Social media is no longer just for private use, but has also found its way into the marketing strategy of every company. Customers are also flocking to social networks in large numbers and it is important to inspire and capture their attention. Social media marketing is not only used to Branding a brand, but above all a positive image care Social media is an integral part of people’s everyday lives and this is where you need to build on.
According to a survey by Statista on Use of social media in companies According to a 2019 survey, the most popular network for the majority of the 500 companies surveyed is the business network LinkedIn. Worldwide, Facebook is considered the most important social media platform with a share of 45%.
Therefore: Every company should master the basics of social media! In this blog post, in addition to the definition of social media marketing, we explain why this type of marketing is actually so important and how you can achieve optimal social media marketing in 8 steps.
What is social media marketing?
Social Media Marketing (SMM) is considered a Sub-discipline in the field of online marketing and is becoming increasingly important for the advertising industry due to the high number of users. Almost all age groups are covered by individual social platforms, because this method of communication reaches both the younger target group on TikTok or Instagram, for example, and the older one on Facebook. Social Media as a Marketing Tool turns out to be a very dynamic rangeas there are almost no limits to the communication channels. Social media marketing includes all of a company’s activities within social networks and primarily includes interaction with existing or new customers as well as the communication of company messages.
In a figurative sense, a social media account is not only an advertising tool, but also has Features of a CRM tool. You learn a lot of useful information about your customers and this makes this form of marketing an unbeatable all-purpose marketing weapon. Action and reaction in the shortest possible time? This has actually become true in the social media world. Shortly after publishing your posts, you receive direct feedback in the form of comments and likes, for example. In the digital world, your users are closer to you than ever before – take advantage of this and use buyer personas to create the right media content along the buyer’s journey.
The goal of your content creation must be to create unique, high-quality content that allows you to stand out from the competition. Online communication has changed and a quick response is always required to ensure that your users feel in good hands. If you succeed in doing this, your content can reach a high reach in no time.
The following figure combines some of the most popular social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Xing with important elements of these platforms, which include #, @ and likes. The Networking The interconnected symbols should also make the different people’s lives clear.
Social-Media-Marketing B2B
In the business-to-business sector, social media marketing is a real “must”. Many companies use these networks to get in touch with other companies. This sometimes leads to cooperation between the companies, from which both can benefit.
Social-Media-Marketing B2C
For a direct line to your potential buyers, social media marketing is a only enrichmentGone are the days of telephone hotlines with endless waiting times, because your content will clarify many open questions in advance. In addition, communication is less formal and on a more personal level.
In general, it is important to note that communication on social networks must fit in with the overall marketing campaign. It should also be clear that the appropriate channels on which your target groups are active are used.
Why social media marketing?
But why is social media marketing worthwhile for your company? In addition to the classic PR instruments such as a press conference or a press release via the mailing list, completely new possibilities open up. The networking between a large number of people, also as many-to-many Kommunikation offers many new communication channels. User-generated content also plays a major role, as it allows companies to increase customer trust by incorporating their content into their marketing concept.
Social media has evolved from an initial trend to a integral part of marketing developed and makes the purchasing process easier in every respect. If target groups find exactly what they are looking for on your channel, you have successfully overcome the first hurdle. User behavior has changed because users are now actively looking for new solutions on the Internet (pull marketing) instead of being constantly confronted with them (push marketing), such as with TV advertising.
The illustration on social media marketing shows the four basic steps that are important. First, the technical setupi.e. the account, must be set up and provided with all the necessary information. In the further course, special attention will be paid to the Community and therefore on your followers. In order to always be able to provide this community with fresh postings, innovative content is required that offers users added value and makes them more familiar with the company. Of course, regular measurement of success in the form of reports is part of a successful concept.
As a social media marketing agency, we are happy to take on all of these tasks for you!
Social media channels
Social media providers have a lot in common, but each platform is unique because the communities are sometimes incomparable. That is precisely why diversity is so important so that communication is successful on both sides when you use the platforms on which your potential target group can be found. The saying “Quality not quantity” also applies to social media. Posts should be planned thematically and fit into the communication strategy.
The following social media networks are the most popular:
- YouTube
Types of posts
Planning posts is essential because there are two different types of posts: organic posts and paid posts. Organic posts are posts within the normal feed. Paid advertising, on the other hand, is implemented using ads that are designed for specific end consumers. Paid advertising significantly reduces wastage because the target group can be set precisely.
Content-Formate
Even though texts are an essential part of any type of post, this is by no means the only option. In addition to a suitable text in the social media feed, you can also inform your prospects with an explanatory graphic. Instagram, for example, focuses more on the visual. In some cases, explanatory videos are the ultimate content format. To make them easy to consume on the go, you should add subtitles. One and the same topic can be presented in different waysThis way, you can optimally reuse the existing media content analyzed using a content audit to reach another part of your target group via a different channel. Because content is and will always be king.
Social-Media-Marketing-Strategie
In order to be successful in the long term in social networks, a well thought-out plan is required. This determines for whom which content needs to be planned and produced. The following graphic shows the eight steps that you can use to plan an optimal social media marketing strategy:
Step 1
First, you should think about what goals you want to achieve with social marketing. Should a new product be made known or should customer loyalty be strengthened? This automatically leads to an increase in brand loyalty. It is important that you set a specific schedule for the campaigns in advance, which short, medium or long-term communication goals contains.
step 2
After you have agreed on the goals internally, it is time to Target group determinationTo do this, take a close look at your product or service and decide who you want to primarily offer your products to. For example, advertising baby food only makes sense for the target group of young parents or parents-to-be.
step 3
Make the most of your existing resources. Which departments can you work particularly closely with when it comes to social media? For example, you could plan online strategies with the online editorial team, which is responsible for the website’s content, and draw on existing input from the website.
Step 4
Which channels are an absolute must for your company? Where do your potential customers hang out? All of this needs to be analyzed first and then the profile needs to be set up properly. What are your company’s social media guidelines? Make sure that you find the right approach for each channel, but of course these should not contradict each other completely. After all, your company should credibility and authenticity retained.
Step 5
Content is King! Nothing works in the world of social media without quality content. The community quickly notices which campaigns are well thought out and filled with the content they need. When coming up with ideas for new topics, always keep your buyer persona in mind and look for topics that interest them.
Step 6
The next step is to think about the formats. If you have a YouTube channel, you will obviously need to produce content in video format. Finding the right media format for the right social media channel – that is the goal! Work cross-media and use icons on your websitethat link to the respective channel. This gives your users the opportunity to share the content and thus gain more reach.
Step 7
Now you design the posts and must adhere to the communication guidelines defined in step 4. Choose the tone with which you can best convey messages to your potential customers. As an advertising manager, you should therefore pay attention to how you address the target group, the language or even the type of language.
Step 8
The last step is the Evaluation The data can be accessed directly using the insights from social networks. Determine which time periods a social media analysis should cover and make sure to include the individual…
