Social media has become ingrained in our daily routines. For some of us, the first thing we do when waking up is to instinctively open TikTok or Instagram. For others, we’re scrolling through LinkedIn on the way to work, or checking Twitter for the latest news updates. However we use it, it’s hard to imagine what life would be like without social media. But we’re not the only ones. Nearly all businesses have also come to know and love these platforms for reaching and engaging with their target audience. If your brand isn’t one of them, however, you need to get on it ASAP! This is something our social marketing agency – VerriBerri – can help you out with.
What Even is Social Media Marketing?
This is probably the best place to begin. Fortunately, compared to the likes of SEO and PPC, this is quite an easy one to wrap your head around! Essentially, it’s a form of digital marketing which utilises social media platforms to connect with your audience. This may be to build brand awareness, drive website traffic, or engage with your customers, as a few examples.
It’s no wonder businesses view social media as an essential part of their marketing strategies. Just look at the reach. Within the UK alone, there were 57.10 million social media users as of January 2023. That’s nearly 85% of our entire country’s population! Worldwide, this figure reaches 4.72 billion users. Just imagine how much scope there is for brands to boost their exposure and awareness by utilising these platforms. Not to worry, you don’t have to imagine. As a specialist social marketing agency, we know the answer to this question! Let’s just say that without it, you’re severely limiting your brand’s potential for success.
How to Improve the Return of Your Social Media Marketing
It’s often the case that many people view social media as something they can do themselves. It’s important to note, however, that running a business’s social media account is entirely different from running your own. Everything you put out must be optimised, high-quality, relevant, engaging, and posted at the right time using the right hashtags. It’s a lot to consider, so it’s no wonder businesses often outsource this to experts like us. It’s the best way to guarantee results, after all.
If you’re committed to giving it a go, however, here are a few tips on how to improve its effectiveness:
Utilise the Right Platforms
The worst thing you could do when using social media to market your brand is not planning effectively. There are so many platforms out there, each of which cater to different audiences and demographics. When it comes to selecting which platforms to engage with, where your audience is must always be prioritised. Devote your time to a platform that your audience aren’t on, and all your efforts will be for nothing.
Follower Engagement
For many businesses, it may seem tempting to prioritise boosting your follower count over engaging with your existing audience. After all, the more followers you have, the greater your sales, right? This couldn’t be further from the truth. By taking the time to build relationships with your existing audience, you’re much more likely to have a longer-lasting impact. Show your followers that you care about them rather than just chasing more and more. This builds trust and loyalty, not only increasing the likelihood they buy from you once, but multiple times.
Don’t be too Salesy
Whilst the overarching objective of social media marketing is to boost sales, it shouldn’t be your sole focus. This means that when you’re creating content, don’t be too pushy. Marketing should be subtle, and sales-focused content is far from it. In fact, more people than ever are put off by content of this nature. Instead, use social media to show another side of your brand that people may not otherwise be aware of. Be informative, helpful, friendly; maybe even show your funny side. This will be valued a lot more than post after post of “buy this”, “buy that!”
Incorporate Call to Actions (CTAs) into your Content
Utilising CTAs effectively within your content without being too pushy is an incredibly tricky thing to do. If you do manage to strike the right balance, however, they can be incredibly beneficial for boosting your website traffic. Keep in mind that this still doesn’t mean telling your audience to buy your latest products. Rather, use phrases like ‘get in touch if we can help’ or ‘follow for more.’ They greatly increase the likelihood of people engaging with your posts in some manner.
Track your Results
In our experience as a specialist social marketing agency, if there’s any component of social marketing people ignore, it’s this. It may sound daunting, but trust us, tracking your social media analytics is actually an incredibly simple process. Each platform has their own set of easy to navigate tools. These show you key metrics such as reach and engagement, what your audience like, and the best times to post. Utilising social media analytics is crucial to maximise interaction on your posts, increasing the likelihood customers buy from you.
How Can a Social Marketing Agency Add Value to This?
When it comes to social media marketing, many businesses will use a combination of multiple platforms to reach their audiences. Unsurprisingly, after a while, it can feel incredibly difficult to keep your content creative without regurgitating the same old stuff. If you want to keep your followers engaged, however, it still must be done. A great way of mixing things up is by incorporating graphics and video content, produced by an agency like VerriBerri.
Additionally, with over 14 years working with social media, we know the type of content your audience wants to see. Posts are sorted in order of relevance, and how likely the user actually wants to see and engage with it. This means that you can no longer just upload a post and hope for the best. Everything must be optimised to a tee, and this is something we can help you with!
Contact Us
If you feel your brand can benefit from the help of a social marketing agency like VerriBerri, get in touch! To reach our specialist social media team, give us a call on 01376 386 850, or just click here. We look forward to hearing from you!