77% of American small businesses use social media to help them brand and grow their business. But if you’re still not sure how effective social media is, here are a few more stats:
Most American consumers mention brands to people they know 90 times a week. 53% of people on Twitter recommend companies and products.
And 56% of Facebook users check their accounts daily.
But if you don’t know how to use social media to market your business, you’re losing out on a lot of opportunities. We want to help you succeed.
Keep reading to learn our top seven social media marketing tips for beginners.
1. Being Consistent is the Most Important of All Socia Media Marketing Tips
Be consistent across all your marketing platforms. That includes everything from your website, to your business cards, and all social media platforms.
You want consumers to instantly identify you by your consistent messages. This should include visuals as well as language that aligns with your businesses values.
2. Identify Your Goals
It’s hard to succeed when you don’t have a plan. To figure out what you want to achieve on social media, ask yourself a few questions first such as:
- Why am I using this platform?
- Who can I reach on this platform?
- What do I want to achieve?
Make sure your goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. Aim to have no more than one or two goals for each social media site so you don’t overextend yourself.
3. Identify Your Target Market
Creating interesting content is hard when you don’t know who your target market is. Make a list of shared traits that all of your customers have such as:
- Hobbies
- Income level
- Gender
- Geographical location
The more you know what they all have in common, the easier it is to find the right message to share.
4. Create Content
Marketing online lets you play around with different types of content. You can use the written word, videos, photography, and even live videos.
Share content that’s valuable, interesting, and relevant. And do so on a regular basis.
You can share the same content on different platforms, but you may find that each platform has a slightly different audience and therefore, may require a different content form.
5. Determine Which Platforms are Best for Your Business
Finding the right customers takes a little work. If you’re a bubble gum company who targets kids then LinkedIn isn’t the right platform.
But Instagram and Pinterest are. There are over 50 social media platforms to choose from.
You can’t and shouldn’t put your business on all of them. They’re not all right for your business and no one has the time to manage them all. Instead, focus on 3-4 social media sites.
6. Do Keyword Research
Marketing online requires doing some keyword research. When a user goes online to find out information, they use specific keywords such as “pizza near me”.
Using those same keywords in your social media marketing efforts helps search engines and consumers find your pages easier. Keyword research helps you determine which keyword phrases will help you get the most traffic.
7. Communicate
Social media is great for marketing online. It’s one of the few marketing tools that let you communicate in both public and private ways to customers.
Don’t sell to customers on social media. Talk to them instead.
Remind Customers You’re Human
If someone sends you a message, always respond in a timely manner. Get involved with online groups and share valuable information.
The goal is to become more human to your customers. That’s important because people do business with people, not businesses.
Get Help
One of the social media marketing tips I most often share is that it’s not as easy as it looks. Many businesses realize they need help.
That’s where I come in. I can help you create an effective social media marketing campaign. Click here to schedule a 30-minute consultation.
