How To Properly Use Social Media for Marketing Purposes

Do you have an awesome business that doesn’t seem to get the amount of exposure you desire? Have you been searching for ways to reach a wider range of people?

Well, the best way to achieve your goal is through social media marketing. Therefore, In this article, we’ll show you how to use social media for marketing & grow your business.

Using social media for marketing is an excellent tool because more than 4.62 billion people use social media. While it may seem a tad unbelievable, this global social media statistics research by Smart Insights proves it! 

Above that, Social media marketing in business has grown popular in the past few years, and for a good reason. In fact, 93% of social media marketers who use social media have managed to achieve business exposure. 

So, if you have been searching for how to use social media for marketing, you are in the right place! Read on to discover the meaning of social media marketing, why it is important, and so much more!

Defining social media for marketing

Social media marketing is a type of digital marketing that employs popular social media platforms as a marketing tool. And, it can come from paid ads, regular content creation, or even video marketing.

Thus, Using social media for marketing helps you accomplish not just your marketing goals but also your branding goals.

However, remember that you need an excellent social media marketing strategy to achieve all your branding and marketing goals.

Why social media marketing is important?

An outstanding business idea may not matter if it it’s not properly promoted. That’s to say, marketing is quite essential to gain exposure and acquire customers for a business.

Reaching a wide range of people is essential for a business’s growth and success. And, Social media marketing may be just what you need to reach a wide audience!

Also, social media marketing allows people to learn more about your company.

Furthermore, It helps people discover the products you sell and the services you render. By taking your business to social media platforms, you can connect with your customers and discover their buying habits.

On top of that, social media marketing is considerably cheaper than other forms of advertising. For instance, an Instagram ad can cost about $7 per thousand clicks.

Meanwhile, a television ad can cost about $2000-$50,000!

The advantages of social media marketing

While there are many advantages of social media marketing, below are a few.

• Social media marketing is an affordable form of marketing
• Social media help you effectively advertise the services you provide and the products you sell
• Allows you to reach a wider audience
• Allows you to communicate more effectively with your customers
• You will be able to interact more with your customers
• You will be able to learn a lot about your customers’ shopping habits and preferences
• Social media marketing lets you learn more about your competitors and their marketing methods
• Allows you to create a memorable brand image
• Advertising on social media can boost your return on investment (ROI)

What is a social media marketing strategy?

A social media marketing strategy is your plan on how you can use social media platforms to achieve your marketing goals. Every business will have unique needs, so you must build a distinct social media marketing strategy for your business.

You may wonder how to build a successful social media strategy for your business. Below are a few tips to help you build an outstanding business marketing strategy.

Determine what your goals are

First, determine your goals if you want to build an effective social media marketing strategy. Do you wish to gain more followers or educate your audience about your products and services?

Whatever your goals are will determine what you will focus most on. Your goals will also let you know the best social media marketing methods. This helps you focus on the marketing aspects that benefit your business the most.

Conduct thorough research on the audience you want to reach

Depending on the products and services you deliver, you will appeal to a distinct group of people and demographic.

Let’s say you have a custom t-shirt business. Your target audience will be mostly people in their early twenties to late twenties.

To have a successful social media strategy, you must do a lot of research on your target audience. The data you get about your audience will help you to understand their preferences. You will also discover their likes and dislikes.

As result, you can tailor your services & products based on your target audience.

Choose your preferred platform

While there are many social media platforms, you must use one that allows you to reach your target audience. Go for Instagram and Youtube if your target audience is mostly people in their early teens to late twenties.

Consider focusing on Pinterest if your target audience is mostly women. Do your research to help you discover what social media platform will be best for your needs.

Create a brand identity

It would help if you create a brand identity to have an effective marketing strategy. What is the first thing you want people to think about when they see your business? What emotions do you want to elicit when they view your content?

These factors will help you develop a brand identity that suits your business.

Develop a content creation strategy

Being spontaneous is a good thing. But to have a successful marketing strategy, you must develop a content creation strategy. A good content creation strategy will help you to post quality content regularly and consistently.

This is important to keep your audience engaged and interested in your business.

Tips to improve your social media marketing

Tried your hand at social media marketing, but you are not getting the desired results? Here are a few tips that will help you improve your social media marketing.

Create more interesting content

Your social media marketing strategy depends on the quality of your content. People will not be willing to follow you if you post boring content.

Also, if you post interesting content but are not consistent, you will not be able to retain the followers you gain.

Go through the content you currently post. The type of content you post will revolve around your goals, brand identity, and your target audience. Try to create more engaging content, and be consistent if you do not already. Consistency plus high-quality posts will give you the results you want.

A good way to be consistent with your posts is by developing a brand theme. This will help your business to stand out and make it more memorable.

Create posts that humanize your business

In addition to creating interesting content, ensure you create content your followers will find relatable. Content makes your audience feel like your business understands their daily needs and struggles. These types of content also help you build a connection with your audience.

Be strategic with the time you post content.

While being spontaneous is a good thing, you have to be strategic about the times you post. It is a good idea to post when your followers are more active. Posting when your followers are more active will improve interactions and help you build a relationship with your audience.

Always respond swiftly to comments and shoutouts from your audience.

If you never respond to comments and shoutouts, your social media marketing strategy may never reach its full potential. Start replying to comments and shoutouts if this is something you do not already do.

Show your audience you care about them by responding to their comments and shoutouts. Your business will gain more respect and a reputation for putting customers’ needs first.

Use stories to connect with your audience

A good way for you to connect with your audience is through storytelling. You can use stories to elicit the emotions of your audience.

You can tell stories about why and how you started your business, the hurdles you overcame, and so much more! These stories will not just inspire your audience, but they may make them more empathic about your brand.

Best platforms for social media marketing

If you have been looking for the best platforms for social media marketing, below is the list of the best:

Facebook

Facebook seems to have been in existence forever, at least to me. Almost everyone I know has a Facebook profile. Facebook is the most used and popular social media platform.

With over 2 billion people using it monthly worldwide, Facebook is an excellent platform to use for marketing.

All platforms require a unique approach to marketing, and Facebook is no different. For Facebook’s algorithm, content that gives people an opportunity to have conversations is highly valued. Use Facebook if you prefer to create content that allows people to have meaningful conversations.

You may get the marketing results you desire by posting content that people care about regularly on your page. However, if you want to reach a broader audience, consider using Facebook ads.

You can post pictures, text, videos, and links on your Facebook page. You can also download Facebook messenger, so it would be easy to reply to messages and queries.

Facebook collects data about its users so that you can target your ads to your preferred audience. Facebook ads cost about $0.94 per click or $12 for 1000 impressions.

YouTube

Yes, YouTube is on this list.

That’s because it’s the second largest social media platform after Facebook. And it is extremely engaging as it’s mainly an audio-visual platform.

Excelling in YouTube marketing depends on excelling in video editing in the first place. So, it may not be for anyone!

Still, you can host live streams on your brand’s YouTube channel and create tutorial videos explaining how your products work.

Gain more knowledge on YouTube SEO and YouTube ads to reach more people.

Instagram

Even though Facebook has been around before Instagram, the latter has experienced such tremendous growth now that more than one billion people use it monthly.

Instagram is known for its diverse content methods like photos, reels, stories, and IGTV for longer videos.

You can use Instagram as your social media marketing platform if you want to create aesthetically pleasing content. Several people use Instagram to follow their favorite public figures and companies, making it a great marketing platform.

Create a business page for your business because you can access analytics and features like scheduling posts. Though Instagram ads are slightly more expensive than Facebook ads, you will be able to reach more people organically. Instagram ads cost about $0.40 per click.

SnapChat

Snapchat is the platform for you if your target audience is teenagers. It allows users to share pictures and snaps(short videos) with their friends. Snapchat made the vertical video format a thing way before Instagram and TikTok.

The best way to market on Snapchat is by telling stories to your audience and posting pictures of your products. You can use Snapchat ads if you want to reach more people. Snapchat ads cost $5 a day.

LinkedIn

Although LinkedIn was created as a job board and resume platform, it has evolved into so much more. These days, people can create content and network with other people on LinkedIn.

Use LinkedIn to market if you want to capture people’s attention by using stories. You can also build your brand and create an image you want it to be known for by using LinkedIn.

LinkedIn ads are also an option if you want to reach more people. LinkedIn ads cost about $2-$15 per click.

Twitter

Twitter is known for giving people a chance to express their thoughts with just 280 characters!

It is a great place for providing customer service to your customers and answering their queries. To succeed on Twitter, you must be active and regularly post content.

However, Twitter also prioritizes fresh information and trending topics, so this is something you should keep in mind.

TikTok

Even though TikTok was created in 2017, it has managed to gain about 1 billion users monthly! Tiktok is the perfect platform for you if your target audience is Gen Z and millennials.

TikTok prioritizes entertainment, so make sure you create engaging content. You can do this by partaking in viral challenges and trends. A great way to reach more people is through the use of ads. TikTok ads will cost you $0.50 for a thousand views and $0.02 per click.

Pinterest

Are you someone that loves to share pictures of your products? Pinterest might be just the app for you. It is a social media platform that allows users to share visual content. Pinterest is also a great platform for sharing more information with your audience. You can do this by creating pictorials or using a link to your website.

When you upload content for your brand on Pinterest, you also can promote your page on other social media platforms. Pinterest works best for marketing if it is used alongside other platforms.

Reddit

Reddit is a platform known for its unique mix of content. You can find content on just about anything, from beauty to tech.

Reddit has forums, also known as Subreddits, for just almost every niche you can imagine. A good way to market on Reddit is to be a part of a popular Subreddit in the same niche as your brand.

Bear in mind that Reddit does not permit self-promotion. The best way to draw attention to your brand on Reddit is by participating in discussions, answering queries, and sharing tips.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp is the most used messaging platform, with about 2 billion users monthly. You might think it’s a strange app to use for Social media marketing, but do not underestimate the use of Whatsapp for business.

Nowadays, people use WhatsApp for more than to catch up with friends and family. People also use WhatsApp to communicate with businesses.

You can use WhatsApp to provide customer service for your customers, answer their queries and share the latest news.

Use the WhatsApp Business API if you are an established business. For small businesses, use the WhatsApp business app.

Where can I learn social media marketing?

Need to sharpen your knowledge of social media marketing? Below are the best platforms you can learn about social media marketing.

Hubspot

All you will need is to put in the time and avoid procrastination. This course promises to teach you how to build an ideal social media strategy and reach more people. Hubspot’s course on Social media marketing is an excellent course that is perfect for beginners. The best part is that it is a free certification course with four content hours.

Pricing: Free.

Pros

• Learning is completely self-paced.
• The course has 29 quizzes that will check your level of understanding and improve engagement.

Cons

• You will not be able to get feedback from your tutors.

Coursera

Coursera is an amazing platform that works with universities to provide courses, certifications, and degrees online on many different topics. Although there are many social media marketing courses on Coursera, the Northwestern University specialization course is one of the best. This course is excellent because it will teach you almost everything you need about social media marketing.

It is a specialization course because you will get five classes in one. It will take you about 3-6 months to complete this course. However, this depends on how many hours you spend on the course per week.

Pricing: $59 monthly, though you can get a seven-day free trial. 

Pros

• The course is regularly updated.
• The course content features videos, quizzes, and other resources.
• You can apply for financial aid.
• You will be able to get feedback from your instructors.

Cons

• You must pay to access the course.
• The course takes a considerably long time to complete.

Hootsuite Academy

Hootsuite academy provides a social media certification course that is perfect for beginners. The course will teach you how to create the best content, how to create a strategy, and so much more! It features six hours of content, but it is completely self-paced. And you can learn from whatever device of your choice.

Pricing: $199

Pros

• The certificate provided after course completion is industry-recognized.
• It doesn’t take a long time to complete the course.

Cons

• The course is expensive.
• You will not be able to get feedback from your instructors.

Udemy

Udemy is one of the most popular platforms for online learning. And it provides a social media marketing course that is perfect for pros. This course is perfect for you if you are not new to social media marketing but want to strengthen your knowledge. You will learn new tips and tricks you may not already know.

Pricing: 29.99

Pros

• The course is affordable.
• You can get your money back within 30 days if unsatisfied with the course.
• You get a certificate after completion.

Cons

• You cannot get feedback from the course instructors.
• This course is only for professionals, not beginners.

Boot Camp Digital

Want to go from being a complete beginner to a professional? Boot Camp Digital has an amazing course to help you achieve that goal. The Boot Camp Digital course is industry accredited. The course has more than 300 videos, which will take approximately 42 hours to complete.

The best part is that you can watch the course content on any device. To get certified, you must pass the exam and complete the masterclass. You must also submit a social media marketing plan for practical experience.

Pricing: $997

Pros

• You can get weekly office hours with an instructor.
• You get to be a part of a private Facebook group.
• You get one-year access once you pay.
• Monthly Q&A call.
• Monthly updates to the course.
• The course is industry accredited.

Cons

• It takes a long time to complete the course.
• The course is quite expensive.

Final thoughts

If you leverage social media to grow your business, you will reap many benefits like higher exposure. However, you have to put in the work and build an excellent social media marketing strategy to succeed.

This article by us at Overmentality will give you basic knowledge of social media marketing. If you want more in-depth knowledge, go through the platforms/sites we recommended above.