Social Media Marketing for Your Brand/Business

The way people are searching for content is changing; while Google once may have been the go-to for researching topics, more and more people are turning to hashtags and other social sources to find their information.

Even those who haven’t completely abandoned search engines are more likely to find your company if it’s on social media, as social media profiles rank highly on web searches. In fact, social media has become so prevalent in today’s society that its use on mobile devices increases by 30 percent every year.

benefits

BRAND AWARENESS

Social media is a great tool to build a better sense of your brand. By being consistent in the types of content shared and dialect used across different platforms you give the general public a better understanding of who you are.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Not only can users interact with each other in the comments section, but your brand can build personal relationships with your audience.

TARGETED ADS

When you invest in paid social ads, you begin to reach a wider audience. But that’s not all. With specific targeting options, you can reach people that are interested in your business and use your social media presence to draw them in.

INCREASE SITE TRAFFIC

Active social media users are constantly sharing and retweeting information they find useful, which creates a wider audience for your content.

quick tips

USE VISUALS

Images capture attention, so be sure to occasionally share information in a visual format like videos or infographics. Creating your own original content will set you apart from other brands.

MONITOR CONVERSATIONS

Conversations around your brand or industry are happening all the time, you just need to know where to look. Don’t wait for someone to tag your company, go ahead and search for any mentions and start interacting.

STAY ON BRAND

Create a brand personality and stay true to it. You only want to share things that going to be helpful for your target audience and make sense for you as a company to discuss. Build authority by continuing to offer great content and people will come to trust your brand and know you as a source of helpful information.

the different platforms

With so many different social media platforms out there it’s tempting to build a profile on each one for maximum visibility, but doing so is time-consuming and inefficient. Choose a few platforms that make sense for your brand and audience and post consistently rather than spreading efforts too thin.  Whichever platform you choose, it’s important to have a well-thought-out social media marketing strategy in place to achieve the desired results. Working with an experienced agency may be a good option to ensure consistency across channels.

When deciding which platforms would be most beneficial for your company to engage with, consider the following:

Business Objectives

Is your company B2B or B2C? What are you looking to accomplish with your social media efforts? Depending on the answer, this might determine which platform is right for your business. For example, most B2B organizations thrive on LinkedIn.

Company Resources
Think about what kind of content does best on the platform and whether your team is well-equipped to create that content. For example, if the social platform in question heavily relies on videos, is your team proficient in creating quality videos?

User Demographics
What kinds of people frequently use the social platform, and is there any crossover between them and your Buyer Personas? Even the most heavily populated social media platform won’t be useful if your client base isn’t on there.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is unique in that their user demographics include higher age ranges, whereas many other social networks cater to those in their 20s and 30s. This professional networking site is great for B2B companies and is best used for building brand authority and sharing thought leadership articles. Read More

Twitter

Unlike other social media sites where posting new content should be your top priority, Twitter is best used interactively. Because it’s so easy to monitor conversations regarding your brand and industry, Twitter is especially useful for customer service and public relations.  Read More

Facebook

One of Facebook’s most useful features for marketers is the ability to tailor specific content to targeted audiences. Rather than trying to create content that pleases every one of your Buyer Personas, you can create different variations of your posts or ads that reach the right people. Another best practice for Facebook is to show a more human side of your company, and perhaps give customers a peek behind the scenes. Read More

Pinterest

This image-heavy social networking platform is best used for businesses that create eye-catching images and photographs rather than infographics. Pinterest is especially useful for sales, as you can include a ‘buy button’ with your posts. With an overwhelmingly female audience, Pinterest is best used for women-focused businesses.

YouTube

If your business heavily relies on videos to teach concepts or prove value, YouTube is the place for you. YouTube also lends itself well to product placement, so be sure to team up with other popular YouTubers to see if you can get your product maximum exposure.

bottom line

If you aren’t utilizing social media for your brand or business, you’re essentially throwing away opportunities for free exposure. More than that, as social continues to grow, today’s customers and potential clients may deem a lack of social media presence as downright unprofessional.

With the various different social media sites available, it may seem daunting to incorporate social media into your marketing strategy, but by doing your research and choosing the platforms that best serve your business you will maximize your brand’s visibility and grow a steady following. The more followers you have the more opportunities there are for converting leads into customers.