5 Do’s of Social Media Marketing

It is no secret that social media marketing (i.e. using social media channels and platforms to market your business and brand) is one of the most utilized types of digital marketing techniques. The reason of course is that when executed well, it can produce significant results. Statistics show that 71 percent of customers who have a positive service experience via social media are likely to recommend the company. Naturally, the key is that it is executed well. And to do so, there are some basic rules your business should follow. Here are five Do’s for a successful social media marketing strategy.

1. Know Your Audience – The lifeblood of any successful business. Knowing and understanding your audience is always a significant factor in the success or failure of your business. You need to accurately know what channel (and or channels) your audience frequents the most, what are their specific needs and wants and by that token what content is most likely to appeal to them, etc. Knowing the answers to these questions and more like it, will help successfully drive your social media marketing efforts.

2. Have A Plan – You would never take a trip to somewhere you’ve never been without some type of map. That same principle applies to your social media marketing strategy. You need a roadmap to guide your social media marketing strategy or you are likely to veer off course. Outline what goals and objectives you want to achieve with your social media marketing initiatives. This doesn’t have to be set in stone and can (and probably should) evolve over time as various factors, both internal and external, within your business, change. But it is imperative to have a plan in place before diving in fully into the world of social media marketing.

3. Show Variety – Statistically, Facebook still dominates all other social media channels, particularly for businesses and brands. That said, it doesn’t mean you should only use Facebook. There are a variety of other social media channels that all provide their own benefits and opportunities. The type of channel is not the only way to show variety. It is also important to show diversity in the type of content you produce and share on each channel. Yes, video is extremely popular and effective but images, when produced well are also very effective. Variety can also be displayed in the various formats of your content. For example, there are a number of ways to produce video content – long-form, short-form, instructional, funny, etc. The sky’s the limit with the numerous options available. The one thing you want to avoid, is your social media content becoming boring and predictable.

4. Be Human – It is important that customers feel like they’re being heard and that there is a human face behind a screen, interacting with them. That is why it’s important that the tone of your business social media posts is one that is personable, friendly and…well, human. We are aware that depending on your business size and the amount of balls being juggled at once, it may not always be possible to have a person available to make every single social media post and interact on a daily basis. And that is why automated social media services exist. That said, this should be an exception, not the rule. Depending solely on automation posting for your social media marketing strategy creates a risk of your business coming across as impersonal and generic.

5. Be Consistent – Social media marketing success, especially if your business has only just started, takes time. You are not going to build a large and engaged online following overnight. However, one way to increase your chances of eventually developing a large and engaged following is to be consistent with your social media content. Posting a blog article once every three months, one Facebook post a week, an Instagram post every few weeks, etc. is not going to cut it. You must have a well-developed social media calendar and schedule for posting so your content is always relevant and timely.

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