Social Media Marketing
It has become nearly impossible to exist in the digital sphere and not involve social media in your strategic plan. That being said, social media presence has to be just that: strategic. Social media will have a different use for you and your business depending on what you do and who is your clientele.
Your primary focus when producing content and marketing materials for social networks should be: “Who is this for?” and “What do we want to accomplish with this?” Who is your target audience that would ideally engage with your content? What do you want them to do with that content? Share it, talk about it, follow it, buy what you are selling? In addition to asking yourself these questions, you then need to decide how you will measure success.
By enlisting the help of BluShark Digital, you can plan and implement a social media marketing strategy that fits into your overall Search Engine Optimization (SEO) goals.
The Uses of Social Media for Business
The primary use of social media is communication. Having a strong social media presence can help to grow and maintain good industry relationships, build brand awareness, and drive traffic to your site.
However, there are virtually endless ways to use social media for your business and achieve these goals. This is why it is important to work with a marketing team that understands how to tailor your social media presence.
Extend Your Network
Social media is a solid tool for staying on top of industry trends and happenings. This connection can foster communication and engagement with other thought leaders in your field.
By expanding your network, it can become easier to stay in touch with associates, clients, and other professionals. Resharing posts and commenting on other content is also a good way to engage in conversations happening within your industry.
Create and Amplify Brand Awareness
Social media is an excellent place to build up a brand outside of your website and expand your online presence. Each platform has a different way for you to build a business personality that consumers can come to know and engage with. Depending on your field, the personality you let come through on social media (comical, professional, quirky) helps to establish your goals and approach to your work.
For example, if you have a distinct mascot, allowing them to be the voice of your posts may be a creative way to garner interaction with your content. No matter the approach, garnering solid brand awareness largely depends on your social media marketing strategy and what you aim to achieve by using social networks.
Drive Website Traffic
Social media can also be used to refer people back to your website. This form of marketing makes it possible to share blog posts, new pages, and other forms of marketing content that users may not see on the search engine results page (SERP).
It is also possible to promote or boost posts to reach a wider audience. If this is a goal for your business, coming up with a social media ad campaign can enable you to drive more unique traffic to your pages and potentially convert leads.
Scheduling Content
For companies looking to test out social media, it is helpful to start out with content that is pre-planned and scheduled to be posted on specific dates. There are several platforms online that will enable you to do this for relatively low costs.
For example, Hootsuite offers various plans based on your posting needs and also offers reporting on your social media performance. You can visually schedule posts on a calendar for LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or Pinterest, so that you can manage virtually any platform. Another scheduling platform is Buffer. It functions similarly to Hootsuite, allowing you to schedule posts to make sure you are active on your social platforms.
However, as your social media presence grows, it is important to devote more time and resources to truly make a lasting impression.
Choosing the Platforms for Your Social Media Marketing Plan
When properly handled, social media is a full-time commitment. However, when many companies start out, they won’t have the time or bandwidth to dedicate to every facet of a built-out social media campaign.
This is why it is helpful to work with a company like BluShark Digital. Our experienced digital marketing team can help with every facet of a social media campaign that is custom-fit for your business or company’s goals and brand.
To learn more, call us today to schedule a free consultation and see how we can help you create or bolster your social media presence.