Social media has become a primary marketing, information and networking tool for millions of people across the world over the last 10-15 years, and it has been a way for businesses, brands and individuals to control their own narratives and boost brand awareness to willing audiences.
It has become such a powerful form of communication and information, that it has forced businesses to adapt their very way of marketing themselves, and prompted a step into the 21st century.
In this article we will explore the benefits of social media marketing, the potential it can unlock for your business or brand, and some of the metrics agencies will look out for when managing a client’s social media accounts, whether it is Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram or X (formerly Twitter).
Social media marketing basics
- Pinpointing and defining your target audience and demographics (different social media sites will have different user types)
- Regular engagement with audience and regular posting of content
- Creating content that is transferable and accessible for both mobile and desktop devices
- Using analytics to measure results
- Regular research on market competition, keywords
- Connecting with influencers or popular individuals for collaborations
How effective is social media marketing?
The short answer is, very! An entire world of potential customers are on social media, and increasing your visibility to people works far better than remaining mysterious and choosing to reject the powers and influence of social media channels.
Unlike traditional advertising methods of years gone by, such as TV advert space, billboards, radio commercials and newspaper prints, social media does not demand a large, upfront expense, and the technology behind social media algorithms means you can more accurately target your audience. It also offers far more crystal clear results in terms of engagement and follower performance, whereas traffic from an advert or article in a local newspaper is harder to trace as a source to your business.
Crucially, customer bases aren’t the only ones on social media, but your competition is too. Allowing rival brands/businesses to capitalise on the social media market is as good as admitting defeat. And alternatively, if some of your competitors are not on social media, or struggle to reach customers on there, you earn a natural and organic advantage when you become social media savvy.
How do you market yourself on social media?
This is where things get a bit tricky because success on social media depends on many factors.
First, you need to know your audience and make content that actually appeals to them. Social media tracks how long people view each post as well as how they interact with it and this can dictate how many more people it will reach so it’s critical that your content is engaging or captivating.
How you do this is up to you – there are some clear dos and don’ts that everyone should know (posts with images do better than posts without, posts with video do better than posts with images etc.) but there are many other minutiae that need to be considered to make your posts reach beyond your most loyal followers.
At the most basic level, the best piece of advice when it comes to social media is to be brave and post because some content is better than no content at all, even if it’s nothing fancy.
What does a social media marketing agency do?
Managing social media profiles and tracking performance can be a daunting task, but it is the bread and butter of top marketing agencies. An agency will use either paid advertising or organic content creation and publishing to achieve your key performance indicators on social media pages, or – more likely – a bit of both.
An agency will work with you to devise and create creative and optimised content, they will also measure and track performance, they will also handle audience engagement, online reputation and feedback, ensuring customers feel heard and seen when they get in touch and they’ll pipe up when something needs explaining. Though it might feel like a minor detail, consistent communication and regular presence when responding to feedback goes a long way in the eyes of a customer or consumer.
Hiring an agency to manage your social media pages allows you to focus on other aspects of your business, safe in the knowledge that professionals are in control of your channels. It is often a team behind an agency, rather than one individual person, meaning constructive decisions are made collectively and collaboratively by people with a range of expertise.
Social media agencies tend to have skilled copywriters and account managers, as well as specialists in search engine optimisation (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, covering a wide berth of topics and skillsets required for social media management. They also have a strong understanding of the subtle nuances of each social media platform, recognising some captions and styles of post work better at a place like Instagram, while others are more successful on Facebook, for instance.
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