Social media marketing is all the rage today. It is all about utilizing social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to get traffic tour website/blog.
What Is Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing refers to the use of social media platforms and websites like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc to promote a service or product. A lot of these social media platforms already have their built-in data analytics tools, that let companies track the development, success, and engagement of advertisement campaigns. Companies can engage with the target audience using social media marketing. Social media marketing also includes the management of the marketing campaign, maintenance, scope setting and the creation of a company’s intended social media personality, image, tone, and culture. For proper utilization of social media, companies should engage customers and internet users. They should let them create content like comments, reviews, etc. This is known as earned media. Social media marketing is not just restricted to companies looking to increase their revenue. Government organizations and non-profit organizations also use social media platforms to reach out to their target audience.
Social Media Marketing Platforms
Following are the most popular social media marketing platforms:
Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms. An effective marketing campaign on Facebook can get you a lot of visitors. A Facebook page is an awesome free marketing tool for companies and individuals alike. These pages can create awareness for your business. You can do that by sharing product offerings, service offerings, links, images and other related posts. You can use your Facebook page to create your brand identity and engage with customers. But make sure that you maintain your professionalism. You can also use Facebook ads, which are Facebook’s form of advertising. They are usually known as Marketplace Ads. They have a headline, a copy, an image, and a link to either a Facebook app, a Facebook page, or a website. 
Facebook marketing can improve the number of likes on your page. It can also increase traffic to your website. You can target audience by demographics using demographic advertising. Different budgets are available for different types of ads. You can also test ads to compare different versions of ads to compare designs and setup. Facebook also has a built-in performance management tool for ads. Creating a presence on Facebook can be very beneficial for your business. If users like and follow your page, they will get updates from your page whenever you post. Increased engagement with users can transform into relationships. Hosting Facebook contests, giveaways, or promotions is another marketing tactic to improve page likes and followers. Use a third party app to host contests to direct traffic to your app or website.
Facebook Promoted Posts allow Facebook page owners to have their posts reach a specific number of users. A flat rate is charged for this. This can increase a post’s reach.
Also Read: Facebook Marketing Tools
Sponsored Stories are ads that show a user’s interactions, like a Facebook like, to their friends. These stories capitalize on the word of mouth concept of marketing. If a user sees that many of his friends have liked a certain page, he is likely to pay attention to it. They will be prompted to do the same as their friends. If advertisers want more people to like their page, they can show friends who have liked their page. If they want more people to claim offers, they can show friends who have claimed offers. 
Facebook Exchange allow advertisers take benefit of ad retargeting on Facebook via real-time bidding. Audience can be targeted by marketers through the web history data. For instance, if a person visits a product’s website, but does not purchase anything, the products ad can be displayed on Facebook with FBX. 
Also Read: Collection New Ad Format by Facebook
Instagram is the third most widely used social media platforms. You can use Instagram to create brand awareness. There are around 400 million active users on it every month. 3.5 billion pictures are liked every day. Shoot square photos to make sure all the essential parts of a picture will not be deleted during cropping. It is also a good idea to connect your Facebook and Instagram. Make an Instagram tab on your Facebook page too. 
Be consistent with your posts. DO not use drastically different filters for different photos. Create an identity for your brand on Instagram and stick to it. Also be consistent with the frequency which you post. It is not a good idea to post 10 photos one day and nothing the next day. Host giveaways to increase the number of follows on your page. Show the behind the scene activities to your users to let them relate to your more. Use relevant hashtags to increase the reach of your posts. Share your follower’s pictures on Instagram. For instance, if a customer posts a photo of a haul from your company, report it and acknowledge the customer. This will increase brand loyalty. For more detailed tips and tricks, read How To Make Your Instagram More Engaging.
Twitter is the fourth most commonly used social media platform. Twitter has 316 million monthly active users. You can easily set up a Twitter page. Twitter is very different than other social media platforms. There is a limit to the number of words you can use. 42% of Twitter’s users follow brands.
Also Read: 140 characters limit relaxed by Twitter Just To an Extend
Use your tweets to make people subscribe to your mailing list. 
Participate in Twitter chats related to your and observe what people are talking out and what they are interested in. Use hashtags strategically and carefully. Use tools like RiteTag to find out how many times people are tweeting a particular hashtag. Tag relevant profiles in your posts. Get active during times when a relevant event is going on. For instance, if you are a cloth merchandiser, you can utilize the festive season to market your clothes. Make sure you post at a time when your target audience is likely to be active on Twitter.
Apart fromFacebook, Instagram, and Twitter, you can also use platforms like Pinterest, Linkedin, and Youtube for marketing. Some general social media marketing rules can be applied to all these platforms. Create a marketing plan before you begin the marketing campaign. Nothing is worse than starting something and not knowing what is it that you want to achieve. Create a social media strategy that you will be using. If you believe that you cannot handle social media marketing, outsource it. The investment you make will be worth it if you are able to increase traffic to your website. Whether you are marketing via Linkedin, or Pinterest or any other platform, your aim should be to direct traffic to your website. Monitor the activities and interactions on your social media platforms to get valuable insights. Be sure to make a profile on Linkedin too. Do not ignore it thinking that you do not need it. It can increase your credibility with professionals and can serve as a great marketing platform for you too. Use tools to schedule your tweets. This will save your time as you wouldn’t have to go on Twitter every time to post a tweet. It will also ensure that you do not miss peak times on Twitter because of your busy schedule. Use social media statistics to improve your targeting. Make use of a social media content calendar to keep your social media activity organized.
Social Media Marketing Laws
Now that you know about tips, tricks, and strategies to adopt for social media marketing, you must also know about the rules of social media marketing.
Listen
Success with social media marketing needs more listening and less talking. Read the content posted by your target audience’s and take part in discussions to find out what is important to them. This way you can create content tailored for them. Such content will add value to their life and make them come back to your website.
Focus
Keep your focus on your niche and your core offering. Do not try to be the jack of trades. Create unique and interesting content that the users will not be able to find elsewhere.
Quality
Focus on quality. Do not churn out numerous posts a day that is meaningless and substandard. Do not aim to reach millions of people who will not return to your website. Instead, focus on people who genuinely read and share your posts. While focusing on quantity may seem appealing at first, it’s quantity that goes a long way.
Patience
Social media marketing success does not happen overnight. Do not lose heart if you don’t seem to be succeeding at first. Be persistent and consistent. In time, you will achieve success.
Compounding
If you create great quality, unique content and market it well to your audience, they will share it on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, their own blogs, etc. This will increase traffic to your website. It will also make it easier for Google to find your post in keyword searches.
Influence
Search for influencers in your niche who have quality followers and who might be interested in your services, products, or business. Connect with such people and try to create relationships with them. If you catch their eye as a unique, interesting, authoritative source, they might share your posts with their own audience. This will increase your reach, and ultimately your followers.
Also Read: How To Select a Niche For Blogging?
Value
Do not just blindly market and advertise your product or service. This can put people off. Start engaging and interesting conversations. Create amazing content. Create value for your product or offering. Develop relationships with influencers.
Acknowledgement
Acknowledge people who contact you. This will help you build relationships which will help your business in one way or another.
Accessibility
Do not remain aloof or disconnected. Engage with your audience. Reply to their comments and questions. Participate in debates. Do not disappear. If you are going away for holidays, do inform your audience. If you disappear for a long time just like that, your followers will find your replacement and move away. Do not destroy a fan base you have built with passion by a careless mistake.
Reciprocity
Do not expect others to share your posts and talk about it if you are not doing the same for them. Spend time talking about the products of other people. They will return the favor by talking about yours.
Social media is a great platform to access your target audience and convert them into loyal followers. Create your social media marketing strategy before you start posting. Remember, you do not have to follow all the rules, tips, and tricks, neither do you have to be present on all the platforms. Be realistic and practical. Stick with social media platforms that are likely to be used by most of your target audience. Adopt tips and tricks which will work for you. Work hard on creating an identity and image for yourself. This way you will not come across as just another social media marketer. Differentiate yourself. Your aim should be to create content that is unique, engaging, and captivating. Your social media posts should be calls to action. If you stick to useful practices, you will increase your reach and influence over time.
Which social media platform do you think is the most effective for social media marketing? Which one do you use and why? Let us know in the comments below!