Social media marketing is a form of digital marketing that involves creating and sharing marketing content on social media platforms to achieve brand exposure. This can include initiatives such as posting written content, images, or videos with the goal of audience engagement and advertising. 

The goal of social media marketing is to use these platforms to connect with your target demographic, build a positive brand image/sentiment, and increase traffic to your website. With the rising popularity of mobile devices, social media marketing is an effective way for your company to reach a large audience. Potential customers are online and interacting with social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest – a well thought-out social media campaign could effectively tap into this avenue!

How to Choose the Best Social Media Platform for Marketing

Facebook 

Facebook is one of the social media giants – featuring over 2.7 billion users every single month online, your brand could benefit from establishing good reputations on this platform. If you’re looking to reach a large, and diverse audience, Facebook is the platform for you. 

Facebook sports a casual, friendly media environment that people go to relax and connect with their friends so keep your marketing content light and breezy! If you want to begin advertising on this platform, start with creating a Facebook Business Page, ensuring your brand image is crisp and readable.

Twitter

Twitter is another well known social media platform that is characterized by text broadcasts on the web. Tweeting within your industry or related fields should allow you brand to gain steady exposure. 

To take advantage of the diverse consumer base, your company should take an active role in your twitter marketing campaign, staying on top of current trends in your field and retweeting customer tweets for engagement. Using Twitter as a social media marketing tool revolves around dialog and communication, so be sure to interact as much as possible to nurture and build your following.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a special platform as it features a more professional tone. LinkedIn is a great place to promote your brand to those in similar professional industries and share your content with those who are interested in jobs and general networking. 

Having a professional LinkedIn profile and following base makes your brand appear reputable and can garner additional employees or even customers!

Youtube

If your brand wants to focus on video advertising, then Youtube is the platform for you! Youtube is full of trendy brands and upcoming viral videos so be sure to take advantage of this fact. Focus your marketing efforts on creating useful videos that solidify your brand image and reputation. 

Instagram 

A media platform that is upcoming and popular with a younger audience is Instagram. If millennials are your target market, consider orienting your advertisement efforts to sharing on Instagram. 

Instagram centres around a photo-sharing system, where followers engage with your brand through image visual aid. 

Social Media Trends in 2021

• Quick, Digestible Content — Nowadays, people’s attention spans are short so the best way to capture an audience and get your message across is through quick, eye catching content. Snapchat and instagram stories are a great example of this and social media marketers are taking advantage of this field already, according to a report by Hootsuite, 64% of marketers either already have incorporated Instagram Stories into their strategies or plan to do so.

• Influencer Marketing — Traditional marketing strategies continue to evolve along with media channels – influencer marketing being one of the most effective ways on social media to appeal to audiences. 79% of those surveyed in an October 2020 Gartner Consumer and Culture Panel survey claimed that they consume influencer content. This trendy marketing strategy is a great way to capture younger, more impressionable audiences that identify with mainstream influencers. Brands can greatly boost engagement through targeted influencer content and offer a fresh way to market your company. Ultimately, these partnerships are a mutually beneficial way to drive up engagement!

• Personalized Content — Personalization is a global consumer trend that has been on the rise in social media marketing. Social media platforms have started providing advanced targeting and customization options for businesses. These channels let you show the right ads to the right people at the right times. The key way to leverage this is through the delivery of social media ads that are tailored to niche audiences. 

• Video Content — One of the best ways to engage an audience is through video content! According to a Cisco study, by 2022, 82% of all online content will be video content. Whether it is long youtube tutorials, or short gifs on instagram, the power of video is undeniable and your social media campaign can really benefit from incorporating a strong video marketing strategy. 

Social Media Marketing Tips

• Consistency — Consistency is crucial to your marketing plan if you want to maintain social media engagement. Some platforms, such as Instagram, will require more frequent posting in order to maximize your potential audience. Develop a comprehensive posting schedule – ask yourself, how often do I have to post to maximize brand reach? What type of content suits this social media platform? Who is my target audience? Determine a post strategy that suits your needs and stick to your schedule! 

• Quality Content — The best way to maximize your social media presence is simply with good content. Place effort in researching general current trends and platform specific analytics to understand, and take advantage of engagement trends. Post regularly and offer valuable information that will appeal to or benefit your target demographic.

• Consistent Brand Image — Use various social media channels to build a cohesive brand image for your business. Though each platform differs in tone and reach of the audience, having a core identity for your business and solidifying your brand’s goals and marketing consumer base. 

In the current social landscape, leveraging social media marketing is the best way to capture a large audience. Correctly integrating a social media campaign can help bring your brand to the forefront of social platforms and expand your overall reach. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and hop on the trend of social media by working with StratDev’s rockstar team of social media specialists!