Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing.

Social media marketing (SMM) is when a company uses their social media channels combined with their social networks to market their products and services.

This form of marketing gives businesses an easy way to interact and engage with their current customer base, while also reaching new customers. Through SMM, companies have the opportunity to highlight their values, culture and mission, thus creating a stronger brand image to be associated with their products. The analytical tools built into social media channels give the marketers key insights into the success of their efforts.

 

Popular Social Media Marketing Sites:

  1. Facebook
  2. Instagram
  3. Twitter
  4. Snapchat
  5. YouTube

 

Social media has completely revolutionized the way we communicate and function as a society, and it didn’t take long for businesses to take note of the soaring popularity and success that these sites garnered.

As social networks have users input detailed personal, demographic and geographical information marketers are able to tap into this gold mine of data and tailor their messages to best resonate with users.

 

5 main pillars of SMM strategy:

  1. Strategy
  2. Planning & Publishing
  3. Listening & Engagement
  4. Analytics & Reporting
  5. Advertising
 
Because social media audiences can be better categorized when compared to more traditional marketing channels, companies are able to make sure they specifically focus their resources on the precise audience they want to target through their social media marketing campaign.

One of the main strategies of SMM is to create a message (ad) that users will feel compelled to show or send to their friends and family. This type of “word-of-mouth” advertising is advantageous  for two main reasons. First, it increases the reach of the original message to people outside of the target demographic, and second, the shared content carries something invaluable: an implied endorsement by the person who shared the content.

 

You’ll hear the term “sticky content” when developing SMM campaigns – this is the idea that content needs to grab a user’s attention and “stick” with them. The aim is to make the user do one of two things: purchase the product being promoted, or pass it along to their personal network.

 

As a result, SMM content is designed to be spread rapidly between users, hence the term “viral” when discussing SMM strategies. This is a double-edged sword, as on the flip side a company may have to deal with addressing a viral video that claims their product made someone sick – and even if the claim is false, once something has gone viral and picked up enough traction, sometimes the damage done is hard, or impossible, to undo.

 

That being said, there are way more advantages than disadvantages to SMM, and it’s definitely a tool that companies and individuals can benefit from using (when implemented correctly and with the right guidance!)