Social Media is an important marketing tool, but it can be tricky to know where to begin. There are so many different social media platforms that it can be difficult to figure out which ones are best for your business.
It’s also not always clear what you should post on them or how often. This guide will help you get started with social media marketing, give you tips for success, and even teach you how to measure ROI.
Understanding Social Media Platforms
It can be difficult to decide which social media will be best for your business.
This is a full list of the most popular social media platforms:
Facebook – You know this one. Facebook has 1.86 billion users and it’s the largest social network on Earth. There is also Messenger, which allows you to chat with people who aren’t your friends on Facebook for free and Instagram and WhatsApp, both apps that Facebook owns.
Twitter – Twitter is the most popular platform among marketers, with 69 million monthly users. This platform allows its users to quickly share their thoughts with followers in 140 characters or less through tweets and hashtags.
LinkedIn – LinkedIn is a great network for professionals and company profiles because you can showcase your expertise with posts and articles or connect with potential clients through connections.
Pinterest – Pinterest is a visual bookmarking site where people collect things they like, such as images, videos, quotes, etc., into boards that they create and share on their profile page or any other website such as Tumblr or Blogger.
YouTube – YouTube has over 1 billion active users every month and it’s the second-largest search engine.
Choosing and Setting up Your Platforms
It’s important to consider factors like how often you post, the size of your company, and what you want to do with social media.
Some popular platforms for marketing include Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Snapchat. You can also use blogging services like Tumblr or WordPress as well as various sites like YouTube.
Once you’ve chosen the platform(s) that are right for you, it’s time to set them up. Before posting anything on any of these platforms, be sure to read their terms of service agreements carefully. If you’re using multiple platforms at once (which is often wise), be sure that they have different accounts so that each has its own page and followers.
It’s also a good idea to create a logo or banner for your business so that people will instantly recognize it when they see it on another platform. This will help build your credibility and make more people interested in your posts.
Content Creation and Strategy
Content is king. It’s the essence of your social media plan, and it’s what will make or break your success.
The best content on social media is timely, interesting, and relevant to your audience, which can be hard to come up with if you’re not sure what you should post.
To get started, ask yourself these questions:
“What are people talking about in my industry?” “What issues does my company care about?” “What topics can I write about that people in my industry care about?”
Once you know the answers to those questions, start brainstorming content ideas based on those topics.
When you’re creating content for social media, follow these three steps:
- Write a catchy headline
- Create a short summary paragraph that sums up your idea and includes a link back to your website
- Link back to any previous posts where the topic is covered in more detail
Measurement and ROI
It’s important to measure social media ROI, but it can be difficult to do so. However, tracking the right metrics is essential to measuring social media ROI.
One metric you will want to measure is website traffic from your social media channel. A blog post with a link back to your website from your social media channel will send people there and allow you to track how many people clicked on it as a result of the post.
Another metric is likes and shares on a Facebook post or Twitter tweet. These are other ways to measure how well a post does. They’re also good for measuring engagement.
There are other ways you can measure social data that indicate success as well, such as sentiment analysis and conversion rates for a blog post after a share. When you see these numbers increase, you know your posts are doing well!
Choosing and setting up an appropriate social media platform will make a huge difference in your results.
Social Media is a marketing powerhouse and an invaluable tool for any company. The best marketing campaigns on social media start with a well-defined plan and clear goals, and the best way to get started is with this guide.
