in front
Many brands make the mistake of using their social media to only promote their products and services. Social media marketing should be about the customer and you – not just you all the time!
It is important to adopt a user-first mindset. Solving the users’ problems should be the first priority of the business. Here are ways to dedicate time to your users:
- Interact actively.
- Encourage two-way communication.
- Stimulate discussions and ask for feedback.
- When someone asks a question, respond as quickly as you can.
- When someone shows appreciation for your product or service, respond with genuine gratitude.
Also, use social media to actively build a community around your brand. Give people a voice to make them feel special. It will turn out to be profitable for you.
Be aware of your image
Always keep in mind the voice of your brand. Are you consistent in using it?
Also, do not spam your content all at once! Be careful of unsolicited messaging – this can quickly become annoying to your customers, and create a negative image of your brand.
Make sure to double-check the quality of the content you are posting to stay consistent.
Spy on your competitors
You shouldn’t copy what your competitors are doing.
However, you should analyze what they are doing right. Then find out how you could implement that into your own social media strategy.
Likewise, observe what they are doing wrong and avoid their mistakes.
Takeaways
- Social media is key for business growth. It can help familiarize people with your brand or product and build trust between you and the customer.
- After setting your goal, pick a social media platform that suits your goals and audience. Remember! Don’t overshoot by trying to be on every platform at once.
- Put your customers in front and make helping and solving their problems your first priority. Make sure to have a consistent brand voice and image.
- Try to keep up. Use events or recent trends to your advantage. Don’t be ashamed of observing and learning from your competition.
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