Quite a few companies today do not see the point of social media marketing. And yet, according to Global WebIndex, globally, there are 5.07 billion social media users. That’s more than half the world’s population. If this is not enough reason for businesses to take advantage of this platform, we do not know what it is. 

Granted, you would typically need to dedicate time and resources towards social media marketing, yet this does not need to be an uphill task. It’s true that social media platforms continually change their algorithms, but professional marketers know how to roll with the punches. Remaining static is not an option. We’ll walk you through a few proven social media marketing techniques to market your business.

Social Media Marketing Techniques

Storytelling to Hook Your Audience

Your audience is looking for authenticity, so any hard selling tactics are bound to backfire. Storytelling is one way you can humanize your brand, using images, videos, interactive content and UGC (user generated content) to build a narrative of your company, its offerings and values. Relatable, emotional content helps the target audience connect with brands on a deeper level and has been seen to influence buying behavior. Discussing trending topics (that relate to your brand and/or values) through live sessions is a good storytelling opportunity to resonate with your audience.   

Ride the trend wave

When viral trends and news topics are in full swing, brands have a window of opportunity to get in on the conversation and reach a far wider audience than they usually do. Here, timing is everything. Through social listening, marketers can monitor interesting trends, cultural moments, popular hashtags, and craft spontaneous and shareable content that relates to what everyone is talking about at that moment. It’s one of those low-effort, high-reward social media marketing techniques that can potentially boost a business’s social media presence.

Post Scheduling

How often you post, what time in the day you post and on what days of the week you post, all play a part in the success of your posts, or lack thereof.  If you want to stay relevant and keep your audience engaged, you would need to figure out the optimal times to post ( keeping your target audience’s time zones in mind). You will notice that this changes from platform to platform. Tools for social media marketing are invaluable for insights on when your audience for a particular platform is most active.

A/B Testing with Video Content

Particularly among millennial and Gen-Z audiences, video content generates high ROI. But to figure out exactly what kind of video content your audience prefers, A/B testing can help. Here, you could produce two variations of the content and dig into the analytics to learn which one performed better. Purchasing actions, views, clicks, shares, and sign-ups are some of the data you can measure. Based on your findings, adjust the video length, message, visuals, thumbnails, calls to action etc. to what type of video posts gain you the highest traction. 

Target Audience

Wondering why your social media efforts do not have any effect? One probable reason is because you may not have identified who your target audience is. This is a group or groups of people that fall under specific demographics, have similar interests, purchasing behavior, pain points and so on. Once you have pin-pointed the various personas you need to cater to, your content should reflect it. Only when you know who you are talking to, will you be able to craft messages that appeal to the needs and aspirations of your audience.

Different Strokes for Different Platforms

Research suggests that different social media platforms are most used by users of differing demographics. Content with high engagement on one channel may flop on another. Instagram and Snapchat typically attract a younger user base. Professionals between 30 to 49 are most likely to use LinkedIn. 41% of users who are 65+ tend to only use Facebook.  So, the social media marketing techniques you use would need to be tailored to the demographics that most use each particular platform.

Try Out Copy and Captions of Varying Lengths

For copy and captions, it’s best not to take the one-size-fits-all approach. A social feed full of captions of uniform length would be a turn-off for your audience. On Instagram, crisp and snappy copy is seen to work better than long detailed ones.  On the other hand, audiences expect in-depth, informative posts on LinkedIn which tend to be original, long-format content that offers value to the reader. Experiment with different lengths and find out what your audience responds best to. Keep things fresh and dynamic.

Work with Suitable Influencers

Influencers have something that most businesses would like to tap into- niche audiences. You know what your brand stands for, so work with influencers who share those same values and those that are connected to your business or industry in some way. Messages from influencers that actually relate to your business will not feel forced and inauthentic. With consumers spread out over various platforms, it becomes a tough task for brands to reach them. Influencer marketing gives these businesses a ready audience among whom they can promote their offerings. Things to check- their content quality, follower count, audience demographics, and engagement rates. Typically, influencers have dedicated and impressionable audiences, so their endorsement can boost your brand’s reach and credibility.

Track Engagement to See What Works and What Doesn’t

Just putting content out there regularly is not enough. Businesses need to know whether or not the content is having the desired outcome in terms of engaging their target audiences. With the help of tools for social media marketing, marketers track metrics like views, impressions, likes, shares, comments and so forth. Some posts are likely to perform better than others. With the right data you can learn the patterns and trends that work consistently and plan their upcoming social media promotion strategy accordingly. That said, marketers would be wise not to be lulled into a false sense of long-term security as it takes continual monitoring and adjustments to maintain traction in the ever-evolving online world.

Bring in Humor and Personality with Memes

Social media is not the channel for heavy sales pitches. Subtle, interesting and even humorous promotions can increase the relatability of your brand and allow your audience to see the value you offer. Memes use humor and pop culture references in well-known formats. Brands trying to connect with their audience on a more personal and emotional level can use meme formats in their marketing material. Your voice and values need to shine through. It goes without saying that your brand’s reputation is on the line, so you would do well to avoid potentially offensive or controversial topics. Nevertheless, this type of light-hearted promotion appeals to younger audiences and is extremely shareable.  

Swift Response to User Queries and Complaints

Whether you like it or not, social media is all about two-way communication. So, to maintain a pristine brand image, it is imperative to respond to queries and complaints on your social accounts without too much lag. Since the nature of social platforms is real-time, users also expect swift responses. The easiest way to go about this is with the help of relevant tools that monitor brand mentions and messages, ensuring that nothing gets missed out. It may not seem like it but many brands can attest to the fact that swift problem resolutions have turned previously dissatisfied consumers into brand advocates.

Gamification

The human need to compete and be rewarded is one of the main reasons why gamification works in the social media marketing context. Contests, challenges, quizzes, reward systems and more can be used to indirectly increase retention of your offerings among your audience. Note, these game mechanisms should align with your brand. And, thanks to social sharing, your brand’s visibility and reach will multiply many times over. For instance, maybe you could run a photo-sharing contest where participants can submit pictures related to your products, services or unique hashtag etc. They can then tag your official account and receive rewards for generating the most likes, shares and more.

In a nutshell

A business without a social media presence is like a person without a personality. If you expect your target audience to find you, let alone trust in your brand, you need to be visible in the digital spaces they frequent. Learning to use proven social media marketing techniques will allow you to tap into the huge potential of popular social platforms.Therefore, it is time to look for social media experts for hire and start implementing the proven techniques in no time.