Social Media
Today, social media is an important marketing channel to make use of, no matter which industry you’re in or the size of your company.
It’s not unusual to hear organizations claim that social media is for the younger generations only. It is a big mistake to think this way. There are many younger users on some platforms, but a significant number of other ages are present and active on social media. The trick is to identify where you are most likely to engage with your audience.
A recent survey conducted by HubSpot showed that 84% of social media marketers target millennials (25-40 years). Generation X (41-56 years) were targeted by 52% of social media marketers, followed by Gen Z (6-24 years). And lastly, 14% were targeting baby boomers (56-75 years). So depending on your product or service, choose the channels where your target audience spends most of their time.
So why would you want to use social media? How can it help you reach your business goals? The answer is, when done right, social media can help you with brand awareness, customers loyalty, increased sales, and retaining customers. As long as you provide value in every interaction. And driving value is not just limited to social media; you should give value to your prospects, clients, and followers every time you communicate with them.
Social media allows you to share content with your followers. You can use your content and posts to drive traffic to your website or campaign-specific landing pages. You have to determine what you would like your audience to do. When your followers like what you post, they are also more likely to want to find out more about your offerings.
Depending on which platform you post on, social media can be seen as a more relaxed way of communicating with your audience. People are often more willing to engage in conversations, which can help you build a better and lasting relationship with them.
Your goal is to make sure people know who you are as an organization. People should be familiar with your organization and what you have to offer. There is little doubt that when used the right way, social media is a powerful tool to help you spread your brand more effectively. Make sure you have consistent messaging and branding across all the platforms and channels you are present on. You want followers and visitors to identify who you are as soon as they see your content. We’re not talking about your logo here, but more about your content’s graphic profile, tonality, and appearance.
So far, we’ve talked about the benefits of using social media marketing. Now to some more practical tips on how to use social media.
PLANNING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT
Operating a successful business requires good planning skills. The same is true for your social media strategy. Start with identifying what type of content you want to post on your social media channels and what actions you want your followers to take. Educational and helpful content that will keep your audience coming back for more is a great way to start.
CREATING YOUR CONTENT
How do you get good engagement on social media? The key is creating and posting relevant content. Something that is of value to the person viewing your content. Consistency is vital, both in terms of branding, messaging, and how often you post. Creating different types of content will help you. Some examples are images, videos, graphics, top-5 reasons, etc. As long as it is relevant to your audience, you’re on the right track.
KNOW WHAT YOUR COMPETITORS ARE UP TO
It’s essential to keep up with what’s going on in your industry. Check out what your competitors are doing by following them closely. But don’t panic if you feel what they are doing is much better than what you create. Follow your own plan and make improvements where necessary.
WHAT TYPE OF CONTENT SHOULD YOU BE POSTING
If you’re just starting out on social media, make sure you identify the topics and types of content you are comfortable with creating. It doesn’t matter if it’s longer written posts, shorter videos, infographics, or something else. The important thing is you get started.
Many say you should aim to have at least 40% of your content as engaging content. This can be asking questions, quizzes, hot news topics, or motivational posts. But at the start of your organization’s life on social media, this category can be reduced.
Depending on the type of business you have, about 30% of your posts should promote your company and the services and products you offer. You must think through how you do this, as most of your followers are unlikely to want to hear about awards you’ve received and similar things. They are more likely to want to know how others have benefited from working with you or buying your products. You can run special promotions competitions and even share company news.
Most people have a desire to improve or become better at something. Whether it’s their job, a hobby, family life – we all want to be better or maybe more efficient. That’s why educational or informational content plays a vital role in your social media content. Aspire to make this bucket of content account for about 20% of your posts.
Sharing is caring, right? You can help build trust with your audience by sharing news and updates from respected and well-known industry professionals and media outlets on your profiles. This should be the smallest of your content buckets and account for less than 10% of your posts.
WHAT’S NEXT?
As mentioned above, the most important thing is to get started. And this is where I think back to my previous post – Think BIG – Start Small – Grow Fast! First, find out where you want your organization to be (Think BIG), then get started with a topic or type of content you’re comfortable with (Start Small). Then when you have gotten the hang of it and feel confident, grow fast by increasing the cadence of your posts.