It’s fascinating to see how much social media usage has grown in the past decade. If we look at the statistics, then they were 2.62 billion social media users in the year 2018. This figure is expected to rise to 3.02 billion by the year 2021. This shows the ever-growing popularity of social media. Social media has enabled people to connect and communicate with each other efficiently from around the globe. A person living in South America can easily communicate and be friends with someone from Asia.
This popularity of social media is advantageous for businesses of all size, especially small businesses. It gives them the opportunity to connect with potential customers and prospects and establish themselves as a trusted brand.
The ease and simplicity offered by social media is the reason it’s now becoming a preferred form of online marketing. For gaining recognition, social media marketing is the most effective kind of internet marketing. Not only is it affordable and easy but it also delivers robust results. To understand and use social media marketing to your benefit here are a few simple tips. With these tips, you can increase your ROI expanding the operations and profitability of your small business.
Lay down your objectives
To get started with social media marketing you first need to lay down your objectives. You need to map out and plan what objectives you’re trying to achieve. Start small and evaluate and analyze two to three objectives in the beginning. This way you will be able to prioritize the goals which need to be accomplished first and foremost. Don’t look at social media as a magic wand which will magically help you achieve all your goals. Instead, look at it as a helping tool which will aid you in maintaining and sustaining steady growth.
Work on the S.M.A.R.T Framework
When setting your goals and objectives, analyze them with the help of S.M.A.R.T framework. Now, you might be wondering what exactly is the S.M.A.R.T framework? This framework is beneficial for planning. In the simplest terms, your goals should be:
S – Specific: They should specifically highlight what you’re trying to achieve.
M – Measurable: You must be able to measure the performance of your goals.
A – Attainable: Ensure that all your goals are within reach and not unrealistic.
R – Relevant: Ask yourself, are the goals you’re trying to achieve relevant to your business?
T – Timely: Each goal and objective should have a realistic time frame for achieving them. This works in tandem with the rest of the framework allowing you to better assess your goals and objectives.
This framework only remains S.M.A.R.T if you actually focus on each aspect. There is no point in following this framework if you aren’t going to work on each aspect.
Try a Social Media Audit
Don’t get intimidated by the word ‘audit’. A social media audit is simply a compilation of all the information gained from your existing social media accounts, social media channels, and impostor accounts in a single document.
A social media audit allows you to evaluate the data you gather and improve on it. Through this data, you can effectively improvise your S.M.A.R.T framework and increase the efficiency of your online marketing strategy for social media.
Metrics Matter in a Big Way
Metrics help you determine the success of your social media marketing goals and objectives, so they are a big deal. However, choosing the right metrics for measuring your success is crucial. When analyzing metrics look at the following factors:
- Reach
- Audience engagement
- Site traffic
- Leads generated
- Sign-ups and conversions
- Revenue generated
These are a good starting point for understanding the effectiveness of your social media marketing campaign. Apart from these, keep a lookout for the comments, likes, shares, and reviews you get on your social media account. These are termed as ‘vanity metrics’. They help you determine how you compete against your competitors and what resonates well with your target audience.
Choose the Right Platform
Instead of going wild and picking every other social media platform, start with just one. Understand where you have the most potential to gain new customers. This will save you from wasting your time, efforts, and resources on platforms which don’t drive beneficial results for you. To help you choose the right platform look at this list of social media facts and statistics to determine what works for you and what doesn’t.
Have Patience
You have probably heard of the saying ‘Patience is a virtue’. Well, it’s time that you live by it. You need to have the patience to leverage social media marketing. Some strategies might work for you while others don’t. You should base all your decisions on the key insights and analytics you get from your online marketing campaign. Without patience, your social media marketing strategy will never work no matter how remarkable it might be.
Conclusion
Conclusively, follow these simple tips and steps and you will design a stellar social media marketing strategy which gets you outstanding results. Social media marketing offers a plethora of benefits; you just need to correctly utilize it. However, if you still struggle with forming a social media marketing strategy we suggest you get in touch with a professional digital marketing agency which offers social media marketing services that fit your budget. We live in the age of technology. This means that you have countless options to choose from if something doesn’t work in your favor.