Digital Marketing for Success 101: Potent Tips to Improve Your Business with Social Media

However, just because you know how to use social media platforms like Facebook or Snapchat doesn’t automatically mean that you’re assured of success with your company. It takes a certain level of awareness or perceptivity to understand exactly how different social media sites work in order to determine which platforms work best for your business. Creating a strong online presence demands a considerable degree of planning to ensure that consumers will generate interest and become familiar with your brand, which in turn will translate to sales. Fortunately for you, there are ways in which you can navigate the amorphous realm of social media and integrating it seamlessly into your business. The various pieces of advice listed below are just some of the tried-and-tested methods you can apply when using social media to help boost your profile.

Choose your platforms carefully

The first step to achieving your goal is to study and understand the many social media networks currently in  vogue on the market before you decide which ones suit your needs best. This is important because you can’t just dive right into the deep end without knowing how to swim such treacherous waters. Moreover, the common mistake that most entrepreneurs make is latching on to a particular social media site without even knowing exactly how it works to generate consumer interest.

The key to a successful online presence is a keen understanding of how a specific platform works, why it differs from other sites, and how it can be used to complement other parallel social media formats. You also have to remember that using multiple platforms means a greater risk of spreading yourself too thin as the management of various sites on a regular basis might be too much for one person to handle. Be smart and choose only a few sites that have a stronger audience reach, as well as those that are suitable for the type of marketing strategy you want to apply.

Consistency is key

One of the more challenging aspects of handling social media is the fact that it must be maintained or updated frequently, especially if your business relies heavily on seasonal marketing trends and frequent customer inquiries. In this regard, it’s imperative that you should assign a dedicated team of individuals to manage and regulate the updates on all of the existing social media profiles of your business. This is essential because one of the effective methods to really make your company familiar to audiences is if you’re consistently active in terms of posts, status updates, news releases, or any other details that are related to your brand.

Creating a general schedule is helpful since this gives your team handling the online profiles as to when they should post since timing is an important factor when deploying your marketing strategies or ad campaigns. You should also make sure that you are coordinating with your social media team to ensure that everything is running smoothly and that all profiles are sticking to the pre-planned timetable.

Customize and curate the content

Another vital element that you should consider when dealing with social media is the type of content that you’re posting on your online company profiles. Whether it’s a lengthy blog post, a promotional image, or a commerical video, the content must be personalized and thoroughly reviewed before it is deemed acceptable for live posting. Too often, companies make the mistake of posting just about anything in the name of acquiring hundreds or thousands of page views and likes. However, you should not fall victim to this unhealthy system as it will give a discordant impression upon your company.

The best way to really engage your customers and attract new people to support your business is to post content that is well-produced and possesses emotional or cerebral value. These are attributes that audiences will immediately respond to, and if your social media marketing campaigns are able to exhibit these qualities, then you’ll organically generate an influx of post likes and page views every time you make the effort to customize and edit your posts.

Audience engagement is vital

Everyone who owns a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, or a computer is generally familiar with the basics of using the internet and by extension, the use of various social media applications. Consumers these days are now more tech-savvy and their familiarity with plaforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and many other sites have led them to be more vocal with their opinions. Social media is allowing them to reach businesses much faster compared to the early years of commerce, and companies should be intuitive enough to respond to such lightning-fast means of communication. Engaging with the audience could mean the difference between success and failure because businesses will always be beholden to the patronage and goodwill of consumers.

Therefore, you must always be careful when using social media since audiences always have a sharp eye out for any lapses in judgment that could mean the ruin of your business. But the good thing about using the internet when directly engaging with your consumers is that you’ll be able to hear their questions and concerns in real time, and therefore giving you insight on how they perceive your brand and the things you need to do in order to improve the current standing of your business. Additionally, you and your team should practice grace and etiquette when responding to all comments or messages directed to your online profiles, even when some of them are very scathing and overly critical with their opinions.

Post relevant details

The fact of the matter is that there are certain types of content that won’t generate lots of likes or shares, but are neverhtheless important in helping spread the message of your company to a broader audience outside of your core demographics. Examples of such content include—but are not limited to—the following: consumer testimonials, company updates, press releases, and financial reports. There’s no denying the fact that these types of data are not the kinds of things most people would find interesting or engaging.

However, just because something isn’t fascinating doesn’t mean it won’t help your business whatsoever. Such aforementioned details are still considered valuable and should not be summarily dismissed on your part. People will certainly care and take notice if you mke subtle yet simple moves like posting regular shoutouts to certain customers who leave positive words of encouragement on the comments section of your social media profiles.

Balance popularity and business management

When you finally managed to hit your stride on social media, it can be dangerously easy for you to fall into the cliche traps companies encounter when trying to keep up with the latest trends on the internet. Sure, it’s an acceptable move to align your marketing strategies with what’s currently trending on pop culture at large, but this can sometimes be detrimental to your business as too much reliance on trendy things can cause your marketing campaigns to be gimmicky. And modern consumers are very weary when they encounter ads on social media that were clearly engineered based on a trending topic that will most likely fade away once the interest drops off.

The idea here is to strike the right balance between satisfying consumer interest while still adhering to the bottom line of your business. It’s a tricky task to accomplish, but with experience gained from trial and error, you’ll be able to get to the point where you can still retain your popularity without resorting to the usual gimmickry that your competitors will most likely utilize in their ad campaigns. 

Stick to your brand identity

A company that has a strong brand identity must always find ways to ensure that the content they produce is in line with the goals and aspirations that the business stands for. Generating massive social media statistics means nothing if consumers can’t connect with the ideals that your company represents. That’s why you should always think about the bigger picture whenever you’re putting out content on your social media profiles.

For example: if your company is a purveyor of environmentally-friendly products, then it’s important that your blog posts, images, videos, and miscellaneous multimedia content should contain an overarching theme that reflects the very ethos of your company standards. Any time that you post something that is in contrast with the image of your business, it will immediately put your reputation at risk and alienate your loyal customers. Always remain truthful to your brand so your success will remain intact.