Finding solid footing in social media marketing can make you feel a bit unsteady. If you have a sense that the chaotic noise on these platforms has reached new levels in recent years, you might wonder if it is even worth your investment anymore.
It is, but social media marketing requires a constant recalibration to ensure you’re on the right platforms for your business, investing in the right tools and measuring activity regularly to test how it’s performing. Let’s dive into each of these areas a bit more:
Choosing the Right Platform: When choosing which platforms to invest in, you should begin by asking what goals your social media marketing strategy is prioritizing. For instance, according to the Social Media Marketing Industry Report, Facebook remains one of the top platforms for basic brand exposure, but LinkedIn and YouTube are even better.
If you are a B2C company, your social media investment should lean into sites like Facebook and Instagram, which place first and second, respectively, for B2C results. B2B brands should invest most heavily in LinkedIn, followed by Facebook and Instagram.
There are many factors to consider. Age is one part of the demographic that heavily affects where audiences spend their time online.
Invest in the Right Tools: When you are executing a well-balanced marketing strategy, there’s a mix of organic and paid advertising on social media. Scheduling regular posts is a low-investment, high-time-commitment activity, while paid ads tend to require less effort and deliver quick results, but they will tax your budget a bit more.
Facebook remains the best platform for paid ads, with 41% of marketers saying that it’s the first choice. And there’s a big gap to second, with Instagram coming in at 14%.
Your strategy requires a combination of paid and organic activity, so don’t fall into the trap of thinking that your regular posts aren’t delivering results. Which brings us to the next point…
Measure Your Social Media Activity: Some platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, offer intuitive, detailed analysis of your social activity and how your investment is paying off. It helps you define audiences, craft better posts and identify the kinds of posts that aren’t producing meaningful results.
Set a time to review these metrics each month or each quarter, then refine your strategy to keep improving your results.
If you’re wondering whether all of your efforts on social media marketing are paying off, it’s a good idea to take a look at analytics. And don’t forget that social media works exceptionally well for brand awareness with little investment, and it provides a convenient way to engage with customers, answer their questions and resolve complaints in a way that makes your brand look good.
Social media marketing is a valuable part of any effective marketing strategy, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few pitfalls that affect companies trying to strike a balance between various tools and techniques. That’s why SJC Marketing is here. Contact us, and we’ll help you evaluate your current situation and determine whether there’s room for more growth.