A Business Owner’s Guide to Creating Successful Social Media Marketing Campaigns
by Abdul Aziz Mondal Marketing Published on: 06 September 2018 Last Updated on: 11 November 2024
Social media marketing campaigns are an enigma to most business owners. You have no idea how to incorporate the various social media platforms into a good marketing strategy. Sure, you’ve used Facebook and Twitter for personal reasons, but now you want to know how to use them for your business.
The good news? You’re not alone. There is help for business owners looking to start marketing on social media.
How do you create social media marketing campaigns that work? Read on to find out!
Creating Social Media Marketing Campaigns :
You know you need to be on social media to market your business. But there’s more to it than creating a Twitter account and using hashtags. Here’s a list of proven tips to get you started.
Set Some Goals :
Once upon a time, you could just start a social media account and post a few things to promote your business. That is no longer the case. These days, you need a solid plan and a social media marketing strategy.
To start, you’ll need to decide on some goals.
Here are some questions to think about that will help you set meaningful goals for your social media marketing campaigns.
1. What do you want from your social media marketing campaign?
You might be looking to generate leads, raise awareness about your brand, build a community around your business or even set yourself up as a leader and a known expert in your field.
No matter what your goal is, knowing what it is up front helps. Once you know, you can make decisions about how to create a social media marketing strategy that works for your business.
2. Who are you trying to reach?
Have you thought about who your audience is? It’s time to figure it out! Think about the demographics of the people who will be your customers. Tailor your social media strategy to reach those people.
3. Which social media tools suit your business and its audience?
You might not want or need all the different social media outlets out there. Let’s face it, there are a lot of options. The most popular of the bunch are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Snapchat.
Do you really need all of those? Maybe, but you’ll need to decide what’s right for your business. Instead of creating accounts you don’t need or won’t use, why not focus on and learn which social media tools are best for your goals?
Know Your Audience :
You’ve thought about the demographics of your target customer. Now, let’s dig a little deeper.
Who are they, really? Are you targeting millennials or baby boomers? Men or women? What about people who fall into a group of categories, like parents and retirees?
Buying patterns are different for various groups. You’ll need to know how to approach your target market in order to reach them through social media and make sales. You might need to focus on one group or more than one group, but it’s important to address them all in the content you provide on your social media platforms.
What is your audience trying to achieve by following your social media account? Are they looking for discounts? What about a local company? Are they looking for someone with years of experience in the field?
These are all things you need to consider in your social media marketing campaigns. For example, if you are a landscaping and patio design company, you’ll be focusing on a market close to home. But, just because you have a limited radius of travel doesn’t mean you can’t help your clients with what they need or want.
If you are designing patios, your clients are likely to purchase items like barbecue grills and patio furniture. Consider including links to a retail site you recommend for Patio and Hearth items to make your backyard fun. It’s interesting and useful to the client!
Do Your Research :
Have you researched your competition, yet? Now is the time to know who you are going to compete with for each and every customer in your trade. Knowing what your competition is doing on social media can help you narrow down your focus and even find some new opportunities.
Chances are, your competitors are already on social media. If not, that’s good news for you! This is a gap you can fill by reaching out to that market.
First, identify the competition. A quick google search will show you all the companies in your local area or online who are in the same trade or field you work in. Make a list of the top 5 most competitive businesses in your field.
Next, look up those top 5 competitors on each of the social media platforms you are planning to use. Look for reviews and activity by the competitor and their followers. Write down notes about the activity you see.
Are they using their social media extensively? What do their customers say about their service and content? How can you use this to benefit your social media marketing strategy?
Spend some time listening to your competitor’s customers to see what works and what doesn’t with that demographic. Look for alternate ways to tap into a market your competitors seem to be neglecting.
Learn About Metrics :
This is a sticking point for many business owners. It seems more complicated than it is, but never fear! There are tools to help you look at the metrics, or numbers, involved with your social media marketing campaigns.
If you’re using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn or Pinterest, then there are analytics tools at your disposal. They can track the number of things going on in your page. Some numbers you might see include followers, shares, likes, hashtag results and page visits.
Here’s a link to Facebook’s analytics program to give you an idea of how it works.
Post Engaging Content :
Who wants to follow or read boring posts or bland lists of information? No one. Don’t write posts or articles that read like a technical manual.
You need to generate some content that intrigues your readers. Try to think of some topics that are related to your field that your clients could gain some information from. Then, write an article about it.
Not a writer? No problem!
If you can’t write interesting content, consider hiring a freelance writer to do it for you. You can post a job on LinkedIn or on a freelance writer job board. You can pay writers for each article you need, either per word or a set fee per assignment.
Analyze Your Results :
You’re not done, yet! Now that you have your social media marketing campaigns underway, it’s time to analyze how well it’s working. It’s a good idea to do this on a regular basis, such as weekly or monthly.
When you analyze your social media marketing plan, you’ll be using some of the data that you receive from your analytics tools and a Google search of your company.
Here’s what you are looking for:
- Google Relevance – How high up are you on the list when you do a google search of your company name? Did your social media profiles show up?
- Social Media Presence – Are your profiles being used? How many followers are there and do they interact with the content you are posting?
- Comparison to Competitors – Do your profile analytics seem to match or exceed the results for your competitors? They should! Have you filled the gaps left by competitors?
- Branding – Do you have all your profiles, logos and images up to date? Do they represent the brand you are presenting on social media?
- Check your Security – Are passwords holding up? Have you been bombarded with Spam?
Consider what you’ve discovered and made a plan to follow up on anything that doesn’t work. Take action to streamline your social media marketing strategy until it reflects exactly what your goals are.
Work to develop a routine for analyzing your social media marketing campaign. It should be a checklist that one person can work through. Be sure there is room on the checklist to make notes about analysis findings.
Get Started Today :
There’s no reason to hold off on starting your social media marketing campaigns. Get started, today!
Maybe it’s a little intimidating, but if you start by making a plan it will all work out. Just take it one step at a time, and you’ll be a social media marketing guru before you know it!
Need More Information? :
You can see more marketing articles on our blog. Please let us know if we can help you with your business in any other way!
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