If you’re still waiting to see if this social media thing is going to stick, it’s definitely time to admit it: whether you consider it a great way to connect or a scourge on society, social media is here to stay. Learning how to market your business on social media is worth the investment because social media marketing can begin with an investment of zero.
That’s not to say that you won’t need to spend in other ways. You’ll need to put in some time figuring out the right platform, what kinds of content your audience wants to see and to learn how to navigate the analytics on social media. Here are a few tips:
Choose the right platform for your business: Most social media platforms are pretty open about who they’re targeting, which can help you make decisions about where to invest your time. While Facebook is a broad platform for reaching consumers in a B2C industry, LinkedIn is a good fit for B2B marketing. If you’re in a highly visual field, you will likely determine that Instagram or Pinterest is a good place for you to spend some time. You should also keep an eye on where your competitors hang out and what tactics they’re using to engage their audience.
Create quality content and a strategic calendar: Spend some time evaluating the kind of content your target audience seems to prefer. Do they flock to click on a live video, or are they more of a blog kind of crowd? You can also be strategic with your timing of when you post, such as doing a live video of an unboxing for your new product, just before you plan to run a promotion on that line.
Decide how much time you can invest: Take a look at the time you can set aside to spend on social media engagement. Instead of trying to manage accounts across a variety of platforms, start with one or two that are the best fit for you and create a vibrant presence there.
Explore analytics: Facebook and Instagram are known for their user-friendly, extensive analytics for helping you understand who’s tuning in to your content. You can create lookalike audiences and if you decide to engage in paid ads on Facebook, you have a lot of flexibility to make adjustments after you see how the ad performs.
Getting started on social media may feel a bit intimidating, but we can assure you: it’s not going away. Contact us at SJC Marketing for some help getting started or simply turn the whole management of your social media over to us. When it comes to social media, your scourge is our idea of good fun.