Social Media Marketing Basics | Getting Started Guide

The term: “Social media marketing” indicates the efficient use of various social media channels to promote brands and sell products and services. From top-sellers to brick-and-mortar stores, all use this digital marketing method to boost sales and grow their audience database.

Businesses engage with people daily by publishing their content on the social media websites to enhance brand credibility and online visibility.

The most sought out social media websites in-order of popularity are:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest

1. Facebook

Undeniably, the leader in social media, Facebook is a kind of agglomerate for business. The platform’s recent update has made it somewhat tricky for advertisers to consistently market campaigns and communicate with fans.

But nonetheless, Facebook is a gold mine for social media ads if you know the strategies and tactics and are willing to throw in some dollars. Moreover, compared with other social media websites, Facebook is a must-have for every business wanting to target local and far-off audiences. It’s a top-notch preference for business growth.

2. Instagram

Standing next to Facebook, we have Instagram. A social media network built entirely around sharing images and videos. This visual curve is why Instagram is today’s artistic powerhouse – “Instagramming” is now officially a verb.

As of 2021, around 1.074 billion users have registered on Instagram. The platform was acquired by Facebook in 2012 and has become a part of everyday life. From ordinary people to small businesses, institutions, musicians, photographers, and, not to forget, influencers, all are on Instagram.

It doesn’t hurt to admit that we live by the code –First, let me take a selfie.

3. Twitter

Then comes none other than Twitter. Unlike Facebook and Instagram, the microblogging and social media platforms allow people to share posts –also known as tweets, revolving around daily life updates, current affairs, and various trends. People are always in a discovery mindset and likely to make a lasting impression on Twitter.

Businesses come to Twitter to connect to various cultures for brand involvement purposes among users aged 18 – 60. More so, the Twitter population is more passionate, informed, and strongly feels about brands aligning with culture.

As a marketer, your audience is already here, living and breathing and, most importantly, listening. Bring your best brands and services on Twitter, connect to the audience and drive powerful results.

4. YouTube

Even though it’s not regarded as a traditional social network by some, the platform’s active community speaks for itself. Seeing that videos grasp users’ attention immediately and considering that videos represent some of the highest performing content across nearly every social networking website, this is what YouTube is all about.

From social media influencers to business and brand promoters, journalists, vloggers, musicians, and artists, almost everyone is there. Focused on generating more ‘views’ and increasing subscribers’ lists.

5. LinkedIn

The social media hub known as LinkedIn is exceptionally focused on networking and business trends. According to Statista, as of October 2021, around 180 million people have registered on this platform, making it a gold standard for anyone networking in the B2B space.

6. Pinterest

A visual pinning platform that has gained sky-high fame among millennials and is widely considered to be the best platform for social selling, that’s what Pinterest is all about. Pinterest relies on ocular and inspirational content where products serve as the proverbial centerpiece. Before you relate it with Instagram, it’s a Big No.

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of social media marketing and why you’d want to use social media for your business.

1. Social media builds relationships

As an advertiser, social media is an enchanting place for you to build relationships with those interested in your business and your services. For you, it’s a channel to engage with users through aspects like direct messaging and commenting on product posts.

Building relationships with customers is of key-value for online business growth. Secondly, when people become aware of your presence and your content, they’ll feel confident in your offers, most likely leading to conversion.

1. Social media promotes brand awareness

Brand awareness is the bottom line in helping you earn success for your business. When customers get in touch with you on social media, they become aware of your brand and offers. Hence, social media allows you to put your merchandise in front of people.

You post picturesque content on your followers’ newsfeed, leading to further sharing among their social circle. Thus, helping you reach out to more people and potential conversions.

1. Social media is a portal to your website

Social media is a precious boulevard for increasing traffic to your main website. Whenever you create a profile on any social media platform, you include links to your website, encouraging users to visit your store. As a result, you start getting more and more people to your website, and business starts blooming.

By driving traffic to your site, you start generating leads by introducing email sign-ups and gated content to encourage them into sales for your business.

By now, millions of companies have transitioned to online business, fighting for attention. But only the best will rise to the top. It’s time to get ourselves acquainted with social media marketing basics.

After all, creating and sharing dominant content is what every business strives for.

If you’re among those looking to win online marketing campaigns, you should follow these social media marketing basics:

1. Figure out your target audience

The social media platform is not restricted to just one, so people prefer different social media networks. Hence, you should figure out where they are the most.

For instance, an artist or a musician will have more followers on Instagram. But a clothing brand can grab more attention on Pinterest.

This doesn’t mean your business should be limited to only one platform. But, taking the time to figure out target customers and their choices helps you choose the suitable social medium.

It doesn’t hurt to have your business present on the big four platforms asap:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Twitter

1. Setup Accounts for your Brand

Now is the time to create business profiles on each chosen platform. The idea here is to maintain an eminent brand identity.

You should put in as much detail about your business as possible to make it look credible. Try putting in an actual phone number, email, hours of operation, and business address

We’re all aware of the famous saying, “First impression is the last.” Introduce a visually appealing layout of your business, logo, and website to make a lasting impression on users.

1. Post Updates regularly

In this step, you need to come up with a marketing strategy that covers the following ground:

• Content-type to share
• Frequency of sharing posts
• When to share posts
• How to interact with your customers on social media

Do not restrict yourself to one medium. Instead, share your content in images, videos, and simple text forms. With experience, you’ll notice what type is more credible for your brand. You’ll learn what best works for your business.

Remain consistent with your tactics, and soon success will be looming in front of your eyes.

1. Study your Metrics

Auditing progress from time to time is the backbone of every marketing strategy. You should be able to determine if your content is doing what it’s supposed to be –driving results. And which areas to focus on.

Of all the metrics you have come across, the most important to keep an eye on are:

• User engagement
• Post reach/impressions
• The current page follows/likes
• Views
• Account tags

The stated metrics are available on your profile to analyze. Each will play a vital role in refining and improving your marketing strategy.

For example, you may have observed that people are more visuals oriented, which is why Pinterest and Instagram see a lot of interaction on posts.

• Build an Audience

As your brand gets noticed, you’ll receive ascendancy on the platform with time. This allows you to attract an even bigger audience through social shares and reposts.

The last thing to do is drive traffic to your main website and generate conversions. If that is time-consuming, you can still sell your brand on social media platforms.

By this point in time, you have gained the trust of your audience, and they know of your services. Now, give them your best offer that they simply can’t refuse.

Now that you have gone through the social media marketing basics, it’s time to launch your next extensive marketing campaign! Of course, it will take time and effort.

You may not see the results immediately, but if you still don’t feel confident enough to create and launch your social media strategy on your own, then we’re here to help. We have a team of dedicated experts ready to craft a unique business scalability strategy for your business.