Even in the last few years, social media has evolved in ways we couldn’t have imagined. These new tools available at our fingertips, have meant it has also changed how business’ function, specifically how they market and brand themselves. Even as social media constantly advances; it has still been around long enough to incite a few misconceptions when it comes to business marketing.
Here we will debunk a few mistruths to help you utilise social media marketing to its full potential.
The simple answer is no. It is amazing if your company can put in that extra effort to be on a substantial number of platforms, but do you really need to be on Pinterest if you are a software technology company?
It is not necessary to sign yourself up to every network. It isn’t feasible and will lead to you spending yourself too thin and compromising your potential reach.
To focus your efforts, keep the following in mind.
Each social network has their own speciality. Twitter is great for up to date news, whilst Instagram is fitting for visually showing off a product. Find the right platform that best promotes your company and stick to it.
Based on your business objectives, you will most likely have key metrics you want to achieve. Whether that be driving more traffic or increasing social shares, consider which platform will help you get these results.
Think about your buyer personas. Which social networks do they frequent the most. It doesn’t make sense to be on snapchat if your target audience usually resides on LinkedIn.
A lot of company’s may pass up on the opportunity to use social media, dismissing it as a tool of the younger generation. However, this shouldn’t be the case. The demographic of those over 50 now using social media has tripled in the last 5 years. If my grandma is using it, so can you!
The internet is filled with online support tools to learn more about analytical tools or platform functionality. Check out webinars, blog posts, or even study with HubSpot’s inbound certification to get the skills you need to be a social media wiz.
If you need further convincing, we’ve also created a blog post compiled of social media benefits for technology companies, check it out here.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. Social media should be used as a marketing tool to bring people together and put a human face on your business. This means customers can connect and trust those behind your brand.
Social media can be used to organize social gatherings, thank customers and message other clients about current events. This way they will associate your brand with actual people rather than a blank corporate robot.
Your social media efforts will deliver the best results when they are intercut with SEO, brand advocacy and content creation. Social can both support and be supported by other marketing strands. For example, if you’ve studied your target demographic, you will know when best to share your new blog or new content to encourage engagement. Social will continually drive traffic to your website and promote awareness.
It is tempting as a marketer to measure the effectiveness of your social media strategy by the size of your audience. But just keep in mind that just because someone is following your accounts, doesn’t mean they are reading everything you post. Having a lot of followers is great, but a better metric is engagement.
Social media engagement is how many unique users click on your links or view your posts. It is better to have higher engagement orientated metrics rather than vanity metrics such as numerous followers. Therefore, look out for shares, retweets, replies or likes, as these show your audience truly interacting with your company.
How do I get started?
It may seem like a lot to take in but hopefully these myths will no longer prevent you on your social media marketing voyage. It’s never too late to learn how to better manage your social media, and learn fundamental skills.
If you want to learn even more about how social media can benefit your business, request a free inbound marketing consultation and we can discuss and strategies the next steps in your marketing journey.