Social media marketing | Guide
Learn how using social media marketing can help create opportunities, improve conversions and increase brand awareness
The main objective for marketers when managing and marketing social networks is to boost engagement levels. Their main obstacle is producing content that encourages the desired engagement. Since social media plays a crucial role in the early stages of marketing, it's vital to understand how to use it effectively.
In this article, we'll explore the world of social media marketing - its definition, advantages and how to formulate a strategy that achieves the desired results. Your main obstacle is producing content that encourages the desired engagement. Since social networks play a crucial role in the early stages of marketing, it's vital to understand how to use them effectively.
In this article, we'll explore the world of social media marketing - its definition, advantages and how to formulate a strategy that achieves the desired results. Your main obstacle is producing content that encourages the desired engagement. Since social networks play a crucial role in the early stages of marketing, it's vital to understand how to use them effectively.
1
What is social media marketing?
Social media marketing and management involves producing content for social media platforms to publicise products and/or services, establish connections with the desired audience and attract visitors to your company. Social media marketing is constantly changing due to the constant emergence of new features and platforms.
Social media marketing and management involves engaging with your target audience and customers in the same online spaces where they socialise and interact with your brand. Although social media marketing and management provides great value and benefits for the growth of your business, the strategy you use will vary depending on which social networks your audience frequents.
Social media marketing and management involves engaging with your target audience and customers in the same online spaces where they socialise and interact with your brand. Although social media marketing and management provides great value and benefits for the growth of your business, the strategy you use will vary depending on which social networks your audience frequents.
2
Benefits of social media marketing
There are several factors that explain why your company should get involved in social media management and marketing. We've compiled a list of the main reasons to consider. Let's get started.
Strengthen your brand's presence
If you don't have a presence on social media, you're missing out on the opportunity to reach thousands, or even millions, of people due to the sheer number of users. Social media has been shown to increase brand awareness by increasing engagement through comments, likes, shares, reposts and saves. It can also drive traffic to the website, further increasing brand awareness. This can be achieved by adding links to your website and other promotions in your profile, bio and publications.
Create opportunities for potential customers and increase the rate at which these contacts become paying customers
Using social media to promote products can improve lead generation, increase conversions and boost sales by reaching engaged followers. This can be done through competitions, sharing links in bios, live videos, marketing campaigns and sales through social profiles. For example, you have the option of activating the Shop section on Facebook or the Shopping feature on Instagram for your profiles. These features allow your website visitors and followers to click on the items you've published to see details such as price, material and size. Visitors can then seamlessly move on to the payment process on the platform and make a purchase directly from you. If you haven't yet created a Facebook page for your website, here's a guide on how to do it.
Cultivate connections with your customers
Creating long-term connections between your company and your followers on social media can be achieved by connecting and interacting with them on a regular basis. Interact with your followers in your posts, answer their questions and comments, offer assistance and ask them questions about your products or their concerns. Also, consider organising giveaways to reinforce trust and show your appreciation for their feedback and support.
Learn from your competitors
Monitoring your competitors via social media is beneficial for analysing their tactics, promoted products, campaigns and follower engagement. Evaluating their strategies can guide changes in your own approach, ensuring that your marketing is distinctive and in line with your brand.
Strengthen your brand's presence
If you don't have a presence on social media, you're missing out on the opportunity to reach thousands, or even millions, of people due to the sheer number of users. Social media has been shown to increase brand awareness by increasing engagement through comments, likes, shares, reposts and saves. It can also drive traffic to the website, further increasing brand awareness. This can be achieved by adding links to your website and other promotions in your profile, bio and publications.
Create opportunities for potential customers and increase the rate at which these contacts become paying customers
Using social media to promote products can improve lead generation, increase conversions and boost sales by reaching engaged followers. This can be done through competitions, sharing links in bios, live videos, marketing campaigns and sales through social profiles. For example, you have the option of activating the Shop section on Facebook or the Shopping feature on Instagram for your profiles. These features allow your website visitors and followers to click on the items you've published to see details such as price, material and size. Visitors can then seamlessly move on to the payment process on the platform and make a purchase directly from you. If you haven't yet created a Facebook page for your website, here's a guide on how to do it.
Cultivate connections with your customers
Creating long-term connections between your company and your followers on social media can be achieved by connecting and interacting with them on a regular basis. Interact with your followers in your posts, answer their questions and comments, offer assistance and ask them questions about your products or their concerns. Also, consider organising giveaways to reinforce trust and show your appreciation for their feedback and support.
Learn from your competitors
Monitoring your competitors via social media is beneficial for analysing their tactics, promoted products, campaigns and follower engagement. Evaluating their strategies can guide changes in your own approach, ensuring that your marketing is distinctive and in line with your brand.
3
Tips for developing a social media marketing plan
Although social media is always changing, the main key to success remains the same. Essentially, you are simply applying the same process used to develop a marketing strategy, but concentrating on a specific channel.
Establish specific objectives. The initial stage of developing a social media marketing plan involves defining your social media objectives and confirming that they correspond to your business objectives.
Ask yourself: What are the desired results of your social media activities? Once you have identified your main objectives, such as increasing brand awareness, attracting online visitors, creating potential customers, improving customer interaction or increasing customer satisfaction, break them down into smaller, achievable tasks. This helps you determine the specific actions and tactics needed to achieve your goals.
For example, if my goal is to increase website traffic via social media, useful steps might involve posting more frequently, optimising content for sharing or launching specific advertising campaigns.
Step 2 involves analysing your buyer personas and your audience. Thoreau's comment about creating castles and laying foundations is indeed pertinent. Although he wasn't referring to social media marketing, the concept still applies - you've set your goals (you've built castles) and now you have to determine how to achieve them (the foundation).
If you don't have a solid foundation, your goals don't make any sense. Once you have established your objectives, the next step is to outline how to achieve them. One effective way is to identify your buyer personas and your audience in order to adapt your content to their needs and interests. Understanding your audience is crucial to getting the desired response to achieve your goal.
Consider who your target is, why and how to categorise them as a group. For example, if your company specialises in trendy leggings and sweatpants, you could identify your ideal customers as millennials who like to wear trendy sportswear, also known as athleisure, on a regular basis.
By understanding your target audience and buyer personas, you can create content that appeals to the followers and customers you want to attract. Also find out how to produce captivating content to attract the interest of your followers. Expert tip: It's advisable to gather feedback from your followers to understand their preferences, challenges and satisfaction levels. This information can help you recognise the areas that need to be improved and enhance your buyer personas.
Identify social platforms for marketing purposes. As a social media marketer, it's crucial to choose which platforms to use. There is no definitive list of social channels for your business, it depends on your target audience, their habits and the type of content you plan to produce. It's more advantageous to be ahead of the trends than to be left behind.
For example, the younger generation, Generation Z, gravitates towards TikTok. If this is your main target audience, I recommend using this platform to reach them where they are already active. If your aim is to establish a connection with athleisure-loving millennials, prioritise the use of Instagram, as they make up the largest demographic group of users of the platform.
Consider their actions and the online platforms they frequent. If it's Pinterest, use that platform to promote your brand. Use TikTok for your brand if that's where your ideal customer's avatar is active; don't waste time on other platforms. When deciding on content creation, think about the strengths of each platform. If you want to distribute video content, a more suitable platform, such as YouTube, would be your best choice.
In conclusion, you are not limited to using only the most suitable channels. It's crucial to be active on several platforms, and I recommend trying out new platforms or platforms that may not fully fulfil your social media marketing needs.
Diversifying your strategy not only helps you interact with the unique audiences and requirements of each platform, it also improves it. However, I can only suggest this type of testing for companies with well-established marketing plans on effective platforms that produce the desired results. Investing all your resources in a new venture when you have no experience can have negative consequences.
Determine your key metrics and KPIs. Make sure your social media plan is based on data, regardless of your objectives or sector. This means concentrating on the relevant social media metrics. Instead of dwelling on superficial numbers, delve into the information that relates directly to your objectives.
What specific metrics am I referring to? See the analysis provided: Reach. Post reach refers to the total number of different users who have viewed your post. What percentage of your content is actually seen by users in their feeds? Clicks. This represents the total number of clicks on your content or account.
Monitoring the clicks of each campaign is crucial to determining what drives interest or promotes purchases. Engagement. The sum of all interpersonal engagements divided by the number of exposures. This demonstrates your audience's level of perception of you and their willingness to get involved. Hashtag success. Which hashtags did you use the most? Which hashtags were most associated with your brand? Having this information can guide the direction of your future content. Likes received through organic and paid methods.
In addition to a regular count of ‘Likes’, these interactions are linked to paid or organic content. Due to the difficulty of obtaining organic engagement, many brands resort to adverts. Understanding these variations can help you manage your advertising budget and allocate time efficiently to the various formats. This evaluates user response to your content, brand or hashtag.
Was your recent campaign considered offensive by customers? What kind of emotion is associated with your campaign hashtag by individuals? It's always more advantageous to delve deeper and explore how individuals communicate or perceive your brand.
Familiarise yourself with your competitors. Regardless of whether you're new or experienced in social media marketing, it's crucial to be aware of the current landscape in your sector, in particular your rivals. A competitive analysis will help you identify your competition and their strengths and weaknesses. Understanding industry standards will help you set social media goals and recognise potential opportunities.
For example, my main rival stands out on Facebook, but neglects Twitter and Instagram. Instead of just trying to attract fans of a popular player, I can also exploit networks where my audience is not well served. I'm not abandoning Facebook (since I know it's effective), but I am broadening my approach and establishing a presence where there is a new audience eager to interact with me.
Pro tip: I suggest you keep an eye on your competitors' reviews to find out what customers appreciate and criticise. Take note of frequent criticisms or recurring patterns to understand their areas of dissatisfaction and endeavour to address those dissatisfactions in your own plan.
Create unique, attention-grabbing content. With the countless social media users around the world, it's inevitable that some of your followers or those who view your profile will have come across your competitors' posts or other industry-related content.
It's crucial to have engaging content on social media, because it helps your brand stand out and encourages visitors to click on the ‘Follow’ card and react to your brand. If your content captures viewers' attention, social media algorithms will support it by featuring it first, since they have shown interest in it. This also applies to our social media engagement.
We follow countless brands on Instagram, but only a few consistently capture our attention with their engaging content, prompting us to interact. The algorithm recognises my preferences and prioritises their posts, which means that I only see their Stories after I've seen all the other content or reached the end of my feed, which is rare. Not sure what's considered engaging?
The main recommendation for brands to create engaging content on social media is to carry out market research beforehand, as audience preferences determine what is engaging. If you understand your audience's information needs and preferences, you can create interesting content tailored to their interests. Looking for concrete information on the type of content to produce?
Here are some consumer insights: Consumers spend most of their time interacting with visual content, such as images/photos/infographics (53%) and short-form video content (44%). Millennials react most to short video content. Video content is favoured by Generation Z, Generation Y and Generation X, while Boomers prefer images/photos/infographics.
Consumers consider relatable content to be the most memorable in general. The most memorable content for Generation Z and Millennials is comedic content. To increase your creativity, analyse your competitors' content and find unique ways to promote your products. Utilise the features provided by the platforms you are using.
One way to do this is to use Facebook Live videos to share updates on the launch of a new product or organise a prize draw. Another method is to publish user-generated content from your current customers and promoters or ask them to use a specific hashtag to show their experiences with your products.
Finally, take advantage of current trends. Social media trends are constantly emerging, especially on platforms like TikTok, which focus on short videos. Don't hesitate to take part, but make sure you're deliberate in your approach. Chances are you've missed your chance if the trend started three weeks ago. Identifying trends at an early stage is the most effective way to take advantage of them without appearing fake or over-eager or, worse still, being labelled ‘chuegy’ - take Generation Z as an example.
Plan the timing of your posts. Using a social media management tool can help ensure that your content is distributed according to your plan. These tools allow you to create captions, edit images and videos and plan posts in advance. Some platforms can automatically publish your content at specific times and track engagement with your posts. We recently tried out a few content scheduling tools for social media and I highly recommend them. They were all very easy to use and the time-saving advantages make them a worthwhile investment for social media marketers looking to improve efficiency and save time.
Hootsuite;
Sprout Social.
What is the ideal frequency for posting on social media platforms?
In general, it is advisable to share content on social media only when it is of high quality and serves a purpose. This can help you find the right balance for your publishing schedule. The biggest mistake brands make in social media marketing is prioritising the quantity of content over its quality.
They think they have to publish every day, which forces them to generate content to fill their calendar. Most likely, none of these publications will be particularly useful to the target audience, what I call ‘cluttered content’. Instead, we suggest reducing quantity and increasing quality. Publishing high-quality content two or three times a week is more effective than publishing one or two valuable posts in seven days. There are numerous studies and resources that explain the recommended frequency of social media posts for different sectors and platforms.
Each company has its own unique characteristics, so find out what is effective for your target market. Examine your analyses to determine when you receive the highest level of interaction, and then establish a posting schedule that corresponds to those times. You can then start testing different numbers of posts and other variables, such as the time of day you post on social media, to find out what generates the most engagement.
Evaluate and modify your plan. Social media is constantly changing, so it's crucial to regularly evaluate and guarantee the effectiveness of your strategy. We suggest that you set a consistent schedule for reviewing your social media strategy. This can take place every month, every quarter or once a year, based on your company's requirements and resources.
Use these analyses to identify successes, areas for growth and new directions to investigate. When carrying out the evaluation, make sure you are getting closer to your social media objectives. Evaluate your current performance against the benchmarks and key performance indicators you have defined.
Then identify any shortcomings or aspects that need to be improved. Keeping up to date with the latest developments is crucial. Make sure you're aware of changes in social media algorithms, user behaviour and new features, as well as emerging platforms and technologies.
For example, if Twitter is an important part of your social media strategy, take into account the effects of the rebranding of the platform to X and the new competition following the takeover by Elon Musk. Before analysing your social media marketing tactics, let's first take a look at the main social media platforms to understand how social media strategies vary between the different platforms.
- Step 1
Establish specific objectives. The initial stage of developing a social media marketing plan involves defining your social media objectives and confirming that they correspond to your business objectives.
Ask yourself: What are the desired results of your social media activities? Once you have identified your main objectives, such as increasing brand awareness, attracting online visitors, creating potential customers, improving customer interaction or increasing customer satisfaction, break them down into smaller, achievable tasks. This helps you determine the specific actions and tactics needed to achieve your goals.
For example, if my goal is to increase website traffic via social media, useful steps might involve posting more frequently, optimising content for sharing or launching specific advertising campaigns.
- Step 2
Step 2 involves analysing your buyer personas and your audience. Thoreau's comment about creating castles and laying foundations is indeed pertinent. Although he wasn't referring to social media marketing, the concept still applies - you've set your goals (you've built castles) and now you have to determine how to achieve them (the foundation).
If you don't have a solid foundation, your goals don't make any sense. Once you have established your objectives, the next step is to outline how to achieve them. One effective way is to identify your buyer personas and your audience in order to adapt your content to their needs and interests. Understanding your audience is crucial to getting the desired response to achieve your goal.
Consider who your target is, why and how to categorise them as a group. For example, if your company specialises in trendy leggings and sweatpants, you could identify your ideal customers as millennials who like to wear trendy sportswear, also known as athleisure, on a regular basis.
By understanding your target audience and buyer personas, you can create content that appeals to the followers and customers you want to attract. Also find out how to produce captivating content to attract the interest of your followers. Expert tip: It's advisable to gather feedback from your followers to understand their preferences, challenges and satisfaction levels. This information can help you recognise the areas that need to be improved and enhance your buyer personas.
- Step 3
Identify social platforms for marketing purposes. As a social media marketer, it's crucial to choose which platforms to use. There is no definitive list of social channels for your business, it depends on your target audience, their habits and the type of content you plan to produce. It's more advantageous to be ahead of the trends than to be left behind.
For example, the younger generation, Generation Z, gravitates towards TikTok. If this is your main target audience, I recommend using this platform to reach them where they are already active. If your aim is to establish a connection with athleisure-loving millennials, prioritise the use of Instagram, as they make up the largest demographic group of users of the platform.
Consider their actions and the online platforms they frequent. If it's Pinterest, use that platform to promote your brand. Use TikTok for your brand if that's where your ideal customer's avatar is active; don't waste time on other platforms. When deciding on content creation, think about the strengths of each platform. If you want to distribute video content, a more suitable platform, such as YouTube, would be your best choice.
In conclusion, you are not limited to using only the most suitable channels. It's crucial to be active on several platforms, and I recommend trying out new platforms or platforms that may not fully fulfil your social media marketing needs.
Diversifying your strategy not only helps you interact with the unique audiences and requirements of each platform, it also improves it. However, I can only suggest this type of testing for companies with well-established marketing plans on effective platforms that produce the desired results. Investing all your resources in a new venture when you have no experience can have negative consequences.
- Step 4
Determine your key metrics and KPIs. Make sure your social media plan is based on data, regardless of your objectives or sector. This means concentrating on the relevant social media metrics. Instead of dwelling on superficial numbers, delve into the information that relates directly to your objectives.
What specific metrics am I referring to? See the analysis provided: Reach. Post reach refers to the total number of different users who have viewed your post. What percentage of your content is actually seen by users in their feeds? Clicks. This represents the total number of clicks on your content or account.
Monitoring the clicks of each campaign is crucial to determining what drives interest or promotes purchases. Engagement. The sum of all interpersonal engagements divided by the number of exposures. This demonstrates your audience's level of perception of you and their willingness to get involved. Hashtag success. Which hashtags did you use the most? Which hashtags were most associated with your brand? Having this information can guide the direction of your future content. Likes received through organic and paid methods.
In addition to a regular count of ‘Likes’, these interactions are linked to paid or organic content. Due to the difficulty of obtaining organic engagement, many brands resort to adverts. Understanding these variations can help you manage your advertising budget and allocate time efficiently to the various formats. This evaluates user response to your content, brand or hashtag.
Was your recent campaign considered offensive by customers? What kind of emotion is associated with your campaign hashtag by individuals? It's always more advantageous to delve deeper and explore how individuals communicate or perceive your brand.
- Step 5
Familiarise yourself with your competitors. Regardless of whether you're new or experienced in social media marketing, it's crucial to be aware of the current landscape in your sector, in particular your rivals. A competitive analysis will help you identify your competition and their strengths and weaknesses. Understanding industry standards will help you set social media goals and recognise potential opportunities.
For example, my main rival stands out on Facebook, but neglects Twitter and Instagram. Instead of just trying to attract fans of a popular player, I can also exploit networks where my audience is not well served. I'm not abandoning Facebook (since I know it's effective), but I am broadening my approach and establishing a presence where there is a new audience eager to interact with me.
Pro tip: I suggest you keep an eye on your competitors' reviews to find out what customers appreciate and criticise. Take note of frequent criticisms or recurring patterns to understand their areas of dissatisfaction and endeavour to address those dissatisfactions in your own plan.
- Step 6
Create unique, attention-grabbing content. With the countless social media users around the world, it's inevitable that some of your followers or those who view your profile will have come across your competitors' posts or other industry-related content.
It's crucial to have engaging content on social media, because it helps your brand stand out and encourages visitors to click on the ‘Follow’ card and react to your brand. If your content captures viewers' attention, social media algorithms will support it by featuring it first, since they have shown interest in it. This also applies to our social media engagement.
We follow countless brands on Instagram, but only a few consistently capture our attention with their engaging content, prompting us to interact. The algorithm recognises my preferences and prioritises their posts, which means that I only see their Stories after I've seen all the other content or reached the end of my feed, which is rare. Not sure what's considered engaging?
The main recommendation for brands to create engaging content on social media is to carry out market research beforehand, as audience preferences determine what is engaging. If you understand your audience's information needs and preferences, you can create interesting content tailored to their interests. Looking for concrete information on the type of content to produce?
Here are some consumer insights: Consumers spend most of their time interacting with visual content, such as images/photos/infographics (53%) and short-form video content (44%). Millennials react most to short video content. Video content is favoured by Generation Z, Generation Y and Generation X, while Boomers prefer images/photos/infographics.
Consumers consider relatable content to be the most memorable in general. The most memorable content for Generation Z and Millennials is comedic content. To increase your creativity, analyse your competitors' content and find unique ways to promote your products. Utilise the features provided by the platforms you are using.
One way to do this is to use Facebook Live videos to share updates on the launch of a new product or organise a prize draw. Another method is to publish user-generated content from your current customers and promoters or ask them to use a specific hashtag to show their experiences with your products.
Finally, take advantage of current trends. Social media trends are constantly emerging, especially on platforms like TikTok, which focus on short videos. Don't hesitate to take part, but make sure you're deliberate in your approach. Chances are you've missed your chance if the trend started three weeks ago. Identifying trends at an early stage is the most effective way to take advantage of them without appearing fake or over-eager or, worse still, being labelled ‘chuegy’ - take Generation Z as an example.
- Step 7
Plan the timing of your posts. Using a social media management tool can help ensure that your content is distributed according to your plan. These tools allow you to create captions, edit images and videos and plan posts in advance. Some platforms can automatically publish your content at specific times and track engagement with your posts. We recently tried out a few content scheduling tools for social media and I highly recommend them. They were all very easy to use and the time-saving advantages make them a worthwhile investment for social media marketers looking to improve efficiency and save time.
Hootsuite;
Sprout Social.
What is the ideal frequency for posting on social media platforms?
In general, it is advisable to share content on social media only when it is of high quality and serves a purpose. This can help you find the right balance for your publishing schedule. The biggest mistake brands make in social media marketing is prioritising the quantity of content over its quality.
They think they have to publish every day, which forces them to generate content to fill their calendar. Most likely, none of these publications will be particularly useful to the target audience, what I call ‘cluttered content’. Instead, we suggest reducing quantity and increasing quality. Publishing high-quality content two or three times a week is more effective than publishing one or two valuable posts in seven days. There are numerous studies and resources that explain the recommended frequency of social media posts for different sectors and platforms.
Each company has its own unique characteristics, so find out what is effective for your target market. Examine your analyses to determine when you receive the highest level of interaction, and then establish a posting schedule that corresponds to those times. You can then start testing different numbers of posts and other variables, such as the time of day you post on social media, to find out what generates the most engagement.
- Step 8
Evaluate and modify your plan. Social media is constantly changing, so it's crucial to regularly evaluate and guarantee the effectiveness of your strategy. We suggest that you set a consistent schedule for reviewing your social media strategy. This can take place every month, every quarter or once a year, based on your company's requirements and resources.
Use these analyses to identify successes, areas for growth and new directions to investigate. When carrying out the evaluation, make sure you are getting closer to your social media objectives. Evaluate your current performance against the benchmarks and key performance indicators you have defined.
Then identify any shortcomings or aspects that need to be improved. Keeping up to date with the latest developments is crucial. Make sure you're aware of changes in social media algorithms, user behaviour and new features, as well as emerging platforms and technologies.
For example, if Twitter is an important part of your social media strategy, take into account the effects of the rebranding of the platform to X and the new competition following the takeover by Elon Musk. Before analysing your social media marketing tactics, let's first take a look at the main social media platforms to understand how social media strategies vary between the different platforms.
4
Social media marketing platforms
- TikTok
- X (ex Twitter)
- LinedIn
- YouTube
- Snapchat
Demographics: Mainly Millennials and also popular with Generation Z
Sector focus: B2C
Ideal for: Visual adverts and creative ideasPinterest acts as a virtual board for users to find inspiration on various topics, such as fashion and home decoration. 85% of users say that Pinterest is their platform of choice when starting a new project. In addition, 80% of Pinners who use the platform on a weekly basis claim to have found a new brand or product. It therefore serves as both a valuable tool for discovery and a means for brands to build their narrative using visual stories.
5
Analysing the impact and results of your management and marketing on social networks
Ensuring that your social media marketing efforts are successful is crucial to helping you achieve your goals. To achieve this, you must monitor your posts on all channels. To do this, you must examine and supervise your social media analyses.
Social media analysis involves information about the performance of your publications and their influence on your audience and customers on different platforms. I suggest you keep track of the top ten metrics, which can include engagement levels, likes, followers, shares and various cross-platform interactions.
These metrics involve clicks, comments, likes and replies on your social media posts. There are different types of engagement on different platforms, such as ‘Saved’ posts on Instagram and ‘Pinned’ posts on Pinterest. Reach refers to the total number of people who have viewed any content linked to your page or profile.
Followers are people who have clicked the ‘Follow’ button and regularly view your content. Impressions indicate the number of times a post has been viewed, without taking into account any interactions. Impressions are usually generated when someone is browsing your feed. Video views refer to the number of views videos receive on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
Profile visits indicate the number of people who have visited your profile. Mentions and tags occur when someone refers to your brand, company or profile in their post. Someone can mention your profile in their content by tagging it directly with the ‘@’ symbol.
For example, when someone publishes your content on their profile, this is called a repost. Shares represent the number of times people have shared your content with others. By using lead generation tactics, you can impact these metrics to improve your social media presence.
The metrics you prioritise vary depending on the stage of your company's development - in the beginning, focus on increasing your audience and visibility. Important measures: reach, impressions, audience growth. When you're growing, prioritise establishing trust. Important measures: Likes, saves, comments, DMs. If it's already successful, focus on maintaining and supporting it.
Likes, saves, comments, DMs. When launching a product, prioritise sales. Key metrics such as direct messages (DMs) and click-through rate can be measured to track the performance of your social networks. There are various methods available for measuring these metrics. Some platforms include their own analytical tools, such as X Analytics, Facebook Analytics and Instagram Insights, but you can also consider using external tools, such as Google Analytics, for monitoring. I consider it a fantastic choice for monitoring your social media and analysing your website at the same time.
Finally, it's important to note that several social media scheduling platforms include monitoring and analysis features. Using a metrics tracking tool can provide valuable information about your audience's preferences and help you increase engagement. After discussing the advantages of social media marketing and creating a strategy, let's explore supplementary resources to guide you further.
Social media analysis involves information about the performance of your publications and their influence on your audience and customers on different platforms. I suggest you keep track of the top ten metrics, which can include engagement levels, likes, followers, shares and various cross-platform interactions.
These metrics involve clicks, comments, likes and replies on your social media posts. There are different types of engagement on different platforms, such as ‘Saved’ posts on Instagram and ‘Pinned’ posts on Pinterest. Reach refers to the total number of people who have viewed any content linked to your page or profile.
Followers are people who have clicked the ‘Follow’ button and regularly view your content. Impressions indicate the number of times a post has been viewed, without taking into account any interactions. Impressions are usually generated when someone is browsing your feed. Video views refer to the number of views videos receive on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
Profile visits indicate the number of people who have visited your profile. Mentions and tags occur when someone refers to your brand, company or profile in their post. Someone can mention your profile in their content by tagging it directly with the ‘@’ symbol.
For example, when someone publishes your content on their profile, this is called a repost. Shares represent the number of times people have shared your content with others. By using lead generation tactics, you can impact these metrics to improve your social media presence.
The metrics you prioritise vary depending on the stage of your company's development - in the beginning, focus on increasing your audience and visibility. Important measures: reach, impressions, audience growth. When you're growing, prioritise establishing trust. Important measures: Likes, saves, comments, DMs. If it's already successful, focus on maintaining and supporting it.
Likes, saves, comments, DMs. When launching a product, prioritise sales. Key metrics such as direct messages (DMs) and click-through rate can be measured to track the performance of your social networks. There are various methods available for measuring these metrics. Some platforms include their own analytical tools, such as X Analytics, Facebook Analytics and Instagram Insights, but you can also consider using external tools, such as Google Analytics, for monitoring. I consider it a fantastic choice for monitoring your social media and analysing your website at the same time.
Finally, it's important to note that several social media scheduling platforms include monitoring and analysis features. Using a metrics tracking tool can provide valuable information about your audience's preferences and help you increase engagement. After discussing the advantages of social media marketing and creating a strategy, let's explore supplementary resources to guide you further.
6
Books about social media marketing
Another excellent method for expanding your knowledge of social media marketing is to read appropriate materials, such as books. Below are some well-respected books that focus on the subject.
- Likable Social Media, Third Edition by Dave Kerpen shows how engaging with customers on social media can help expand your customer base. This bestselling book explains how to create content that resonates with followers, encouraging them to share it with others. Dave Kerpen, the author, also explains the importance of consistently pleasing your followers to avoid losing them at any point;
- In ‘Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook’, Gary Vaynerchuk emphasises the importance of personalising content for your target audience and using the right platform for your social media marketing strategy. Vaynerchuk also discusses building meaningful connections with followers and customers online. You'll be taught how to generate distinctive and unforgettable content that stands out from rival content;
- Kipp Bodnar's book, ‘The B2B Social Media Book’, teaches readers how to excel in marketing by using various platforms, such as blogs, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, email and more, to generate leads. Kipp Bodnar discusses strategies for B2B companies to increase contacts and conversions on social media. There are effective steps to increase the number of followers, attract leads and measure the ROI of social media for B2B.
7
FAQ
- What is social media management?
- Why is social media management important for business?
- What are the primary duties of a social media manager?
- Which platforms are part of social media management?
- What are KPIs in social media management?
- How do you create a social media management strategy?
- What distinguishes social media management from social media marketing?
- What methods can I use to evaluate the effectiveness of my social media campaigns?
- How to deal with criticism on social media?
- What is the ideal frequency for social media posts?
8
Summary
Main steps for social media management (SMM):
- Define Clear Objectives;
- Know Your Target Audience;
- Choose the Right Platforms;
- Create a Content Calendar;
- Develop Quality Content;
- Engage with Your Audience;
- Monitor and Analyse Performance;
- Adjust Your Strategy Based on Results;
- Invest in Paid Ads;
- Keep Up to Date with Trends.
With billions of people on social media these days, it's no surprise that many companies and marketers turn to this platform to promote their products and interact with consumers. Although it can be intimidating to decide on your company's social media strategy, you can lessen the burden by understanding how social media marketing works and utilising the resources provided on the subject (such as this article!).
Start developing your company's social media marketing plan now to increase your followers, boost engagement and generate more conversions.
Start developing your company's social media marketing plan now to increase your followers, boost engagement and generate more conversions.
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