This article will tell you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about social media marketing strategy, including how long it will take for you to see results.
Table of Contents
Social Media Marketing Strategy
According to Social Media Today, people are spending more and more time on social media. In 2017, teenagers were spending up to nine hours a day on various social media platforms. Therefore, it is crucial that you create social media accounts for your business. Social media marketing uses various social media platforms to increase brand awareness, connect with people, and increase website traffic. Social media marketing has grown into so much more than simply publishing content. Now, businesses use social media to track what others are saying about their brands on social media, understand and analyze their social media sales, publish targeted social media ads, and anything else that can help them improve their business.
In this article, you will learn about various social media marketing services, and how social media marketing agencies help your business thrive on social media.
Social Media Marketing Services
Social media marketing agencies should offer a wide range of services to their clients. Here are some components to think about when starting your social media journey.
Which Social Media Platform Will You Use?
Before deciding which social media platforms you are going to use, research each platform. You want to know which platforms attract the most traffic for your particular business.
Facebook is the most popular social media network with over a billion users. Other influential networks are Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, and many other platforms, depending on your audience.
Twitter is useful for messages that are short and to the point, since you can’t write more than 280 characters in a single tweet. Tweets tend to perform better if they have an image attached.
Facebook posts can include more information than a Tweet; however, people tend to overlook posts full of long text. Instagram is an image-based social media platform. Therefore, you need to post photos and videos that are relevant to your company. You can also utilize the Story, Instagram Live, and Instagram TV features to increase your social media visibility.
Similar to Instagram, Pinterest is also an image-based social media platform. Pinterest is the perfect platform to showcase your products. LinkedIn is a professional, business social media platform.
You need to make sure that your posts are professional and suitable for a work environment. No matter what social media platform you use, you need to focus on your clients’ needs.
Goals
You want your goals to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound). If you follow the SMART method, you are more likely to achieve your goals. Some goals might be to increase brand awareness, amount of customers, or sales. Your goals will heavily influence your actions and marketing strategy. For example, if your goals are focused around increasing sales, you should monitor the number of Clicks. By tracking Clicks, you will have a better idea of what is causing people to want to buy your product. No matter what your goals are, make sure that they are realistic and achievable.
Plan
It is crucial to have a solid plan for social media marketing. Creating a content strategy will give you a good sense of what you will be achieving through social media. Some things to include in your plan are creating SMART goals, researching your target audience, and creating a content calendar. You must have a clear plan because it will help guide you on your social media marketing journey.
Investigate Your Competition
You always want to know what your competitors are up to so that you can be a step in front of them. What are they focusing on? Who is their target audience? By knowing everything about your competition, you can find their weak spots. For example, maybe they are very active on Facebook but have not been as influential on Instagram. You can use that to your advantage by targeting Instagram more than Facebook. That way, you will not be directly going against them on a platform that they already have a lot of influence on. Sometimes it’s all about working smarter, not harder. Once you know more about your competition, you will have a better understanding of what you are up against.
Content Creation
Content creation is exactly what it sounds like. It is the production of the content that you will be posting to your social media accounts. Social media content needs to engage your audience. You want to encourage them to buy and promote your product or service. Some examples of content are photos, videos, written posts, or any other type of content that will help you reach your goals. Also, don’t mix your personal account with your business account. Basically, don’t let your own account influence what you post on your business account unless it has to do with your business. On your personal accounts, you most likely post content that interests you. On your business account, you want to post content that interests your target audience. In general, you want your content to fit in with your brand and make people want to learn more about your product or service.
Publishing Content
In the beginning, it can be hard to find the time to post social media content. You might struggle with coming up with concepts and ideas, or just figuring out when to post. A good way to organize your content is to create a content calendar. A calendar will help you tremendously when figuring out what works best for your company.
Research and Analysis
The most important aspect to take note of is your audience. You want to know everything about your customers in order for your social media strategies to be successful. In addition, you want to know what your competitors are up to. There are many tools that track how well you are doing on social media. It can tell you how successful your social media campaigns are, or if you are reaching your targeted audience. These tools can also help you figure out what hashtags or topics people value the most in relation to your brand. Once you collect and analyze your data, you can use that information to make adjustments to your social media marketing strategy.
Social Media Marketing Agency
Most people assume that a social media marketing agency only assists businesses with creating, scheduling, and publishing content onto social media. A social media marketing agency does so much more than these tasks. They have to fully understand everything that has to do with marketing and digital. According to a survey by The Manifest, 28% of businesses work with social media marketing agencies to improve their social media practices.
Why Should You Hire a Social Media Agency?
Business Marketing
Business marketing is a key aspect to social media marketing. Your main goal is to promote your business. Using various social media platforms will help get your name out there. Once more people become aware of your business, you will gain new customers.
Brand Recognition
Similar to business marketing, brand recognition is all about getting people to know your brand. When people talk about a service or product that you produce, you want your business to be the first one people think of. A social media agency will help take your brand to the next level. Most likely, they know a lot more about the constant change in social media trends than you do. When in doubt, leave it to the professionals and you are sure to have a successful, booming business.
Increase Customers
Once you are active on social media, people will start to see your name. They will recognize your company and want to buy your product. Your posts should make people want to know more about your business. Once someone buys one product, you want them to spread the word and keep coming back for more. Through posts, you are constantly reminding customers who you are and why they became your customer in the first place.
Save Time
Overall, hiring a social media marketing agency will save you time. They know what they are doing when it comes to social media marketing. If you leave the social media up to the professionals, you can focus your time on coming up with new business concepts and ideas.
How to Find a Social Media Marketing Agency
Track Record
Obviously, you want to work with an agency that is known for making businesses successful. Do your research on various marketing agencies before committing to one. A good place to start is looking at their clients. Doing so will help you see what they are capable of. Ideally, you want an agency that will work well with your business by taking your ideas and making them into reality.
Budget
Before signing on with an agency, make sure that you can realistically afford to work with them. Don’t worry if you have a tight budget. Social media marketing agencies come in a wide range of prices depending on the specific services.
Specialization
Every business has different needs. Some agencies might specialize in working with small startup companies, while others work with huge corporations. In addition, some agencies might specialize in more than just social media marketing. Services might also include SEO, content creation, or digital advertising. No matter what your business sells or does, make sure to hire an agency that specializes in the services that you are looking for.
3 Steps to Successfully Work with a Social Media Marketing Agency
Prepare
You don’t want to sign on with a social media marketing agency if you are not prepared. Before working with an agency, create a plan. What do you want to achieve through social media? Are you more focused on brand awareness or increasing customers? You need to know your intentions before approaching an agency. If you are prepared, you will have an easier time communicating with and understanding the agency
Hire and Agency
Follow the steps above to find a good, reputable agency that will work well with your company.
Communication
After hiring an agency, create an effective and efficient line of communication. In other words, who will be in charge of any communication between your business and social media agency? Coming up with a communication plan will ensure that your business relationship runs smoothly.
Now that you know some social media marketing strategies and how to look for an effective social media marketing agency, it’s up to you to decide your next steps. Do you want to use these marketing strategies yourself, or do you want to work with a social media marketing agency?
Contact SEO Design Chicago today if you want to take the next steps in your social media marketing journey.
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