Social media is an essential component of any digital marketing campaign. In order to maintain a certain level of visibility and relevance, it is important to develop a solid social media strategy for your business. Experts at any Orange County social media agency will tell you that a good social media strategy matches the professional goals of your company, effectively communicates to your target audience, and exceeds the efforts of your direct competitors. This is why the best social media strategy will vary from company to company. There is not a one-size-fits-all package.
It is important to understand that social media is the main point of entry for communication with many audiences. In order to spread your brand message across networks, you will need an active, engaging platform on social media.
With a strong social media presence, you will have a better handle on your reputation as a company and a better idea of consumer wants and needs. Social media agency experts in Orange County are here to explain how a social media strategy will contribute to your business’s impact and overall success.
Social Media Growth
According to a Global Web Index study, mobile internet users have increased by 60.3 percent between the years 2012 and 2014. This same study also found that older demographics are also taking to social media. People between the ages of 55 and 64 are joining Twitter at a 79 percent rate since 2012. Facebook and Google+ are experiencing a similar increase in users between the ages of 45 and 54.
Social media platforms have expanded to welcome this influx of internet users and shared content. Some businesses may feel like it is pointless to try to establish an online presence on platforms that are oversaturated with content. However, this is precisely why a social media strategy helps focus your efforts. Instead of mindlessly sharing content under your company’s name, you will want to think about how you can specifically engage existing customers as well as draw new ones into the mix.
Increase in Sales
Social media can actually help boost sales by promoting convenient online markets through shared links and eye-catching ads that target relevant consumers. Facebook API provides tools to create ad campaigns, keep track of audience data, run analytics, and manage different profiles. These kinds of resources allow businesses to market themselves while they are maintaining an active account.
A recent social media study conducted on 3,000 users found that 64 percent of people utilize social media to inspire their shopping efforts. In many cases, customers were browsing their social media feed when they stumbled onto ads or posts that mentioned special deals from a particular company. These numbers are growing.
Social media can have a huge impact when it comes to consumer feedback and recommendations. Many successful companies will incorporate campaigns to encourage their customers to share their experience with the product or service in their social media strategy. People often trust what their peers have to say. So, this not only generates free publicity but it also potentially increases sales.
In order to optimize social media use and increase sales, one must have a thorough understanding of each of the platforms. Facebook users will have different content expectations than Pinterest users and, thus, the promotional strategy must be adjusted to fit certain formats. Audiences will be more likely to engage with a company that follows these unspoken rules on what is appropriate and interesting. Many companies will hire an Orange County social media agency to take over social media management in order to ensure that their profile is gaining traction in an ever-busy online network.
Better Results
Nearly every successful business is engaged with social media to some capacity, which means that they value the influence of this medium.
In order to gain the best results, businesses execute certain strategies that improve over time through tracking and analyzing user data. This will eventually reveal what methods are most successful in gaining followers, likes, engagement, website traffic, and sales.
Without a thorough, formulated strategy, businesses have no way of knowing how their social media campaigns are performing. So, it is not enough to just post content often. Even if you think you are sharing quality content, your audience may not be reacting as well as they could.
A social media strategy defines the who, what, where, and when. Who is your audience? What kind of content are they looking for from your brand? Where do you want to post this content? When is the optimal time to post this content? Planning for your social media engagement allows you to efficiently manage your company’s time and resources for the best results.
Active Users
Social media is ultimately another channel to communicate with your consumers. So, in order to optimize this platform, you need to understand what your audience could gain from your direct contact with them. Perhaps you want to dedicate your Twitter account to customer support, your Facebook to company news, or your Instagram to pictures of satisfied customers. In any case, you would be utilizing a content-specific approach to generate user engagement.
Influencers
Every social media platform has influencers that matter in the case of promoting or approving certain products. Influencer recommendations can have a large impact on a brand’s visibility, credibility, and popularity. Certain endorsements will not only put a company on someone’s radar, but it will also likely encourage sales. Similarly, negative reviews by industry-leading individuals can drastically hurt a company and brand.
Marketing campaigns that are interesting enough to catch the eye of influencers will certainly do well to generate user traffic and engagement. You will gain new followers on social media accounts, which in turn will provide an expanded audience for your content.
Brand Reputation
The most important reason for having a social media strategy is to maintain a positive reputation for your business and brand. There are many instances in which companies have mistakenly angered the social media masses through thoughtless posts or had serious campaigns turn into a public joke through poor marketing.
Social media is forever. Once you have an audience and you are publishing consistent content, you must proceed with a carefully monitored strategy or risk facing long-lasting shame and sale depletion. Your insensitive Tweet or grammatically incorrect Facebook post can quickly become viral in a fast-paced world. This is why it is important to have a system in place for double-checking content and keeping track of user reactions.
Social media management is a 24/7 job, which is why many companies will hire an Orange County social media agency to create and optimize their social media platforms for increased traffic, engagement, and sales.
