Digital marketing 101: Social Media Strategy

We are now seeing social media communities forming around hobbies, causes, different beliefs and even brands. These communities have so much influence and power in cementing opinions and spreading messages online. How to use them for the purposes of your marketing strategy is valuable and risky simultaneously.

Social media strategy and marketing

Social media marketing has taken off in an incredible way, becoming one of the cornerstones of digital marketing strategy. For example, in 2012 Facebook advertising accounted for 5.4% of overall global advertising. In 2013, this increased by 17.5% and in 2014 Facebook was 57% of total social network advertising spend. In the first quarter of 2016, we saw a 57% increase in global social advertising spend, going from US$3.3 billion to US$5.2 billion.

With this in mind, you need to consider your business’s needs in relation to social media platforms. So, let’s help determine the best social media strategy for you!

The reality is that with social media you’re casting a wider net for potential leads. Social media channels can help your website reach more people. From there, you can start building a community centred on your brand or business.

What do you want to achieve through social media?

Ask yourself these questions:

• Do you want to increase sales?
• Improve your company image?
• Engage customers?
• Create brand awareness via social media?

You need to keep in mind that social media cannot guarantee huge increases in website traffic. It, however, can be a by-product of social media. Website traffic should not be your ultimate goal with social media.

Once you have a goal set, make sure this is achievable and realistic. Think about which social media platforms would be the perfect partner for this goal. Your goals need to be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based)

Think about what is appropriate for your business

Consider these questions:

• Is your target market using social media? If so, which social media channels and on what devices?
• Will your target market have the time to view your content? Will they respond to your messaging on social media?

You need to be on the right platform to address the correct audience demographic. If you put the wrong kind of social media strategy into place, it can have a negative effect on your business’s image.

We will be exploring more on social media strategy in part 2 of this blog post series.  Why not check out more of our recent blog posts!