Your 2024 Guide to Social Media Marketing Success
You’re probably here looking to dive into the world of social media marketing for the first time. Then you're at the right place. This blog is going to help you navigate through the digital wilderness of social media.
Don’t fret! We're here to help you learn the basics of marketing through social media and get you ready to make your own strategies that deliver. Let's change those likes into leads and those shares into sales!
What is social media marketing?
Think of social media marketing as your personal digital megaphone! You can increase sales / leads, create brand awareness, and drive traffic to your website if you do it right.
If you are getting worked up about keeping track of your performance, then don’t worry as these platforms come with built-in analytics to measure your success. It is a great way to help you know if you are on the right track or need to tweak your strategy. And what makes social media marketing so powerful is its unique ability in three main areas:
- Creating connections with potential customers
- Having meaningful interactions with your audience
- Harnessing valuable customer insights
You can refer to this article to get a glimpse of how social media marketing helped some brands to really get themselves out there.
What's new in social media marketing in 2024?
AI Content
Content created through artificial intelligence helps to meet the growing demand for high-quality, engaging and personalised content.
The main appeal of this technology is that it helps businesses to cut back on time and resources, without hindering the growth of their presence in social media. Creating content has never been easier!
Though you might be tempted to use AI for your campaigns it is important to note that there are certain drawbacks to it as well. Despite how amazing AI seems at first glance it lacks a human touch. This can negatively impact your campaigns by failing to resonate with your audience.
Besides, it has shown having a hard time complying to brand voice as it generates content based on the data it was trained on which could be very different. Moreover, AI is notorious for plagiarism!
As good as it seems, it is best to have a balance between human and AI generated content to get the best of both worlds. While AI can help to streamline your process and cut down on research time, having a human build on these ideas can generate better results.
Short-Form Videos
Videos continue to be one of the best ways to promote content on social platforms. Almost all platforms support this type of content and it is also a great way to convey more in a short time.
With Instagram reels really gaining popularity everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. They are also a great way to make your content go viral as visibility is much higher when compared to regular image posts.
A lot of platforms also let you use trending songs and filters to really connect with your audience. Brand challenges are also a growing trend that promotes your audience to further share your content.
Influencer Marketing
Brands are preferring sponsored content as influencers that match your target market can help you connect with untapped customers. Choosing the right influencers can help you grow your brand quickly and effectively.
Studies show that influencer marketing may even reach a worth of $24 billion by the end of 2024. Utilising this trend could be what makes or breaks your brand this year.
How to start social media marketing?
Now the question is how do we get started? It all begins in cooking up the perfect strategy because solid strategy is your secret sauce for a great return on investment.
So before you jump in and start brainstorming content, take a step back and whip up a proper social media plan
You need to set clear goals and find your audience. Then, pick your top platforms and create a content calendar. Keep an eye on those metrics to tweak and perfect your strategy.
Sticking to a regular posting schedule and tweaking based on what the numbers tell you is what’s going to help you succeed.
How to use social media marketing for e-commerce?
There is a popular misbelief that marketing through social media isn’t effective when it comes to e-commerce. It is actually the perfect way to grow a loyal customer base, generate online sales, and improve brand awareness.
Nowadays, the majority of internet users spend most of their time on social media platforms. Studies show that 71% of all adults who have access to the Internet are active on at least one social media platform. It is even safe to say that a large number of these users are active on these platforms around the clock.
Tapping into social media platforms broadens your customer base, which is a perfect way for e-commerce retailers looking to grow. It also offers your business to connect with customers on a personal level and, beyond search engines and PPC campaigns.
It offers you a casual and interactive way to engage with potential customers, fostering two-way conversations which may not be possible in other traditional ways of advertising.
The viral nature of social media is another thing that makes it a great platform to grow your business. This means your brand can be shared widely among users, utilising word-of-mouth marketing and enhancing your online presence effectively.
Also read our guide to social media for small businesses.
What are Some Tips for Effective Social Media Marketing?
Develop a Strategic Plan
First things first, you need to create a plan with clear goals and objectives. Identify and lock in on your target audience. Make sure you select platforms that align with your business goals and niche. Remember, going in with a random plan will get you random results.
Craft Compelling and Intriguing Content
Posting whatever comes to mind isn’t going to cut it! Content that resonates with your audience is what sets you up for success. Incorporating interactive elements and storytelling lets you grab attention and promote engagement.
And most importantly, make sure that the content you are crafting fits each platform's unique style. The same content won’t work across all social media platforms.
Consistency is Key
Having a schedule and sticking to it is going to help you maintain visibility and build a loyal following. Make a content calendar that includes a wide array of content types and topics to keep your audience engaged.
Here is a social media calendar template to get you started.
Repurpose and Reuse Content
Smart work is important when you need to create content for multiple platforms regularly. So, instead of painstakingly creating new content every day, be smart and repurpose your content across different platforms.
Take your blog and change it into eye-catching infographics or videos! User-generated content is always a great way to prompt community engagement while cutting down on your work.
Experiment with Paid Social
Investing in social media ads might seem like a waste of resources. But trust us, if done right, your returns will be much higher. Setting aside a budget for social media campaigns is a solid method to grow your reach and even target specific demographics.
Monitor and Analyse Performance
Now you can’t just make a plan and not check your results. Algorithms are constantly changing so it is mandatory that you review key metrics. This is going to go a long way in helping you adapt and stay on top of your game.
When to approach an agency?
If your target is just to grow brand awareness, then by all means, you can take charge of your own marketing strategy. But if you want to go beyond and start utilising advanced metrics and options in social media platforms which could help in achieving your business goals like, in-depth audience research, competitor analysis, creative development, retargeting campaigns or creating different types of ads, then it is best to depend on a reliable agency.
As someone managing a growing business, it might be difficult to find time to manage everything on your own. In such cases it is always best to leave social media marketing to agencies who are experts. This gives you more time to invest time in the actual running of your business while your brand continues to grow across different social platforms.
Additionally, most reputable agencies can take care of your PR requirements whether they are customer concerns or issues with your brand’s reputation. Having experts intervene can prevent escalations of such matters which could potentially harm your business.