5 Tips for Successful Social Media Marketing

 With 4.62 billion people using social media, any good marketing strategy will utilise as many different social media platforms as possible.

Every business can increase their profits by growing an online presence. Gaining followers, connecting with lost followers, and fostering a community are all key in making your customers feel seen and heard (and thus more likely to make a purchase).

So, whether you are a seasoned pro, or just getting to grips with social media platforms, we have put together just 5 tips for successful social media marketing.‍

1. Have a Strategy 

To begin, write down your business goals, make sure they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. This will make it easier to have a strategy. 

Your strategy should align with your goals. Look at each platform of social media and consider it independently of the others; what can Facebook do that Twitter can’t, what content suits Instagram more than TikTok. 

Make sure your strategy uses the strengths of each social media platform to turn clicks into sales. It is also important to consider your target audience and which social media platform is most effective. 

Consider:

• The benefits of each social media platform
• What form of marketing is best received on that platform (images, long text, short text, video, etc)?
• What is the single message you want to get across?
• How can you make your content stand out

 2. Consistency is Key

Whilst the definition of consistency may differ across social media platforms (you will get away with posting more frequently on TikTok than on Instagram), your strategy should include posting regularly on each platform. 

Posting consistently retains the attention of your audience and gives more opportunities for your posts to be shared and reach new people. 

Create a social media calendar to help you keep track of what you are posting and how often on each different platform. Make sure you are capitalising on holidays, or special calendar days that are relevant to your business, services, or products.  

Consider:

• Automating your processes, using scheduling tools means you save time and will never miss a post again.
• Brand image. Make sure you are consistent in what your brand stands for
• Changing how frequently you post if your analytics are suggesting a certain time is better

3. Invest Time in your Content

Millions of people are scrolling through social media platforms every day, their feeds saturated in content encouraging them to buy products or follow brands. Having a strategy and posting consistently is key but creating fresh and engaging content is absolutely essential.

It may seem impossible to set yourself apart but here are a few ways that you can take your content to the next level.

‍Consider:

• Is it newsworthy? Why should people hear about this?
• Does your post have a point? (Selling a service, explaining how to use a product, etc.)
• Is it visually appealing? 
• Is it interesting and relevant to your target market?
• Is it part of a popular trend? (Hopping on a trend can be a great way to be seen by lots of people but make sure that the trend is consistent with your business)
• Is it new? 

4. Engage as Much as Possible

With social media, you can create a community of individuals interested in your brand and reach other like minded people, thanks to suggested posts, explore pages, and advertisements. 

Your followers and anyone engaging with your content is expressing an interest in your brand, services, and products. Maintain a conversation with your followers and subscribers so that they feel seen and heard (and are then more likely to make a purchase). 

Consider:

• Liking and replying to comments.
• Welcoming or thanking new subscribers.
• A live stream or day-in-the-life. These give your followers the chance to get to know the people behind the brand.
• Create polls, quizzes, letting your followers ask questions.
• Prize draws.
• Being responsive to messages and queries

5. Keep Track of Everything

On the theme of analytics, one of the most important things to do is keeping track of all the numbers. Most social media platforms will have their own ‘insights’ or ‘tracking’ section for business pages to help stay on top of the basics.

Your metrics and tracking will let you know what your audience responds best to, what time your audience is most active.

You can use your analytics to make sales projections and adjust your strategies across different social media platforms to optimise your content for your audience. 

Consider:

• What time your content was posted?
• What type of content did you post?
• What platform did you post on?
• How many followers did you gain/lose?
• How many times was your content shared?

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