There is no denying the significant role that social media plays in our daily lives. It’s on our phones, in our news, on our computers, and a part of our conversations. So, it’s no wonder that social media marketing is an important piece to any business. With access to the world, just a click away, social media is one of the most powerful tools used for any business marketing efforts.
But with so much out there and things changing constantly, it can be hard to know where to start. That’s where we come in! Here at Nina Givens Co., we want to help take your marketing from mediocre to memorable. So, to help you get started with social media marketing, read below for some helpful tips.
First, what is social media marketing?
Social media marketing is the practice of creating content for social media platforms to promote your product or service, build a community with your audience, increase sales, and drive traffic to your website. Social media is all about socializing and engaging with your audience and customer in the moment, while providing another avenue for your audience to find and engage with your business.
Why should you use social media?
Social media should be a part of your overall marketing strategy not because everyone else is doing it, but because there are real, visible, trackable benefits for your business. Below are some of the top reasons why you should incorporate social media into your overall marketing plan:
- Build brand awareness: One of the best reasons to use social media is to increase your brand awareness. If you don’t tell people who you are, how will they know? Building out social channels helps to increase your brand awareness and online presence.
- Lead generation and sales: Once your audience starts following you, you have their attention! Social media platforms are a great place to promote your products and services, announce product launches, create contests, host live videos, even sell your products directly through your social profiles. Each of these tactics helps with lead generation to ultimately increase sales.
- Form a connection: Social media platforms are the best way to form a direct connection with your audience and customers, especially if you do not have a physical storefront or location. Use social media to interact, respond, advise, and ask questions or gain customer feedback from your audience.
Social media marketing strategy
Just as you would build out a general marketing strategy for your business, it is essential to also have a social media marketing strategy in place to help get started. Below are a few key elements to successful strategy:
Identify your target audience
Before you start creating content, you’ll want to identify your target audience. As a business owner or manager, you most likely have done this already. But if you haven’t, researching and identifying your potential customers and the audience you’re trying to attract is fundamental to any social media marketing strategy.
Choose the right social media platform for you
Once you’ve identified your target audience, the next step is determining which social media platforms you’ll want to be on. Most likely, there are various social media channels that will work with your business, not just one. But don’t feel the need to be on every social platform because each serves its own purpose.
Top social media platforms:
- TikTok
- YouTube
- Snapchat
With so many different social media platforms out there, it can be hard to choose which is right for your business. Above are some of the most popular social channels. For a full list of social media platforms, along with their stats and audience information, visit Statusbrew’s 100+ Social Media Statistics You Must Know.
What are your social media goals?
Part of building out your social media marketing strategy is setting goals. But try to think beyond, “I just want to get more followers.” Ask yourself, do you want to generate more sales? Do you want to increase your brand awareness? Do you want to create powerful online communities? Do you want to generate more leads? These are some of the questions you’ll want to ask when setting your goals.
Create unique and engaging content
Creating content that is engaging and unique to your business is vital to your overall social media strategy. You’ll want your social media posts to offer compelling imagery, video, text, and even #hashtags. In addition to creating your own content, user generated content (content posted by other users online) is another great way to offer up relevant content in your social feed.
Social media trends are an important factor to consider when creating content. Stay up to date with trends by following a social media blog like Hootsuite, follow along in LinkedIn groups, or follow social hashtags.
Overall, the key is to create meaningful content that your audience responds to and wants to see. Don’t create content just for search engines. Be authentic and natural. People want to see you are real and that your product and or service is something they can relate to. And above all else, have fun with creating social media content and don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone!
Build out a social media calendar
Let’s face it, life gets messy, and stuff happens, but if you have your content planned out you can still maintain your business’s social status! Even if you are only managing one social media platform, it is beneficial to create and manage a monthly social media calendar. An organized social media calendar will help keep your content organized and cohesive, plus it helps to avoid redundant elements or content. It is also a great way to ensure you are consistent in your posts, which is key when it comes to social media efforts.
In addition to your social media calendar, it is also helpful to schedule your content ahead of time. There are many social media management tools out there to help plan and schedule your content including, Sprout Social, Hubspot, and Hootsuite.
Conclusion
The best advice about social media marketing for beginners, is to just get started. Your social media presence is one that won’t happen if you don’t start from somewhere! Hopefully some of these tips helped to get you started. And if you need further assistance with your Facebook business page, Instagram marketing, Instagram stories, etc., the team at Nina Givens Co. is ready to help put your plans into action.Don’t be shy! Get social with us and follow us @ninagivens on Instagram and be sure to say hello.
