6 Steps to be Successful in Social Media!

Social media is now an essential marketing tool for all kinds of businesses

Not too long ago, people couldn’t understand why or if their business should be on social media. Now, most of them research to find ways to grow on social media. Social media is an important tool for digital marketing, and if you are wondering when this will change, the answer is: Not soon.

People are stuck in a new way of life, where the digital world coexists with the real in an inextricably linked relationship. Digital interaction is part of our daily lives, and this is evidenced by the more than 2 hours we spend every day on social media sites. This is why social media is such a powerful Marketing and Advertising Tool for SMEs that they need to build brand recognition, generate traffic, and increase sales, which is difficult to achieve when you are small and relatively unknown.

Social media can help even the smallest businesses reach a larger target audience. But, unfortunately, this requires a full understanding of the microcosm of social media. We need to know as much as we can about people, what they do online, and how they interact.

Unfortunately, many companies try to stand up to the chaos of social media but without having a documented strategy. But, with just six steps, you can create an effective strategy to achieve your goals.

Check your current social media presence

Before you set goals, take a quick look at where you are.

What networks are you currently active in?
Are your networks optimized (photos and cover images, résumé, URL, etc.)?
Which networks bring you the most value?
Have you checked your competitors’ profiles?

Record the “ideal customer”

For example, you can identify the target market as parents.

However, if you specify the characteristics of the ideal client, as a parent who lives in the US, is between 30 and 50 years old, earns over $50,000, uses mainly Facebook, and is interested in outdoor activities, your actions will undoubtedly have a better result than in the first case.

To find the “ideal customer,” fill in the following information:

Age
Location
Job title
Income
Interests/Activities
Problems that your business has and can solve
The most used social network

Define your goal on social media

Clarify what your goal is and what you want to achieve through social media. Your goal should reflect the identity of your business, and only when you record it will you be able to understand exactly how to use your presence on social media. Do not forget to consider the “ideal customer” when trying to create your “mission.”

Based on these, you will be able to decide what content and where to share it. Businesses that publish randomly without a goal will fail as people “follow” the experts.

Identify the key success metrics

How do you know if your social media marketing efforts are successful?

Some metrics to consider are:

Conversion rate

Time dedicated to the website
Brand references
User feelings (sentiment analysis)
Total notifications

Create and define content

Unfortunately, this perspective often causes us to become overwhelmed when it’s time to start a new project.

Now you know who the ideal customer is, and you have set the goal of social media. When you have knowledge of all this information, then you will know how to create content. We will share some ideas:

Pictures
Video
Blog Posts
Company News
Infographics
eBooks
Interviews, etc.

The list of ideas is long, but make sure you focus only on the content formats that align with your goal, and of course, your skills.

You can create a diary to keep track of how often you post on each network, what topics to share, and when to share them.

Monitoring – Analysis – Optimization

This can be the most important step for your social media success. The best marketing strategists rely on trial and error. Therefore, monitoring the results, analyzing the data, and then taking corrective action to optimize it all is vital.

Every previous step needs to be re-evaluated once you have taken the time to analyze the results of your marketing efforts. But, again, let the data guide you. For example, if Facebook or Twitter seems to be the most effective channel for your business, consider doubling your investment in that channel.

Finally, do not forget that the ideal strategy is not carved in stone. This is an ongoing process that should be modified and adapted when necessary. After you have realized your goals, you can make your strategy better and evolve as you learn more about your target audience’s needs.

Some statistics

In the context of understanding social media, we present a series of statistics which will help you better understand the situation and adjust your strategy.

According to estimates, social media users will reach 2.77 billion.
91% of retailers use two or more social media channels.
81% of all small and medium enterprises use a social platform.
When asked by 81% of teens, they said that social media has a positive impact on their lives.
Social media affects the purchases of 23% of online shoppers.
30% of online shoppers are willing to buy a product on social networking sites.
Media advertising spending is expected to exceed newspaper advertising spending by 2019.
People are 80% more likely to read content that has color graphics.
Infographics are three times more likely to be liked and shared than any other type of content on social media.

1. Facebook

Facebook has 2.27 billion monthly active users.
Facebook status updates with images are 2.3 times more committed than Facebook status updates without images.
Mobile is responsible for 92% of Facebook advertising revenue.
64% of monthly active Facebook users use Facebook messenger.

2. Instagram

It has 1 billion monthly active users.
80% of Instagram users live outside the US.
32% of all internet users are on Instagram.
Over 95 million photos and videos are shared daily on Instagram.

3. Twitter

Twitter has 326 million monthly active users.

4. Linkedln

LinkedIn has 260 million active monthly users.