Social Media Marketing

What is social media marketing?

Social media marketing encompasses all of the activities you do on your personal or business social networks through which you create, share, and promote content to engage with audiences and generate leads and sales for organizations, products, businesses, events etc.

Today many companies are embracing social media marketing as a way to connect online with their target audience, boost brand awareness, increase customer lifetime value, increase conversions etc. As a marketer, you know that social media has become more fundamental than ever before in your company's growth plan. If not well managed, it can be detrimental to a company's ability to connect its customers with information. It also increases costs as new communication channels have to be established to reach potential clients. That is why we strongly suggest using only those channels that have proven to drive conversions while providing better ROI, reducing advertising costs, improving user experience etc. Your social media marketing strategy should be based on research rather than guesswork.

This infographic will give you some tips on how to effectively utilize your social media channels across both public and private accounts to meet specific goals.

How important is Facebook for today's marketers and what benefits does Facebook offer?

Today, Facebook is known as the world’s most popular, effective and convenient social network. According to Pew Research, 72% of people worldwide use Facebook. This number is expected to increase year-on-year. There are many reasons why millions of users across the globe choose to use this platform every day but one, and perhaps the biggest reason, is it provides an easy, quick and cost-effective way to interact with friends. So many social networking sites have come into existence but none beats Facebook – a giant in social media marketing. Here are five reasons why and how users enjoy the ease and convenience offered by Facebook. You can track and analyze your performance levels on this site to determine where your campaign needs improvement. Users also have access to thousands of third-party tools and applications that help them to manage their social media platforms. These include services like Buffer, Sprout Social, Hootsuite & Feedly. All these apps and services allow users to easily organize their data and keep track of metrics like engagement, likes, comments, shares etc., which allows companies to optimize their campaigns according to its results. Because Facebook offers such powerful features, it is widely used by other social networks today. For example, Twitter provides users with the option to add a profile picture, Twitter profile URL link, hashtags etc., whereas Pinterest allows to upload thumbnails and pin image so there are several options for creating different types of visual content on these platforms. A simple Google search “Facebook comparison tool” brings up over 5,000 pages of information about its capabilities. Facebook also has partnerships with numerous technology providers who provide applications that let users improve their productivity. Therefore, if you are looking for ways to grow your presence on Facebook, chances are you can find useful information here. While it is true that Instagram still lags behind, it is growing rapidly and becoming increasingly attractive to consumers because of its low initial investments. Brands love Instagram for their images and videos, but they often neglect the impact of photos and videos on generating engagement with their followers, thereby missing out on the opportunity for a deeper connection with their social audience. Unlike other social networks, Instagram posts do not automatically disappear after 24 hours, unlike Snapchat. Instead, when users sign in, they are directed straight to their Instagram account. They can post directly from the app, and then tap the plus button to return back to their main screen. Another feature Instagram offers its users is filters. When they select a filter, they can move a slider control over the frame of the photo. Then select the size and color range in which they want the filter to appear. This gives them the flexibility to change a photo’s appearance to suit the mood they are in. Other ways that Instagram makes your life easier is the tagging system. Once someone tags you with something specific to your page with #love, #loveyou, #family, etc., their post appears in their feed. Also, the hashtag tool lets users tag others with similar interests and direct them to follow their profiles. Lastly, since Instagram is accessible throughout the day, users don't need to worry about posting too late at night anymore. The problem with Facebook is that once they go dark on the website, the contents they post are visible to everyone. If you post during daylight hours, people who may not be able to see your post are going to find out about it just seconds later. However, this issue is getting taken care of by smart advertisers. Some popular programs that provide visibility for posts include Loom Ads Pro for YouTube and AdTiger. With Loom Ads Pro you get visibility so users can watch ads right when they start watching on YouTube. Additionally, AdTiger, another program for increasing visibility for video ads, will send automated notifications whenever anyone tries to re-post the same ad. Finally, users don't need to remember their passwords to use any type of application on their phones. Instead, they can do everything in-line. Nowadays nearly everyone uses smartphones to browse the internet. One thing we always hear from our competitors is "People use their phones too much." In fact, a study by Time magazine shows that 90% of Americans own a mobile phone. Mobile devices also make us forget our password easily and therefore they pose very little security risk compared to social networks like Facebook. Our top tip for maximizing the effectiveness of social media marketing is to use your existing social accounts like Facebook and LinkedIn and build connections and relationships on them.

What happens when you put content on social media?

Content marketing helps brands to attract attention for themselves and generate new leads for their future sales. It also creates valuable and lasting impressions on visitors' minds. But it doesn't stop there—we recommend you keep writing content on different social media sites to stay connected with your loyal readers and fans. Every single piece of content needs distribution via social media. And the best way to distribute content on social media is by sharing links or sharing your content via your personal accounts. Let's take a look at an example—

Source:

1 - Link

2 - Share

3 - Tweet

4 - Like

5 - Retweet

6 - Subscribe

7 - Comment

8 - Tag

9 - Add hashtags

10 - Post

11 - Pins & Shoots

12 - Stories

13 - Stories

14 - Video/Vlog

15 - Profile picture

16 - Meta description

17 - Bio

18 - Website copy

19 - Photo caption

20 - Call-to-action

21 - Recommendation

22 - Sharing button

23 - Listening button

24 - Checkmark

25 - Dislike button

26 - Stop

27 - Unsubscribe button

28 - Report

29 - Privacy notice

30 - CTA (Call-to-action)

31- Product detail

32 - Review/Ratings

33- Reviews

34 - Comments

35 - Reactions

36 — Comments

37 - Likes

38 - Shares

39 - Followers

40 - Messages

41 - Memos

42 - DMs

43 - Direct messages

44 - Email

45 - Referral

46 - Promotions

47 - Sponsored stories

48 - Banners & infographics

49 - Flashcards

50 - Quotes

51 - Survey

52 - Polls

53 - Surveys

54 - Interviews

55 - Audience growth

56 - User generated content

57 - Online reviews

58 - Customer feedback

59 - App reviews

60 - Guest posting opportunities

61 - SEO

62 - Forum discussions

63 - Forums

64 - Reddit

65 - Facebook groups

66 - Blog discussions

67 - Ecommerce

68 - Community resources

69 - Group forums

70 - Podcast discussions

71 - Group memberships

72 - Live events

73 - Trade / auction

74 - Business cards

75 - Digital art

76 - Branding, logos

77 - Webinars & tutorials

78 - Event tickets/registration forms

79 - Advertising

80 - Banner sponsorship

81 - Packaging

82 - Carousels

83 - Merchandise

84 - Toy giveaways and contests

85 — Gift cards and discounts

86 — eBooks

87 - Magazines/issues

88 - Newsletter subscriptions

89 - Amazon books

90 - Kindle Direct Publishing

91 - Apple Books

92 - Barnes and Noble

93 - Bookstores and flea markets

94 - Bookshop

95 - Bargains

96 - Newsstands

97 - Music

98 - Entertainment and sports

99 - Movies and music concerts

100 - Theme parks

101 - Restaurants

102 - Travel

103 - Home improvement stores

104 - Movie theaters

105 - Wedding planners

106 - Jewelry stores

107 - Artists

108 - Fine art galleries

109 - Fashion weeks

110 - Local newspapers

111 - School calendars

112 - Food trucks

113 - Hotels

114 - Internet service provider

115 - Credit card issuers

116 - Pet sitters

117 - Vacations and resorts

118 - Boutiques

119 - Real estate brokerages

120 - Photographer

121 - Interior designers

122 - Interior decorators

123 - Researcher

124 - Photography classes

125 - Videographers

126 - Professional photographers

127 - Models

128 - Art dealers

129 - Makeup artists

130 - Photographers specializing in food photography and fashion

131 - Sports photographers

132 - Fitness professionals

133 - Accountancy

134 - Landscapers

135 - Architectural design

136 - Furniture and décor designers

137 - Designers

138 - Interior decorator

139 - Lighting specialists

140 - Woodworkers

141 - Floor tapers and staining installers

142 - Painter