Digital marketing tools are about moving traditional marketing to the digital environment. Everything can be part of digital marketing, but the trend is increasingly directed towards social networks, which provide a “virability” quality to marketing and advertising efforts. Content is adapted to very specific targets and seeks to generate interactions with social media users that will convert into customers.
Philip Kotler once said,
Marketing is not the art of finding clever ways to dispose of what you make. It is the art of creating genuine customer value.
One of the most interesting things about social networks is that the success of content depends totally on the target audience itself and the interactions that occur through the expression of ideas and opinions about a topic. Social networks promote direct, human, and close contact with customers. At the end — just like with social media — digital marketing is about building strong relationships.
Unlike traditional marketing, such as print advertising, social networks allow segmentation of the target specifically based on age, interests, tastes, gender, and even location in the world. Simultaneously, due to virability, marketing on social networks can also reach in large masses. Social networks also offer the possibility to measure the impact that posted content and advertising activities produce, whether by number of visits, clicks, likes, or shares.
A digital marketing strategy based on actions in social networks allows immediate corrections of errors or defects. It often does not require large investment costs and it provides greater profit margin for the company.
Social networks as digital marketing tools make the client an active and participatory member of the advertising process. This generates strengthening of the corporate brand, identification, trust, and fidelity. In these ways, social networks can grow a business. Welcome to dynamic and efficient digital marketing!
Basic Elements of Social Media Marketing Strategies
Social media marketing as digital marketing tools are the modern form of recommendation marketing. Today, customers show their satisfaction through the “Like” button on Facebook or positive comments about products on Instagram. In order for a social media marketing campaign to succeed, many factors need to be taken into account. Any strategy on social networks should always focus on the user, their interests, tastes, and needs. One-to-one communication becomes fundamental.
All marketing strategies should include prioritizing the needs of the client, and this is especially true of social media marketing. Although it seems easy to determine what customers may want and need, in reality this process requires extensive market research and testing in order to define the needs of a company’s ideal target audience.
These basic elements will help make your social media marketing efforts a success:
Meet the target audience:
To define a strategy, we must first know who our target audiences are and determine what social networks they are on. Are they young? Are they adults? Women? Men? Married or single? Understanding your target audiences will help to determine what type of content interests them. A good exercise is to create personas based on the people who make up your ideal target audiences. Learn more about creating personas HERE.
Create profiles in strategic social networks:
Keep in mind that each social network has different characteristics and capabilities, so you have to adapt your content for each one. Trying to be on and participate in every social media platform is not usually possible. To be most effective, choose the social networks that are most relevant to your target audiences and the products or services you offer.
Definition of objectives:
These are goals that a company wants to achieve by being on social networks. These goals should be achievable in the short and medium term and should promote the building of the company’s brand and reputation.
Quality and not quantity:
A strategy in social networks with success it is not solely based on the amount of followers or fans — it is about quality and not quantity. If a company has a community of 1,000 followers or fans and there is a high rate of engagement, it is much better than to have 100,000 followers who are not engaged at all.
Generate conversation with your community:
Brands should take time to build conversations with customers. This will generate a commitment between the community and the brand. Social networks are a great tool to know what people think and want. It is also important to respond to any comments you receive. It is proven that users who receive an answer to their questions are more likely to get a good impression, especially if their problem has been solved.
Creative content:
When it comes to sharing content, make sure it’s interesting for the community. Boring content will not get the company anywhere. Try to be creative, be fun, and include attractive visual material for users such as pictures or videos.
Not everything is about selling:
The excess of self promotion is not a good practice for the development of a community. On the contrary, only talking about the brand can produce negative effects. Remember to keep the social element of your social media marketing!
Analyze the competition:
Reviewing how your competition is performing on social media will provide insights and strategies for your own digital marketing efforts.
Track your strategies:
Social media networks want your business and have created a variety of tools to help your business function on their platforms. Use these insights tools to analyze your data, the results of campaigns, and how people are interacting with your posts.
Are You Looking for Digital Marketing Services?
We’re a digital marketing agency that focuses on the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit. Based in San Francisco, we’ve got our fingers on the pulse of Silicon Valley, we’ve got an insider perspective on the tech industry, and we get a sneak peak at the future of digital marketing. If you’re ready to work with San Francisco’s first and only full-service B Corp-certified digital marketing agency, drop us a line or click HERE to schedule a free digital marketing strategy session!
Do you need digital marketing services? Please connect with us for a complimentary digital strategy session! Just click the button below to get started.
Guest post by: Stephanie Coccoluto