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Social media marketing has become a must-have initiative for businesses around the world. Currently, more than 9 in 10 U.S. companies with 100+ employees use social media platforms to connect with potential customers. But is your brand making the most of the impact social media marketing can have? Probably not. Effective social media marketing requires more than regular posts.
Related: Why Effective Content Marketing is Changing Social Media
The rise of social media
When social media first emerged in the early 2000s, it may have been easy to dismiss something like Facebook as a fad or a passing fad, but as Facebook transformed from an idea conceived in a college dorm into Meta, a multi-billion dollar company, the social media network has amassed billions of users.
More than 4 billion people worldwide use social media networks, and that number is expected to grow to nearly 6 billion by 2027. Businesses have long realized the power of social media platforms as a channel to reach out and connect with their customers. Various surveys conducted among B2B and B2C businesses confirm the importance of these channels, with nearly two-thirds of respondents calling social media “very important.”
A 2021 survey of marketers worldwide revealed that social media channels are now the second most important marketing channel. Spending on social media marketing is growing, reflecting the importance of these channels. Experts predict that social media ad spending will reach more than $80 billion by the end of 2022 and $130 billion in 2027.
At the same time, challenges remain for marketers: developing a fruitful campaign and measuring its effectiveness is one of the most difficult aspects of social media marketing.
Related: Businesses that harness the power of social media
A strategic approach to social media marketing
Social media marketing requires a strategic approach to be successful and effective. Implementing social media marketing without a foundation of strategy is like driving to an unknown destination without a map; it will not work.
Your social media marketing strategy begins with defining measurable social media marketing goals. These goals should be based on and aligned with your overall business and digital marketing strategies. Aligning your social media activities with your other marketing goals ensures that each tactic reinforces the other, resulting in multiplying effectiveness.
Think of your social media strategy as a master plan, a map to a clearly defined destination. This strategy outlines your chosen social media channels, your target audience, your team's responsibilities, and your marketing budget. Each post should tie back to this strategy.
Branding and content strategy are two key components of an effective social media marketing strategy.
Related: Why Producing Quality Content is Important for Your Business
Integrate your branding into your social media strategy
Social media channels provide a great opportunity for brands to connect directly with their target audience and gather feedback and insights directly from these users. Because the brand controls the channels, the brand team has control over every detail of the messaging.
Successful social media marketing incorporates branding into each post, video, and reel. Integrating branding starts with choosing the right social media marketing channels for the audience your brand needs to reach. Not every brand needs to be on every social media channel. If your brand targets a middle-aged or older demographic, TikTok may not be effective. Not only is there a risk of audience mismatch, but your brand's voice and positioning may not match the channel either. As a result, your social media marketing will be ineffective.
Selectivity increases both the effectiveness of social media marketing and the integration of branding and social media activity.
Related: Top 5 Little-Known Social Media Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
Define your social media marketing content strategy
At the beginning of this article, we said that social media marketing is more than a series of regular posts on various social media networks. To be clear, consistency is important. However, effective social media marketing content requires more than regular communication. It requires a strategic approach.
Developing your social media marketing content strategically means that every post should tie back to your strategy. Posts shared by your team should reflect the agreed upon brand messaging and contribute to achieving the goals defined in your social media strategy.
If your brand is active on multiple social media channels, as many brands are, the content shared across channels may vary. However, to ensure your brand has a consistent message across all channels, each piece of content needs to align with the others. Inconsistent messaging can quickly confuse your audience and undermine your brand's credibility.
Specify your social media marketing budget
A high-performing, effective social media marketing strategy requires an adequate budget. Developing and implementing an effective social media marketing strategy takes time and expertise. For brands that are serious about social media marketing, this investment is worth it because a well-crafted strategy will translate into better social media marketing and overall business goals.
Without a designated budget, social media marketing runs the risk of being overtaken and put on the back burner by other digital marketing activities – and your results will reflect that.
Related: 3 Questions to Answer Before Investing More in Your Marketing Budget
Maintain a flexible approach
A strategic plan is like a roadmap or guideline, but it's not rigid and set in stone. It's equally important to remain open-minded and adaptable to make your social media marketing as effective as possible.
Social media communication is instantaneous and conversations between consumers and brands can change in an instant. Taking a flexible approach can help brands keep their messaging relevant while aligning their brand and business goals.
In today's tough economic climate, devising an effective marketing plan has never been more important. A solid strategic approach to social media marketing is practical and will deliver unparalleled results for your brand.
