The online marketing landscape has gotten increasingly competitive.
More companies have already begun to allocate more funds towards digital marketing. One study suggests that global online ad spending will soon overtake newspaper and magazine expenditures in 2015, an unprecedented shift.
This has already become evident as more people go online for the first time around the world and as usage of smartphones proliferate.
Companies are scrambling to ensure their brand is in front of the right market.
Social media platforms will become even more valuable as a means to reach a global audience but also to:- Increase brand awareness
- Acquire more customers
- Build market share
- Promote new products
- Test new offers
- Conduct marketing surveys
Competing on these platforms requires a different approach to deliver measurable results.
The following are 5 marketing tips to help your business get the most out of social media.1. Invest in a Brand Identity
Design is one aspect that should never be overlooked.You only have one chance to make an impression with visitors.
A page that falls short on expectations is much more likely to turn visitors away rather than keep them. Attempting to cut corner in an effort to save on design could cost your business much more in the long run. From your logos to the colours you use, everything needs to be carefully executed to attract attention and distinguish your brand from the competition.2. Use Infographics
Building a successful page on networks such as Facebook or Twitter means being a valuable source of information. If your business is already repeating what can easily be found with a simple search, there is essentially nothing to distinguish your brand.In addition to pouring efforts in the creation of valuable content, consider investing in infographics.
These are an excellent method to attract attention to your business and increase the number of shares for your content. These tend to be much easier to consume than long articles or videos as they contain compiled facts about your industry.
Due to their visual nature, they are also much more likely to attract attention than a long article.
3. Offer Incentives
A highly effective way to encourage your audience to follow your brand on social media is to offer incentives.This can include:
- Access to exclusive material
- A free download for a guide
- Discounts to upcoming products
- Participation in a social event
This can help distinguish your brand and attract new customers as a result.
Udemy uses this to great effect:Encouraging visitors to comment is a great example of leveraging social media to increase brand awareness and even make the campaign go viral.
You could also consider making your pages more interactive by posting questions to your audience or giving them the opportunity to voice their own opinions.
4. Stick to a Regular Posting Schedule
Content sharing and interaction is at the heart of social media.
Understanding this is the first step to creating a successful campaign.
Creating content may seem like a daunting task but the key is momentum. Content is easily one of the most important assets for every business. The kind that attracts attention and gets shared with its audience.Consider creating an editorial calendar to keep your efforts on track.
5. Constantly Test
Not every post you share on Facebook or Twitter will deliver results. Some will flop and others will likely surprise you in its effectiveness.
But you would never know without testing.
The most important step to increasing visibility is to leverage social media analytics. There are free tools available that can be used to measure how well your campaign is performing and even what the most ideal time is to post an update.Optimising and measuring results is one of the best ways to get the most out of social media.