Social media marketing is one of the most powerful marketing tools available to SMEs. Finding the right way to harness all that potential is a major key to social success. According to Social Media Today, as long as you put the time and effort in, social media will give you one of the highest ROI (return on investment).
So here are a few more hints and tips to make the most of social media marketing for your business.
Sort the Wheat from the Chaff
The trouble with social media is that there is just so much of it.
Social media marketing is one of the most powerful marketing tools available to SMEs. Finding the right way to harness all that potential is a major key to social success. According to Social Media Today, as long as you put the time and effort in, social media will give you one of the highest ROI (return on investment).
So here are a few more hints and tips to make the most of social media marketing for your business.
Sort the Wheat from the Chaff
The trouble with social media is that there is just so much of it. Try to cover all the bases and you could end up spreading your resources too thinly. Most SMEs have limited time, budgets and people to engage with social media. Because of that, it pays to choose just a few outlets that are going to give you the return on investment you are looking for. There are two ways you can use to help you decide which is the right platform for you. The first, where is your target market most likely to be? Make sure you know who you are targeting and do some research, test each social media site with small campaigns before deciding where to focus your efforts, the answer isn’t always as obvious as you may think. The second way to choose your social platform is the easiest; use the platform you enjoy using the most. For me that is Facebook, I enjoy using them all but Facebook is the one I really gel with. I enjoy it so I use it far more than the others, I check it more regularly and because of this I get more from it.
Have a Good Social Media Marketing Plan
Everyone needs a good business plan to path the road to success – the same is true for social media marketing. There’s no point in using a scattergun approach. If you have been carrying out social media engagement on an ad hoc basis, providers such as Hootsuite advise that you undertake an audit of what you currently do and the sites that you have a presence on. Having a better overview can help you make value decisions on what works and what doesn’t.
A good plan should consider:
* Driving traffic to your website via social media.
* Targeting your chosen audience more effectively.
* Developing a social media calendar.
* What successful social media engagement actually looks like.
* Measure, manage and grow successful campaigns.
Have a Clear Idea About Your Audience
Once you have settled on your chosen social media outlets, it’s time to focus on your core audience. Marketing doesn’t work so well when you try to be all things to all men, women and children. If your product is aimed at younger people, then you need to target them specifically. If you are more focused on the grey pound, then you’ll be looking at groups where these older adventurers hang out. Understanding your demographic informs the kind of content you produce and the platforms you use.
Vary What You Post and Make it Quality
It’s not going to boost your online profile if you simply post some text with a link to a product. Variety is the spice of life on social media and the people who use it expect to be entertained. Including auto play videos, putting in infographics or at the very least posting an engaging image can make a huge difference. The old adage of a picture paints a thousand words applies here as much as anywhere else. The other great mantra is post quality not quantity. Content is still king no matter what some marketers will tell you.
Advertising on Social Media
Many businesses content themselves with simply having a presence on social media and trying to make that work. A powerful tool, which has improved considerably over the last few years, is social media advertising. This means you can get your message out in front of the right demographic, a highly targeted audience and attract new customers. Tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter Ads, will allow you to select your budget, hone in on the right demographic and ensure your engaging copy hits the mark for a whole new audience.
Measuring Results
Finally, we get nowhere in business without measuring success. Social media is no different. Whether you are engaging through Twitter or Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, measuring impact can drive your marketing decisions and help you develop a social media strategy that works for your business.