When it comes to social media marketing, there are many misconceptions. It’s not the silver bullet to marketing. It’s not the only way to increase sales or build a brand but it’s definitely a proven and effective way to do so. If you’re new to social media marketing or have been in the game for some time, here are five realities you may or may not already know about.
Not every social media post will go viral
You’ll have your share of hits and misses when you market your business on social media.
Just because you had one post get thousands of shares, likes, and comments doesn’t mean every post will go crazy. The reality is that many of your social media posts won’t get high engagement and reach due to the decline in organic reach. This is especially true for Facebook since the biggest business pages tend to get less than 4% reach.
2. Consistency pays off
Using a calendar is a great way to remember to post regularly.
Sticking to a regular schedule is an effective way to get real results. Social media users on every platform are looking for content they deem valuable. Whether you’re posting every day or three times a week, stick to it. Your focus should be on sustainable marketing for your business. Avoid the temptation to go crazy and post 10 times on Instagram but not post again for the next 10 days.
3. Don’t be afraid to test and experiment
Find if your fans love vertical videos by testing it out.
Test out new ideas and experiment with different types of content. Referring back to #2, consistent posting will help you develop a baseline to compare your A/B testing. You can quickly find out if posting videos are more effective on Monday mornings versus Monday evenings. You’ll be able to know whether or not you can reach more people with black and white photos or pics in color. Always test out theories and ideas. It’ll help you evolve with the algorithm changes of each platform.
4. It’s not easy
Picking the right photos to use is just one aspect of social media marketing.
Is it true that if your 12-year-old child can post on social media then anyone can do it? No, it’s not true. Understanding how to use social media for marketing requires a different approach than using social media to share family pics. Social media marketing requires you to be on top of the latest trends along with being able to make decisions based on data.
5. You don’t have to do it all on your own
There’s no need to be alone when putting social media to work for your business.
If you feel overwhelmed or would just rather not deal with social media marketing for your business, consider hiring an employee or outsourcing. Look to work with a practitioner. Would you hire an obese doctor to tell you how to lose weight? Probably not. The same goes for people who may be able to help you with your company’s social needs. Check to see if they’re practitioners who actually produce their own content. Find out if they actually use the platforms you use for your business.
When you’ve found the right individual or agency, you’ll be able to spend more time on tasks that utilize your strengths.
After reading this quick article, are there any questions that come to mind? Email Josh at josh@jamiascreative.com!