Maximize Your Social Media Marketing to Make it Worth More

Effectively managing all of the social media channels and options can be overwhelming, especially on a budget or with a need to focus efforts on the business itself. Few would argue with the need to take advantage of social media marketing as a low-cost, high-reward way to drive traffic and reach potential customers. Fewer still would argue that it is easy to prioritize the time, effort, and channel selection for a campaign. Having the right plan, can reduce stress and free up resources for the things that matter – like growing the business.

Here are some tips to get the most from any social media marketing campaign.

Define a Plan with Set Goals

Businesses should, from the onset of any social media campaign, clearly define the tools, channels and the desired outcome. If there are no measurable goals, it will be hard to gauge success and refocus efforts where appropriate. Additionally, companies should have a good idea going into a campaign what social media platform their target market uses. Efforts are mostly wasted on Twitter if all of the target market is using Instagram or Pinterest. It makes sense to reach out on as many platforms as possible, but focusing on particular channels will yield the highest results.

Make Your Content Shareable

Content should not be an afterthought. Gone are the days when keyword stuffed web content brought value in the form of increased traffic. Google’s algorithmic changes and the sheer amount of traffic on social media have made the content all the more important. Social media posts should provide value to the audience, promote sharing, and elevate the company as an expert source of information. Businesses need to spend time crafting quality content and posts to take full advantage of social media’s ability to reach the largest possible audience.

Utilize Tools and Apps to Improve Efficiency

If time is an issue, investing in software to help track data and manage the various social media platforms can help. Free social media tools like Google Analytics or Hootsuite can provide a ton of valuable data. Tools like Buffer and Feedly can help with content creation and monitoring. There are a host of tools and software designed to maximize efforts with social media marketing.

Perform A/B Testing

Images, posts, emails, forms, and videos should be tweaked to find what works best. Using the tools listed above, marketing managers can see the content that’s received the most shares, clicks, conversions, etc. Finding what works can limit time wasted on bad content and direct efforts to the right platform.

Interact with Users

If a business has successfully implemented all of the tips listed above but neglects to interact directly with its audience and community, it could all be wasted effort. Social media’s draw is its ability to connect users (both businesses and individuals). If users place comments or questions on posts that go unanswered, there is a chance they won’t come back. Additionally, companies need to be hyper-aware of trends with regards to their brand and products. Social media moves at the speed of light and companies would do well to stay out in front of trends if they want to maintain a presence and an ability to head off any negative perceptions that might arise. Negative feedback needs to be addressed with respect and patience. And positive feedback can be a great opportunity to share.

With these tips effectively implemented, businesses will be well on their way to building valuable social media marketing and a healthy following.

Continue reading here: Be Sure to Target Your Social Media Marketing

Was this article helpful?