What Is Social Media Marketing ?
Social media marketing is about building relationships with your audience in the places they already spend their time online. This might look like promoting your latest product drop, or simply jumping in on a trend that your audience is interested in.
Like most forms of advertising, it’s not always about sell, sell, sell. Sometimes, social media marketing is more about creating a space where your audience wants to hang out. Then, positioning yourself as a leader in that space they can trust.
Unlike traditional advertising, like TV spots and billboards, social media marketing allows for two-way communication between individuals and brands. There’s also potential for building a sense of community, which creates brand loyalty.
This, plus the ability to accurately track, analyze, and optimize on your results, is what makes social media marketing a truly unique marketing space.
In a nutshell, social media marketing works by promoting your brand to social media audiences. Businesses get a platform to say who they are, what they do, and why you should buy from them, and customers get to see a wide range of products, services, and offers all from the comfort of their phone or computer.
There are many ways you can promote your business using social media, from creating hilarious video content that shows your audience your relatable side, to crafting high-quality data-driven reports to show your expertise in your industry.
Social media marketing activities can include:
- Content planning and creation. This is the most visible component of social media marketing. It’s the art of creating appropriate types of content for each platform to connect with the audience there.
- Content scheduling and publishing. This is the task of actually getting your content onto the appropriate platforms at the appropriate time.
- Social media analytics. Using analytics tools to track how content performs, report on progress towards social media goals, and plan ways to improve overall response.
- Social listening. Using social media marketing tools to keep a virtual ear to the ground, learning what’s being said about your brand and your industry. This is also a powerful tool for competitor research.
- Community management. Connecting with followers to build a community online, then working to keep that community active and healthy by responding to messages and creating ongoing opportunities for engagement.
- Social media advertising. Using paid tools on social networks to get your content in front of a larger audience. This may include working with influencers or external content creators.