To get back to business basics, social media marketing is a form of Internet marketing that utilises social networking websites or platforms as a marketing tool. The goal is to produce content that users will share with their social network to help an organisation increase brand exposure, expand customer reach and encourage enquiry on products or services.
By utilising the social aspect of the web, social media marketing is able to connect and interact on a dynamic and much more personalised level than through traditional avenues of marketing.
Your social media marketing strategy can be as simple as having a company blog, a business Facebook page, or attaching “share this” tags and icons to the end of your articles. It can also be as complicated as having a full campaign that encompass retargeting, lead generating sales funnels, social networking, reviews and even viral videos through YouTube.
The reality is, you absolutely must be connecting with your clients across social media in this digital age; because if you’re not, you can bet your bottom bitcoin that your competitors are. But it is not just about connecting, it is about responding, discovering, listening and most importantly, servicing.
While most people are familiar with the different major platforms, perhaps using them regularly in their personal life, transferring that knowledge and intensity for business purposes can present some challenges.
There’s so much to think about, strategy, curating organic content, best day and time to post, latest updates, competitors, audience, reach, advertising creative, engagement, likes, groups, retargeting, community rules, etc.
It also includes activities like creating video, responding to messages, managing reviews, keeping up with the latest trends or algorithm changes; and most importantly, understanding how to integrate your social with other marketing activities to help you drive effective audience engagement with your brand, both on and offline.
Consider Facebook for a moment, they are a great example of the continued complexity of social media. This one platform alone has made multiple changes to their functionality including algorithm updates, new advertising techniques, updates to dashboards and groups, messenger upgrades, the enhancement of AI, and more… and that is just so far this year!
Social media is now a necessity for your overarching marketing strategy. It is a highly targeted tool in your marketing arsenal, and while likes are lovely, you need to be focused on the meaningful metrics and turning online engagement into bottom line enhancing activity.
Now while we wax lyrical about the importance of social media, it is essential to remember that social media is just one marketing tactic. The true goal of any social media marketing is to encourage your platform users to become part of your physical world. You can quite easily get caught up in the vanity metrics (likes, comments, shares, etc) but what you really want to focus on, is getting them off social media and into your database – that way you control the relationship.
We find that most of our clients are well aware that they need social media, but sadly just don’t have the time, staff, skills, or even equipment in-house, (e.g. copywriting, graphic design, web development, certified drones for aerial video, etc.) required to develop and deliver the amazing social media marketing vision they hold in their mind!