In 2019, the number of social media users hit 3.5 billion. To give a better perspective of this number, 3.5 billion is equivalent to 45% of the world’s population. And this number isn’t going down any time soon. Instead, this number increased steadily in the last few years.
There is no denying how social media has reached across different demographics. However, this isn’t just limited to young, tech-savvy individuals. For instance, though 90.4% of millennials and 77.5% of Gen X are using social media platforms, you also have 48.2% of baby boomers using social media.
These numbers speak for themselves. And because of this, it is not surprising why a lot of brands and businesses are engaged on social media. But is it as simple as everyone thinks? Social media is all about getting the attention of your readers, building trust, and slowly getting the results you need. These things may look simple, but many have failed to realise how difficult it is to get their audience’s attention without sounding too pushy.
Surprise and Action (draw your reader in). The first thing that you should know is that social media can be used as a tool for communication with your audience. So, how do you communicate effectively using social media? You make a good first impression. A good number of companies and brands failed to draw their followers because they didn’t establish a good first impression on their audience. And there are a variety of reasons why they failed to do so. From not knowing the market enough to using an overused tactic, it’s an endless list of blunders.
The element of surprise is something that can help catch the attention of your audience. Some brands go for introductory discounts while some use online contests on their social media to get traction within their market. When sharing content, you can also think of the copy that you are going to share. Some brands made use of clickbait titles and descriptions during content creation. Though brands have different opinions on clickbait titles, intrigue is an element that can catch your audience’s attention to follow you on social media.
But keep in mind that you don’t always have to surprise your market. One of the best strategies to catch their attention is to develop a recognisable voice. The type of voice you choose online is decided during the branding phase. Are you going to implement a serious voice on social media? Or are you going to have a more relaxed tone? Maybe, you want to sound like a friend to your audience rather than a boss? Of course, it all depends on what you want to achieve in your overall digital marketing campaign.
Be detailed (add value). It doesn’t matter if you are going to handle your social media marketing campaign, or you opted to hire a social media management expert to oversee your accounts. Regardless of your choice, you want to push high-quality content in your social media channels.
Different social media platforms allow you to share different types of content. Instagram marketing lets brands curate beautiful photos and videos integrated with a catchy copy. Twitter, on the other hand, allows brands to provide short updates and share links that can lead to their website or other websites.
But of all the social media platforms today, you shouldn’t forget to use Facebook. It’s undeniable that Facebook is still the number one social media platform used across the world. With Facebook’s help, you can push your content to get maximum views. With the right copywriting strategies, it’s possible to improve your website’s traffic. You can use both organic and paid Facebook marketing tactics to get more people to check your links and even potentially improve your website’s traffic.
Of course, different brands require different online marketing approaches. The same is true with social media. Some brands only need Facebook, while others will require Instagram and Twitter to maximise their reach on their audience.
Regardless of the platforms you are using; every brand should bank on high-quality content. Successful social media campaigns provide something that their audience finds worth reading, sharing, and engaging. But how do you come up with creative and high-quality content? Regardless if it’s a link, photo, video, or a status update, it is crucial to know your audience; this allows you to come up with interesting topics that are timely and needed by your audience.
If you are running low on ideas, do a lot of research. Observe what your audience looks for online. You can also check your competitors and see which content is most popular nowadays in your niche. And of course, you also need to do things regularly. By providing valuable content regularly, not only do you build a habit among your audience, but you can also build your authority within your niche.
Show change (before and after). If you’ve done the first two tips, you will notice changes happening to your social media reach. If you do it long enough, you will also know more about your audience and get familiarised with several things. You’ll discover what type of voice your audience prefers and what type of content gets the best reaction online. But regardless if it is going your way or not, you also need to take a closer look at the numbers regularly. It gives you better insights on how your market reacts to your posts and overall campaign.
A lot of brands make the mistake of using the same strategies repeatedly without checking their stats for insights. The good news is that every platform today can provide you with useful numbers. Crunch this data and try to see the trends. Don’t hesitate to apply changes along the way to get better results the next time around.
A/B testing is a good way to update your social media advertising and general digital media campaigns. Here, you can have your controlled and independent variables to test important parts of your campaign. And of course, don’t forget to evaluate everything once you are done. Always look at the numbers and see which one worked better. Though it’s often a hit or miss, it’s a good way to know how to improve social media campaigns using different platforms.
Delivering a convincing, clear message. A lot of brands make the mistake of not sending a clear and convincing message to their audience. Do you want them to visit a website? Or maybe, you want them to buy your products? Whether you are selling or simply trying to build your brand on social media, always be clear about your delivery.
Call-to-action is a basic technique that can be used to ensure that you are clear of what you want your audience to do. For example, a simple “click here” can make a huge difference when it comes to generating traffic on the link you share on Facebook. You can also get better engagement if you ask them what they think of the content you just shared. Especially when you’re promoting an affiliate program. You gotta make sure that your call to action is very specific and something easy to do. That way, people don’t feel too overwhelmed to do it.
Something like sharing your posts on Facebook or Twitter is an easy thing to do. But if you ask them to record a video testimonial about a product or even to write an in-depth review about something – they’ll be overwhelmed by it because that takes a lot of time to do. Most people just won’t do it.
Handling social media for any brand is a serious matter. Social media marketing can improve your brand’s presence and even make it possible to generate the best results in sales. So let’s recap the three tips that we’ve come up with. First, you want to catch the attention of your audience by using the element of surprise. Give them a reason to follow your social media accounts.
Next, you also want to provide valuable information to your audience. Keep in mind that content is a powerful currency in today’s World Wide Web. It has the power to draw the right audience and even improve your engagement altogether.
And lastly, you want to adapt to changes. Keep in mind that you won’t always be making the best strategies. Make it a habit to check on your stats. This way, you have a concrete idea of whether or not your current campaign is working or not. Don’t be discouraged if you need to make changes along the way. It is also advisable to do A/B testing if you aren’t too sure about the best strategy.
There’s no denying that social media advertising can give brands the leverage they need online. Try these tips and see how it can help you with your campaigns.
Why Small Businesses Do Public Relations
As an SEO expert, Nabil loves learning and writing about digital marketing and how every aspect of digital marketing is connected with each other while making sure to keep their advertising costs as low as possible. He mostly helps small-medium sized businesses. Follow him on Twitter.
