Insiders’ Top 10 Social Media Marketing Lessons

A strong social media marketing campaign can help you reach your target audience, communicate your brand effectively and dramatically increase your customer base. In order to stay competitive, you need to understand the fundamentals of social media marketing.

1. Frequency – once you’ve established your social channels, you should be posting regularly to increase exposure. Successful communication between you and your audience requires regular updates.
2. Post original content– if you want to stand out, make sure what you are posting is original. Buzzlogix explains that followers want to see creative, interesting content that aligns with your brand. This includes using a variety of formats such as images, infographics and blogs.
3. Interact with competitors– following and engaging with competitors can help you gain insight into their marketing efforts and expand your own audience. Track their patterns and what seems to work for them. Then, reevaluate your own efforts.
4. Be available –make sure to respond to every single person who reaches out to you. People love conversations and interactions. 10 Laws of Social Media Marketing advises that you participate in conversation and engage with your audience. If you are available, it will show you care and are trustworthy.
5. Choose the right platform– every platform is different so it’s a good idea to master one before moving on to the others. In addition, Entrepreneur recommends modifying your content for whichever platform resonates best with your target audience.
6. Pay attention– document which posts work in your favor and which ones don’t. Take into account formatting as well as time of day. It will help you in the long run to know what your audience finds engaging.
7. Use #hashtags properly– avoid using irrelevant or made-up hashtags in your posts. Before each post, research trending hashtags because using them correctly will increase your exposure.
8. Customize your graphics– your audience will likely be more responsive if you use unique graphics reflecting your brand. Spend some time generating these– whether you create a few infographics or invest in a photographer.
9. Targeted traffic– use your email contacts as well as your own employees to promote your social media campaign. Entrepreneur suggests providing a sign-up form on your website or Facebook and offering an incentive for customers to join your email subscription. This will drive engagement and expand your audience.
10. Giveaways– Buzzlogix explains how an opportunity for your audience to win something always sparks engagement, boosts excitement and encourages friendly competition among followers.

If you keep these tips in mind when designing your social media marketing campaign, you are sure to see results.