Let’s start with a simple question, when was the last time you bought something without searching for it on social media? It’s been years, hasn’t it? Before social media people used to exchange business cards and now they exchange instagram handles.
A social media account is ‘the’ identity of a brand today and managing it correctly is as important as selling a good product.
In this blog, we will go over everything you need to know about SMM: the meaning, how it’s done, and the pros and cons you must know! If you are wondering why, you should read this, it’s because Four Pillars Media Agency has been helping various brands reap the benefits of social media marketing with tailored brand strategies and original content! You can check our portfolio or contact us for a consultation!
What is Social Media Marketing (SMM)?
To know more about SMM, you need to know what social media is (p.s. Very few in this world today don’t know what it is). What started with e-mail and now turned into a day-to-day part of our lives. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and more, do more than connect you to the rest of the world.
For brands, this is a tool of immeasurable value. A tool for promotion, to drive traffic to your website or sell directly from the platform itself. But more than that, these platforms let you connect with your audience directly.
Communicating with them, promoting your brand to a precise audience, gaining a competitive advantage, gaining better ROI on promotions, and gaining customer loyalty.
58% of customers choose whether to buy or not from a brand based on its social media activities (source). That’s why SMM has become crucial to any business’s marketing plan.
Let’s understand how you can social media management works to help your business grow online.
How does Social Media Marketing Work?
Marketing comes in many forms, TV ads, magazine & newspaper articles, hoardings, but a more modern form is social media marketing. Let’s take a deep dive on how it is done.
1. Understanding your goals and target audience
Like any other strategy, first you need to figure out the why. Your why or your goal will determine the course, also it doesn’t need to be one thing forever, it can evolve with your brand and you.
This goal might be to strengthen your digital presence, drive organic traffic to your website, generate qualified leads, engage your audience, improve your brand image, or more.
Once you’ve got it, create an ideal customer persona for your brand, to find your target audience and create efficient social media campaigns and strategies.
2. Choosing the right social media
Finding out which platform works for you and your brand is necessary. You can’t sell clothes on LinkedIn.
A successful social media marketing strategy starts with the right social media platform. Therefore, research which platforms are common among your target audience and choose the ones that will help you connect with the most of them.
You can also look at the platforms used by your competitors. Avoid being on every social platform. Instead, focus on 2-3 and create in-depth social media management plans to get the desired results.
3. Build a social media action plan
Social media algorithms are a moody bunch. Creating an action plan might feel like catching a housefly. But if you are quick enough and have a strategic action plan you can do it.
Here are a few steps which will help you create an efficient social media plan:
- Create a list of your SMM goals/metrics.
- Find what type of content your target audience likes.
- Build a content strategy to create engaging, promotional, and educational content.
- Create a content calendar with a detailed posting schedule.
- Track your metrics and optimize your SMM strategy.
4. Creating engaging and shareable content
Content is a very broad term which includes blogs, articles and even your insta posts and reels. Moreover, content isn’t just what you post but also how you interact with your audience. So, focus on your brand values to make your content strategy.
First, choose what type of content you want to present to your audience. It could be entertaining, educational, promotional, or a mix of all three. You need to analyze what your target audience engages with and what they want to see.
Shareable content is like ‘word-of-mouth’ in the other marketing strategies. Focus on offering valuable content that your users can share. This can help you reach an audience beyond your target, gain trust, and improve brand image.
5. Leverage UGC through social media
Looking for reliable promotional material, then user-generated content (UGC) is what you want to work on. Basically, it is the content that other people create with your products.
What it does is, it helps you reach an audience that might have seen your brand S well as build a brand reputation & trustworthiness.
UGC could be the comments you get for your products, personal messages, online reviews, and more. Using the UGC content on your website can also help you boost your conversions.
6. Segmented promotions through SMM Ads
In traditional marketing, you could use posters and banners for promotions, social media advertising is based on precise demographics and customer behaviour segmentation. Giving you the leverage to create targeted ads which maximize your returns and reduce customer acquisition cost.
Social media advertising can do wonders for you if you are a small business. Once you have established an online presence, you can also use other advertising channels.
7. Tracking, Analysis, & Optimization
Data is the most important currency for any business, especially in marketing. With social media marketing, you have access to data on post engagement, user behaviour, impressions, conversions, shares, and more. You can track and analyze this data to understand the impact and optimize your social media strategy based on the results.
Four Pillars Media Agency can help you determine the most suitable metrics and create a content strategy for your social media campaigns to get the desired results. Contact us now for tailored SMM strategies for your brand to build online presence and generate qualified leads.
Pros and Cons of Social Media Marketing
No marketing strategy is always sunshine and rainbows. The same goes for SMM. S, before you go and download all platforms, understand whether it’s advantageous for you or not.
Advantages of SMM
- Better brand awareness because you get exposure to billions of users.
- Reduced marketing costs due to targeted ads and better returns.
- Better customer engagement with interactive polls, comments, and shareable content.
- Result-driven strategies to boost conversions based on the data on customer behaviour, demographics, and interactions.
- Driving organic traffic to your website with SMM promotions.
Disadvantages of SMM
- It’s a long-term strategy that includes time and effort to post consistently, interact with the audience, and analyze results.
- Negative feedback or viral posts can affect your brand image. Being cancelled on the internet is a serious drawback.
- The frequently changing algorithm can affect your brand visibility and audience reach.
Working with expert social media consultants like Four Pillars Media Agency can significantly help your online business grow. Let’s connect on a call to discuss this further!
Conclusion
You want to be a relevant brand, then social media marketing is not an option but a necessity. Platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, X,etc, helps promote your brand, interact with your target audience, run targeted ads and build your brand reputation and trust.
An effective SMM strategy is about setting the right goals, choosing the right audience, creating a content calendar for shareable and engaging content and tracking the performance. While SMM has many benefits it takes time to grow and any negative feedback can harm your brand. So, don’t shoot arrows in the void hoping for a bullseye. A perfect shot will be much more achievable with clear direction and a mentor.
FAQs
1. What is SMM and how does it work?
SMM stands for social media marketing, used to promote your brand on social media platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube and more. You must create an SMM strategy based on your target audience and create shareable content to boost engagement and conversions. Track the user behaviour, reviews and algorithm to optimise your strategy.
2. What are the benefits of using social media marketing?
A few benefits of using SMM are:
- Better brand exposure online
- Target ads for better ROI tracking
- Interactions with your target audience
- Get UGC to build brand image and trust
- Data-backed social media campaigns for better results
3. How to create a social media marketing strategy?
The following are a few steps to create an effective social media strategy:
- Understand your target audience
- Set up the goals for your social media marketing
- Create a detailed content calendar with diversified intent
- Create and run targeted social media ad
- Track the SMM interactions, ads, and user behaviour to optimize the strategy
4. Can I do social media marketing myself?
Yes, you can do SMM yourself. However, it’s a time-consuming and long-term process requiring much of your time. You can use this time to build your brand and choose an expert marketing agency, like Four Pillars Media Agency, for a strategic approach and result-driven strategies. Contact us now to know more.