Social media marketing (SMM) is an essential part of your overall marketing strategy. Not only can social media help drive your business and generate interest, it can also be used to direct people to your website and turn them into paying customers.
Be Consistent
One of the main reason social media accounts may not perform well is people abandon them too quickly. You may need months or years of consistent activity on your social media accounts before you see any benefits. Start by outlining the types of posts you want on your social media platforms, such as advertising products, sales, or posts to invoke conversation. Aim to post at least a few times per week in the beginning. You might dedicate the beginning of the week to promote sales or new products, while posts later in the week might be informative or to generate conversation with followers. Scheduling posts also makes it easier to be consistent. You might plan posts for several months in advance as you think of new ideas.
Do Your Research
You should do your research to determine which types of topics work for your demographic. Most businesses or online personalities have a general idea of their demographic. This can be based on the type of people who generally subscribe to them or people who buy their products. It is a better investment to focus more of your SMM energy on people who are most likely to be long-term subscribers or customers. As part of your research, you might look at old content, such as posts, videos, or pictures to determine the type of content that creates the most engagement from your audience. For example, if you are in the fitness niche, you might find promoting athletic apparel that is comfortable or enhances performance seems to generate more buzz than focusing only on the look of athletic apparel.
Refine Your Strategy
SMM is not a cookie-cutter approach to marketing, you will constantly need to evaluate your strategy as the response for your audience changes. Many businesses find they need to try different strategies as the seasons change or as their current demographic grows older or experiences different phases of their life. For example, a company in the fitness industry will find their audience will have different needs throughout the year, such as during the cooler months. They will want different types of workout apparel, nutrition information, or ideas to avoid eating poorly during the holidays. As their core demographic grows older, they might need to include more information about retaining fitness during pregnancy, staying fit while working a full-time job, or exercising around physical limitations.
In general, marketing is always a work in progress. Being consistent and frequently evaluating your SMM strategy can help you gain a wider audience and more customers.
