Social media marketing has come a long way since the early 2000s, when MySpace and Friendster ruled the internet. However, it continues to evolve as new social networks grow in popularity. To keep up with this ever-changing landscape, it’s important to keep an eye on upcoming social networks that could be the next Facebook or Twitter.
Social media is a huge part of our daily lives, whether we like it or not. A study by Global WebIndex shows that over half of the global population have social media accounts, and over 70% of the UK population are active social media users.
Throughout the pandemic, we’ve been spending more time on social media, which has increased even more now that most of us are staying indoors. A study by eMarketer found that Americans spent an extra 7 minutes on social media in 2020 compared to 2019, for a total of 82 minutes.
With these statistics in mind, it is clear that social media marketing is a vital part of digital marketing. Social media will only continue to grow as time goes on. In this article, we’ll be discussing the what, how and why of social media marketing so that you can transform your digital marketing approach and harness the power of social media.
What is social media marketing?
Social media marketing is defined as the use of social media platforms to drive traffic to your website. Social media platforms are described as websites where users create and share information with others by posting text, images, videos, and other multimedia content. In simpler terms, it’s using social media sites to attract visitors to your website.
The role of social media marketers is to run marketing campaigns using social media platforms and tools to gather target audiences and publish content. Social media marketers also engage with followers, check analytics, and run advertisements.
Types of Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is a very broad role, given the amount of social media platforms that are out there. Each platform works differently and appeals to different kinds of content and different target audiences, so your strategy must consider this.
Having a Facebook page is one of the best free ways to use social media marketing. With over 2.7 billion monthly active users, it is the most popular social media platform out there, making it a must for any social media marketing strategy.
That’s not all Facebook has to offer, however. Businesses can also use Facebook business pages to develop a brand identity and engage with customers. They can promote their posts and create Facebook advertisements in order to bring more people to their page and increase brand awareness.
All ages use Facebook, so it is a great place to target different audiences. However, the largest demographic of users are between the ages of 25-35. As of 2021, 56% of users are male and 44% are female, making it an even split between men and women.
Another very popular social media network is Instagram. According to Oberlo, 71% of US businesses are currently on Instagram, showing how popular and successful it is as part of a marketing strategy.
Many companies use Instagram as a kind of catalog for their products, where they share images that fit their brand aesthetic and also photos from customers using their products – this is called ‘user-generated content. Alternatively, companies can use Instagram to raise awareness about their brand, hold competitions that gain more followers, and create sponsored posts.
Whether you want to create a fun brand narrative on Instagram stories, partner with an influencer to target a particular audience with your products or spread your brand’s message, Instagram has a great range of features and tools that can help you.
YouTube
You might be surprised to learn that YouTube actually has more active monthly users than Instagram, making it a fantastic place to gain supporters. Although Instagram is a much better place to advertise your brand using images and short-form content, YouTube could be a great option if you’re creating videos.
Other than making videos on a YouTube channel, companies can pay to advertise through YouTube and use influencer marketing strategies. It’s very common for influencers to create sponsored videos where they use or talk about a certain brand in their videos, so this can be a great opportunity to target a specific demographic.
YouTube advertising is managed through Google. To create a campaign for YouTube, you will need to set up a Google AdWords account.
Other Social Media Platforms
- LinkedIN: LinkedIn can help businesses build credibility, hire talented employees, connect with customers and create a professional online presence.
- TikTok: The fastest growing social media platform ever, TikTok is extremely popular with Gen-Z audiences. Through tactics such as influencer marketing and posting short educational videos, you can gain followers on this platform.
- Snapchat: Snapchat is a great way to reach younger audiences, especially since they love stories and ephemeral content. Brands can post real customer stories or videos about their operations to gain brand awareness with this platform.
- Pinterest: Pinterest has more than 500 million users. It is similar to Instagram in its image focus. Customers buy products directly off Pinterest, so it’s a good place to advertise them.
Why is social media marketing so effective?
We discussed at the beginning of the article that over 50% of the world’s population uses social media platforms. What’s more, they spend an average of 2 hours and 25 minutes a day on them. These numbers show that using social media as part of your digital marketing strategy gives you access to an enormous audience with relative ease.
By failing to be active on social media, you could be missing out on thousands of supporters.
What are the benefits of social media marketing?
Social media marketing is a way to reach many people and convert them into customers. It allows companies to provide valuable content, which leads to more followers and traffic on your site. This ultimately leads to brand awareness and business success.
However, there are some other benefits of social media marketing worth mentioning, which we’ll detail below.
- Reach large audience at small prices
- Keep up with competitors
- Sell products on various platforms
- Create your community
- Direct communication with your followers
What is a social media marketing strategy?
It’s one thing to create a few social media accounts, but if you really want to take your business to the next level, you need a social media marketing strategy. This will be your master plan for your social media content including your content guidelines for what kind of content to post, how often to post, and where you should focus.
How to create a social media strategy?
There are a few things you will need to consider before you start working on your social media marketing strategy.
These tips include:
- Consider your business goals
- Think about your campaign objectives
- Decide on target audience
- Pick your channels
Final Thoughts
Social media marketing is one of the most essential part of any marketing strategy. It is at the forefront of any digital marketing campaign, that targets a large number of people 24/7. This is why, knowing how to structure a social media marketing campaign has become more important than ever before.
AI Advertisment is not just any typical social media marketing agency; our experts integrate Artificial Intelligence in your social media marketing strategy to get the best out of your social media platforms.
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