Working out an effective social media marketing strategy is a lot like a game of chess. We have all encountered chess at least once in our life as a spectator or a player & comprehend subtle differences that separate an amateur from a pro. Similarly, in the marketing world, there are novices who fail to grasp their target audience & pro’s who map out every little detail to reach out the same.

In chess, the path reaching out to the king is similar to the path companies set out to reach their target audience. Chess pieces are more like assets for marketers & when you carefully define each of your assets (ad campaigns, web analytics, SMM services, etc) roles & objectives, checkmating your competitors becomes more fun in the real world.

Top brands who were already successful prior to the digital revolution find it easy to communicate with their audience. Because of the revenues, they generate, creating engaging content on social media seems like a walk in a park.

But thanks to Google’s algorithms, some of the walks won’t be easy for many. Everybody gets a fair share of opportunity if you could just pull your assets right, whether you are an amateur or a pro. Emerging companies that have something original & unique to offer have the potential to drive sales & build consumer loyalty with just the right strategy.

Asking the right questions

Self-assessment is crucial before reaching out to your target audience.
Ask yourself:

– Why do you want to have an online presence in the first place?

– What are we offering that others aren’t?

– Even if we have stiff competition, how much the extra mile are we willing to go?

– Do we have a target audience in mind?

– Would it be feasible if the business branches out geographically or should be concentrated at one place?

Mapping out little details would make way for deeper insights & better market assessment. Asking the right questions would not only help you to plan better but will put you one step ahead of your competitors. Many enterprises skip the self-assessment check & move online just for the sake of it. Moving online doesn’t guarantee success. It demands constant efforts that go unseen.

Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing has become the most powerful form of marketing because of the following reasons:

– It’s cost-effective & provides a level playing field.

– Cater to a global or regional audience at once.

– Tracks crucial information with web analytics.

– Enables one to deliver creative content.

– Reaches out to a more specific audience.

– Easy to share, measure & adjust one’s growth with live feedback.

Recent reports on average active users on social media are not surprising. There are about 500 million active users on Instagram & more than a billion on Facebook. Twitter & Linkedin aren’t far behind, instead, they serve a more role-playing audience. Concentrating your efforts initially in either of these or on all can be rewarding.

Branding

If you are patient enough for your brand to find its own voice through little or no investment, implementing

– SEO (Search engine optimization)
– Content Marketing
– Social Media Engagement

strategies would guarantee success but would take a large chunk of your time. Email Marketing is still effective because of the number of leads it generates & is favored among marketers in the initial phase. SMM (social media marketing) service providers are on the rise who put considerable time & effort to manage social media accounts on your behalf.

For e.g., SEO company helps improve visibility online by obtaining high ranking placements in SERP (Search engine result page). Creating engaging content here gives the first impression to the users & insight into what they could expect next.

You could also go for paid services such as:

– Cost per click
– Cost per thousand impression
– Social Media advertising

Video Content

Ads are a costly business but come with their own perks. Showcasing ads on youtube, facebook & Instagram don’t go unnoticed & have the power to impact users if they are engaging enough.

It’s worth looking at some of the campaigns by Airbnb, Nintendo, Starbucks & Oreo on social platforms.

Finding the right balance here is the key. If you are starting new & want to reach out through video streaming, the best solution is to go independent. To lower down the production cost of your video content, shoot cheap & make it look professional in the editing room. Stop motion animation ads can have an immersive effect on an audience & it could be made with little or no money.

Types of Ads

All major platforms offer an array of ad services that can be set down to accomplish your objective.

– Ads that drive traffic to sites.
– Ads that build brand awareness.
– Ads that boost engagement with posts or page.
– Ads that generate leads. (Instagram & Facebook)

Hire a Social Media Manager

A social media manager helps driving results with cost-effective solutions. Someone who has advertising experience will not only guarantee social media presence but will help improve customer service.

They should be adept in:
– Writing Copy/Headlines
– Driving campaigns
– Engaging with customers
– Generating reports & help tracking

Social Media Tools

Google analytics is one of the most important yet underused tools in social media marketing interest group of the audience, gives insight on how users interact with your business at large by categorizing data into acquisition, behaviour & conversation rates.

It simply highlights what’s working & what isn’t.
Concentrating your efforts on social media could be daunting when it comes to engaging with your target audience. There are social media service tools that allow you to generate leads, report cards, manage schedule, help track links & assist in optimizing performance through web analytics.

Some of the renowned tools are:
– AgoraPulse
– Bitly
– Quintly
– MeetEdgar
– Socedo
– Sprout Social
– Hoot-suite

Note

The potential for business to grow is innumerable but a single blow is enough for the downfall. It’s filled with genuine people & at the same time with rogues who are there to slander brands with negative comments with or without reason.

Posting insensitive content can turn against you in no time. For larger brands, it’d be just a bad day in the office, but for the upcoming ones, it could be detrimental to success.

Conclusion:

Social media marketing is truly like a chess game. Commencing with smaller & practical goals would benefit in the long run & utilizing one’s social media assets like chess pieces will drive sales & consumer loyalty. The Internet has come a long way for social media to be this impactful in our everyday lives & it will continue to evolve & reach us with many exciting ways.

Article written by: Keval Padia