Module 12 : Mastering the Art of Social Media Marketing

12.1 Introduction

Social media marketing is one of the
newest, yet most effective forms of marketing that allows businesses to interact
with their audience in a more personalised manner.

Social media is part of digital media, and it includes different social
networks such as Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest.



Although this marketing field is new, it is still used mostly by businesses,
and companies that do not utilise social media are missing out on a huge chunk
of the audience. Businesses are more than eager to market themselves on this
platform, and they can use this to target their audience in a more entertaining
and engaging way. This module will teach you how to use social media to your
benefit, and market your business simply by spending some time at the computer.

12.2 How Social Media Can Improve Your Marketing Efforts

Due to the increased popularity of
digital media platforms, the majority of your audience is available on these
platforms for the purpose of socialising.



Most of the people out there, including your target customers, are making use
of social media platforms. It is important for businesses to make efforts to
reach out to such an audience if you want to make a positive impact on your
company.



Anything that gets a user's attention on social media easily goes viral. Unlike
personal word of mouth, social networks make it easy for users to share their
views with others with a simple click. When there is a new entertaining video,
for instance, people share it with their friends through these networks.
Different websites and networks also offer social plugins which allow sharing
across different platforms.

That is the reason social media marketing is great for word of mouth and
viral marketing. If a business is active on social media and talks to its
customers, then more people will begin to share their experiences with each
other. This, in turn, will attract more users to the business page, and
eventually these customers will begin making purchases. Similarly, when users
are not satisfied with a brand, they will share negative things about it, which
will be seen by those on social media. This means that if a company wants to
develop a positive image, they can do so by making use of social media networks
and keeping negative comments in check.

People use the Internet to find friends, socialise, and shop. They also use it
for information. If someone wants to go out to dinner to a new restaurant, they
will search for it on the Internet. The restaurant with the best reviews will
get the most attention. Therefore, it is important that businesses are present
online and interacting with their customers on these social media platforms.

12.3 Engaging Your Audience Via Social Media

One of the best things about social
networks is that they provide opportunities for businesses to engage with
their audience in a more entertaining and fun way.



The businesses that have a presence on social networks can get in touch with
their customers by sharing company messages, projects, and much more.



These platforms have greatly evolved over the years, and businesses need to do
something different and attractive to grab their customers' attention. There is
a lot of competition on social networks, as one can imagine, and every brand
wants to be the best.

As a brand, you should be creating a
powerful social media marketing campaign for increased customer engagement.

Customer engagement can be achieved by the following tactics:

Asking Questions

By asking questions to potential customers in an interesting way, businesses
can keep them engaged and do a bit of research at the same time. For instance,
a brand can ask any question that is suitable for their business. For
example, if you sell clothing, you might poll your Twitter followers by asking
if they prefer jumpers or jackets.



This question will not only engage your followers, but it will also help you
learn about customer preferences. The questions that a brand asks must be
interesting and attention grabbing so that the users are willing to answer. Of
course, these questions must also be relevant.

Reveal Company Information

Another way to engage with your customers on social media is to reveal
information about your business. Give your audience information on upcoming
projects, share any new relevant hires, and tease your followers with new
products. Revealing a little about your company is a good way to spark speculation
and get attention from customers. For example, when Apple is planning a product
launch, it always reveals a little about its upcoming product and leaves the
audience wondering. This is a great way to make people talk about your brand
and tune in when the product is revealed.

Share Interesting Content

Social media is a place where users can share pictures and videos with each
other. These visual elements are a reason for these platforms to be popular
amongst the audience. Therefore, a good way to grab user attention is to share
interesting and catchy content on your social media page.



If there is a new topic that is being talked about in the media, design content
around it.

For example, if an
MP is involved in a scandalous affair, think of something catchy such as,
"You don't have to worry about us cheating on you. We are always by your
side".

You should also try to be the first one to break any interesting news to your
audience. Another way to grab user attention is to create videos for them. Tell
them about your brand and show them what you are up to. Viral content can also
really help to increase your social media traffic.

Organise Contests

Everyone loves taking part in competitions, and if you want more traffic on
your page, then start a contest of your own. Organise a contest, ask questions,
and offer free giveaways for the winners. This is a great way to make people
talk about your brand and help your campaign go viral.

Answer Customer Queries

Social media platforms make it easy for businesses and customers to connect
without hassle. Therefore, there are many people who follow different brands on
social networks, and when they have a problem or question, they ask through
these platforms.



Businesses need to ensure that when a customer or user is asking them a
question, they are ready to answer promptly. When businesses answer customers'
questions, they create a good image in their eyes, which is great for promoting
positive word of mouth on social media.

Keep Sharing

If you really want to be prominent and get more users to follow you, make sure
you are constantly posting new content on your social media page. If a company
creates a social media page, but does not post content on it, then their customers
will have no reason to follow them. Businesses that want to improve brand
recognition and promote word of mouth marketing need to keep their profiles
up-to-date with new content for their followers at all times.

Add Social Sharing Plugins to your
Profiles

Social sharing plugins are great for allowing any content to surface throughout
different digital platforms. If you have a website, make sure you add social
plugins for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. These plugins are
great for getting content shared by many people. People will no longer need to
copy and paste your content into their profiles to share it, and with these
plugins, they will only need to click once and the content will be shared to
their desired platform.



Social media marketing is an effective way to make more people engaged in a
brand. Brands can also make use of social media marketing tools and techniques
to improve their brand image and increase their reach.

12.4 How to Improve Social Marketing
Skills

Social marketing is another field of marketing that requires marketers to
influence audience behaviour to bring about a change in the society.



The main aim of social marketing is to attract customers by making them believe
that the brand supports social causes and cares about the surroundings. When
brands show compassion about social causes, they are able to capture audience
attention, and make them follow their brand.



The reason that social marketing makes businesses improve their reputation is
that the audience wants to connect with the brands that they buy. If the brand
gets involved in a social cause, it makes it look more human, which is why more
people are attracted towards it.

Support Causes that are Close
to Your Customers

Businesses that want to create a positive image in the marketplace can make use
of social marketing techniques to attract more attention. Supporting a cause
that is close to the audience's heart will get businesses the right kind of
attention and publicity. The audience will come to know that the brand is not
all about earning more money, but cares about its surroundings. This is a great
way to make people talk about the brand in a nice way. When others will get to
know about a business' efforts for a cause, they will also have a good
image of the brand in their minds.Support

Causes that Help
Improve Society

Businesses have a social responsibility to fulfil, and because a business earns
a lot of money, it is responsible for making improvements in the society.
Therefore, businesses should support causes such as pollution and environmental
protection to tell the world that they care about the society as much as they
care about sales. Socially responsible companies get more attention and
reaction from the audience. When people see a company support and work for a
good cause, they will start to show unity with them and believe in them.



Social marketing can really help businesses earn a lot of attention from their
audience. Social marketing creates a new image for the brand, allowing more
people to lay trust in it. When people see a company do well and
invest their time, money, and efforts in the betterment of the society, they will
automatically talk about it in a positive way.

FACT

In 2017, advertising on social media sites amounted to £2.39 billion for the
first time.
Source: statista.com

12.5 Social Media Marketing and Small Business

When you think about social media
marketing, you might be thinking about big companies.



The truth is, however, that the people that get the most out of social media
marketing is a small business. There are several reasons why social media
marketing can work well for a small business owner.



First, small businesses usually have a limited staff and budget. Social media
marketing is something that can be done for very little, if any, cost, and you
do not need to have a large staff to use this type of marketing. Second, social
media marketing can give a business a great boost to gain new customers, and
you do not need to spend money on reaching out to new customers. The following
are some tips for small business owners to improve their social media presence
and to master the art of social media marketing:

Learn to Use Social Media Management
Software

There is almost a limitless supply of tools and apps that help small
business owners manage their social media accounts. Some of these, such as
Buffer or Hootsuite, are good options for beginners, and they cover most social
media platforms. Social media management software such as Twibble and Narrow.io
are better for those with experience in social media, as they utilise specific
functions. The tools you need will depend on your social media goal.



Once you choose a program, take some time to learn how to use it. Most people
will start with scheduling their posts, but there are several features that can
be useful for small businesses that go beyond the basic management functions.
If you really want to master social media marketing, you should use these to
the fullest extent.

Automate All Functions

You should also automate everything you can when it comes to social media, as
you have much more important things to do than waste time sitting in front of a
computer.

Here are some tasks that you can
automate via social media websites:

• -Following people when they follow your account

• -Retweet interesting messages

• -Mentioning customers in messages

• -Responding to any direct messages

• -Automating and scheduling posts

The more you choose to automate on social media, the more time you will have to
focus on the overall running of your business. Though automation is a great
time-saver, make sure that you are not removing the human element of your
posts, either. You still must be an active participant in the social media
process and engage with your customers, so make sure you are not automating
everything. You should still take some time a couple of days a week to interact
with your audience. There is a fine line between automating everything and
keeping things personal.

Be Aware Of Your Numbers

When it comes to social media, just as with a website, it is necessary to
utilise the analytical tools that are available to you. It is well worth your
time to study these numbers and analyse them, as this will help you to find out
where you stand in regards to your competitors and reach. One example of a good
program to use for the analysis of numbers on Twitter is the Archivist.

This is
a tool that allows users to track different hashtag campaigns, analyse who you
have been mentioned by, and to find out how they found you to follow in the
first place. You can also use these tools to track how many followers you have
lost or gained, which posts get the most interaction from your customers, and
other data that can help you improve your plan.

Make Sure People Will Want to Follow
You

It does not matter if it is on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Google+
or any other social network, people cannot deny receiving fame, getting free
stuff, and being right about something.



Make sure that you are utilising these ideas as you collect and attract
followers. Some of the things you can do include running contests each week,
host an online debate with a custom hashtag or mention your top followers in a
public setting. Do not simply put up posts to grab attention, make sure they
are fun and interactive. This way, people will become curious and check out
your account.

Ask Your Followers for Feedback

It is also a good idea to ask your followers for feedback. This way, you can
take stock of your brand. For instance, if you are thinking about a new service
or product, share this with your followers and ask them for feedback about it.
After all, the product is for them.



The US company, Frito-Lay, has been quite successful with this. They make
crisps and other snack products, and one of their most successful campaigns on
social media has been when they ask fans to help them to create a new crisp
flavour. In 2014, the company received more than 14 million entries in their
Do-Us-A-Flavour contest. Walkers have run a similar promotion in the UK.

Align Your Brand with Something
Charitable

Most of us enjoy helping others, and we are naturally drawn to charitable acts.
If you are interested in creating a larger presence in any online community,
you may want to consider using your brand to serve a higher purpose, and then
ask your followers and supporters to follow suit.



Consider TOMS Shoes. This company began a successful 'one for one' campaign, in
which they donate one pair of shoes, to those in need, for every pair of shoes
sold. In 2011 this 'one for one' model was expanded to include TOMS Eyewear;
where with every pair of shoes purchased TOMS helped restore sight to a person
in need. TOMS is very pleased to share this information, and tags TOMS on
social media.



On the other hand, if you order a hamburger at McDonald's, you probably are not
going to share this with followers on Facebook or Twitter. If McDonald's
started donating a pound per purchase to stop world hunger, however, you would
be much more likely to mention the brand online.

Make Sure to Cater to Your Followers

Finally, make sure that you are giving your followers what they want. They will
not only be more likely to follow your company and interact with your posts,
they will also be more willing to share your posts and recommend your social
media accounts to others.



These tips are great for social media, and they can greatly improve a company's
impact on its followers. By using metrics and analytical tools, a small
business can track social media performance over time and determine which
concepts work for your particular business and those that do not. This information
will also help to plan for the future.

Module Summary

There is nothing you can do to make yourself a master of social media marketing
without some failure, but you can use your successes to find out what social
media marketing path you should follow. Remember, this concept is not about you
or your business at all; instead, it is all about your audience. With that in
mind, you should realise that all you have to do in this case is try some new
things and listen to their response.



There is no doubt that more people are using social media today, than ever
before, and over the next couple of years, these numbers will just continue to
climb. Almost 75% of all people in the UK use some type of social media, and if
you are not using it to market your business, this is an audience that you are
missing out on. By working to master social media marketing, however, you will
find that you will put your small business in an excellent position to interact
with your customers in a way that you may have never done in the past, and set
yourself up for an amazing future.