skip to main content

Social Media Marketing 101: A Beginners Guide

Marketing is essential for businesses to increase their brand visibility and client base. Social media marketing can bring your product and message directly to consumers. Understanding how to use social media marketing properly is necessary to get the best return on investment. This article will explain social media marketing, how to choose the appropriate social media platform for your business, and tips for successful social media marketing.

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing is making promotional content for a business or product and sharing that content on social media platforms. The content businesses create is usually unique to their brand. A social media marketing strategy guides every action taken online to meet a specific goal.

There are many benefits to social media marketing. Most people have at least one social media account, meaning you have a large potential audience and client base. Social media marketing allows businesses to craft a specific brand. With the high volume of social media usage, clients are more likely to be aware of your brand than with traditional marketing.

Social media marketing is different from personal use. Many people use social media to connect with friends, find news, or learn about products. However, social media marketing provides information to get leads and referrals.

Parts of Social Media Marketing Strategy

There are many elements of a successful social media strategy, including:

Alignment With Business Objectives

A successful social media marketing strategy will align with business objectives. Businesses should determine the goals of using social media before ever making a post. Goals should be specific and measurable so it's easier to track success.

Metrics

Track valuable interactions on your social media sites. These include comments, responses to calls to action, or traffic driven to your e-commerce page. Metrics such as likes or shares are good for measuring how many people view your content.

Audience Personas

Know who your clients are and which social media sites they are on. Create content that your client base will find compelling. Additionally, content needs to be where your clients will see it. Make sure you research demographics for each social media site.

Competitive Analysis

Research your competition to see what content they create and post. Note the interactions they have with their client base. Run a competitive analysis to see their strengths and weaknesses, then form a strategy to capitalize on them.

Social Media Audit

Assess your business's own social media presence. Determine what you're already doing well and where you can improve. See who currently engages with your content. Use this information to enhance your profile, content, and interactions online.

Content Calendar

A content calendar helps you keep track of the content you create and distribute. Ensure you consistently share exciting and actionable content to keep your audience engaged. Balance the types of content (pictures, videos, products, and information) you post throughout the day, week, and month.

Consistent Content

Create content that is consistent in voice and style. Ensure the information you share is tied to the business's overall brand. Your content should be professional and well-curated to create a specific experience for your audience.

Analytics

Most social media sites provide data about page views, clicks, comments, and other interactions. Use these analytics to assess your performance and adjust your overall strategy.

Social Media Marketing vs. SEO

Social media marketing uses platforms to share information about your business or products. At the same time, search engine optimization, or SEO, drives online traffic to your website using keywords in a search engine. Social media marketing and SEO have the same goal—to get clients to purchase your product. However, the approach to reach the goal differs.

Social media marketing relies on relationships and connections to gain clients. Clients often discover a company or product through a friend or targeted advertisement on a social media site they frequent. Usually, the client is not searching directly for this company or product.

SEO relies on company or product discovery through active searching on the part of the client. Content and copy are optimized to appear at the top of a search query when clients seek information about a type of product or business.

How to Choose a Platform

There are many different social media sites. Optimize your company's resources by selecting the best social media sites for your specific brand through the following steps:

Identify your audience

Begin by determining who you want to sell your product or service to. Be as specific as you can. Consider the following factors:

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Income level
  • Relationship status
  • Education level
  • Interests and hobbies

Create a persona that you can use to post all of your social media posts.

Set Your Goals

Social media marketing allows for multiple goals and strategies. One goal might be driving traffic to your e-commerce website to increase sales. Another goal might be to build rapport with consumers through a social media account dedicated to answering questions. When developing a strategy, establish measurable goals that will help your business succeed in various aspects.

Find Your Audience

Research social media site demographics to find the best fit for your specific client. There may be several that fit your needs. Then, evaluate how well the structure of that social media site supports your goals. For instance, if your business is interested in running a campaign where clients comment with pictures of your product, ensure the social media site you select can comment on original posts with images.

Tips for Forming a Social Media Marketing Strategy

Social media marketing can be a great way to grow brand awareness and gain new clients. The following tips will help you create the best social media marketing strategy:

  • Be specific: Make sure your content has a clear and precise goal. The audience should know what they are expected to do with the information you provide, whether it’s to share the post, create their post with your hashtag, or go to your e-commerce website.
  • Write concisely: Many social media sites' layouts are conducive to scrolling on a smartphone. Use your limited time and space to your advantage with brief, compelling content.
  • Keep your audience in mind: All your content should be created with your audience in mind. Make posts that will attract current and future clients.
  • "Listen" to your competitors: Follow your competitors on social media. See how they interact with their client base and their social media strategies. Use this information to inform your own social media marketing decisions.
  • Create SMART goals: SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Use the SMART strategy to create the best goals for your business.

Conclusion

Implementing an effective social media marketing strategy takes research, planning, and commitment. However, hard work pays dividends through increased brand awareness, lead generation, and sales. If you need help, reach out to me. I offer a complimentary 30-minute consultation for local business owners interested in developing a customized social media marketing roadmap for their brand.

Image of the author - Hannah Kilpatrick

Written By: Hannah Kilpatrick |  Wednesday, December 06, 2023

Hannah Kilpatrick Cube Creative DesignHannah Kilpatrick graduated from Western Carolina University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Communication with a Minor in Marketing and a Concentration in Public Relations. She has been around social media since its creation. (Meaning, she was in the first grade when Facebook became available to the general public.) As our very own professional Gen-Z, Hannah is a whiz when it comes to social media creation and paid advertising.