Social media marketing is a fundamental business tool of our era. With more than three billion daily active users, the likes of Instagram and Facebook give brands the opportunity to reach almost half of the global population within seconds.
But in order to do so, you need to design a great social media marketing plan and find a way to market your products and services organically. In this post, we will show you 10 practical ways to do it successfully. Let’s take a look!
1. Stick to the Best Platforms
You can create accounts on dozens of social networks, but would it really be good for your business? We believe it would be counterproductive, so you better concentrate on platforms that attract your target audience. That way, you don’t have to waste time administering irrelevant social profiles.
For instance, a serious company offering B2B services has little to do with Instagram because the platform mainly attracts younger users under the age of 34. On the other hand, the channel is perfect for dissertation service agencies or resume writing service targeting students and young scholars. You need to take it into account before you begin creating content.
2. Mix Content Formats
Speaking of content creation, we advise you to be versatile and mix different content formats. It will keep the audience on the edge of their seats and make the brand look highly attractive. Here are some of the most appealing formats of social media content:
- Images with textual captions and landing page URLs
- Infographics with interesting product features, facts, and stats
- Audio podcasts where you can discuss important topics and mention your services
- GIFs and animations for a little bit of comic relief
- Charts and graphics
- Product or service-related videos
3. Publish Product Tutorials on YouTube
We just mentioned video content in the previous paragraph, but the format is so important that it deserves a chapter of its own. If you don’t believe us, take a look at this stat – over 70% of users prefer watching videos to learn about a product or service.
YouTube is the largest video-sharing network and the second-largest search engine in the world, so we definitely recommend you to create and publish product tutorials on this platform. Take a look at this iPhone X video and you’ll figure out immediately that YouTube content is a must for productive marketing campaigns.
4. Engage In Social Communication
Whatever you plan to do, don’t forget that social networks are designed primarily as communication tools that you should use to build relationships with the audience. To put it simply, you ought to ask questions, answer users’ questions, and comment on their content.
For instance, you could ask the fans something like: What do you think about our ABC product? It’s a simple trick that triggers customers’ reactions. Hopefully, it will get you tons of positive reactions, but you should pay even more attention to negative inputs because it will help you to identify shortcomings and improve your products or services.
5. Join Niche Communities
You probably know already that social networks are flooded with all sorts of communities. It’s a valuable opportunity for marketers to join the groups of niche enthusiasts and subtly promote their offers among target users.
Subtly is the most important word here because you need to be careful not to over-promote. Jake Gardner, an easy essay writer at the essay service, says the main thing with online communities is to contribute with high-quality content: “When you earn trust among community members, then you should seize the chance to promote products or services, but make sure to do it only when it feels natural and non-intrusive.”
6. Organize Social Contests
Social contests are yet another resource for product promotion. According to the report, the average brand earns 34% more followers after running a social media contest, so it’s easy to figure out why marketers love this feature. The tactic is great for promoting new products or services because the prize can be anything from free trials to product samples.
7. Utilize Social Proofs
The power of social proof in digital marketing is immense. Industry reports show that almost three-quarters of consumers identify word of mouth as a key influencer in their purchasing decisions. What does it mean to you as a social media marketer?
It means you should utilize social proof to highlight the value of your product or service. It can be almost anything – a simple comment from a satisfied customer, a brand-related image, or an endorsement coming from a social influencer. The only thing that matters is to make trustworthy social proof that really seems credible and convincing.
8. Offer Promo Codes and Special Deals
Another interesting social media marketing idea is to offer promo codes or special deals for users who show the highest level of engagement. All it takes is a small incentive to start an avalanche of reactions, so why wouldn’t you exploit it to create an army of active followers?
Professional essay writers also suggest using public acknowledgment as the means to boost fan loyalty: “You can mention and tag users who earn a promo code – it will make them feel appreciated and turn them into super-engaged brand advocates.”
9. Don’t Forget to Advertise
Organic promotion on social media is a must, but sometimes you need to give campaigns an extra boost through paid advertising. It’s a simple and cost-effective way to reach the target audience without wasting too much time or effort. Take Facebook Ads for example – the platform allows you to target three types of users:
- Core audiences based on demographic features
- Custom audiences based on earlier interactions with your business
- Lookalike audiences based on similarities with the existing customers
That way, you simply cannot miss potential consumers who might be interested in buying your products or services.
10. Keep It Subtle
Every marketer would love to maximize the number of customers through social media marketing, but don’t forget that you need to make it subtle and delicate. The general rule of thumb is to create 80% of educational and entertaining posts, while only 20% should be reserved for genuine marketing content which promotes a specific item from your portfolio. If you respect this principle, you can expect people to follow your accounts long-term and remain interested in content as well as your products and services.
Conclusion
Social media marketing is a precious business resource that can help you to grow the brand and skyrocket conversions long-term. However, you need to play it cleverly and come up with a sustainable plan filled with quality promotion mechanisms.
We tried to give you a hand here by presenting 10 ways to utilize social media to market your products and services. Don’t hesitate to give them a try – it could help your business to flourish very soon!
AUTHOR BIO: Sharon is a blogger and a digital marketer who specializes in email and social media campaigns. Sharon writes about all marketing-related issues, but she is no stranger to other topics such as self-improvement and career development. Sharon is a mother of two lovely kids and a passionate long-distance runner.
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