The past few years have witnessed an explosion in both the magnitude and variety of content being posted, viewed, and discussed on social media platforms. Facebook continued to grow from 901 million to the current 1.11 billion monthly active users, in just one year since March of 2012. Meanwhile, Twitter’s growth rate has surpassed that of Facebook, claiming about 288 million monthly active users and 485 million accounts owned.
Given social media’s obvious and ever-increasing adoption, it’s more important than ever that your business or company really make the most out of the immense opportunities for exposure and recognition that these media platforms have to offer. Not sure where to begin? Start by answering the following two questions:
1) Who is your audience?
Virtually everybody is connected to social media on some platform or another. To be most effective, a company must reach and engage potential and existing customers where they already are. What networks are your customers a part of and how do they use social media? Are they avid Twitter followers, looking for immediate updates on the latest device? Or do they prefer to keep up with Pinterest, where customers can appreciate the uniqueness and evolution of a brand as they view its products in creative ways. Gaining a deep understanding of your target audience and how they use social media will eliminate misdirected and wasteful posting.
2) What are your goals?
It’s important to be clear about your social media objectives in order to select the best channels for your campaign. For example, blogs can be used to gain awareness, while images posted to sites like Instagram can strengthen brand recognition. Location-based applications like Foursquare can provide interactive information about local businesses and may draw customers to your nearest vendor. Remember though social networking doesn’t always directly generate revenue, it bolsters any marketing campaign, increasing engagement amongst potential customers.
The realm of possibility for marketing and promotion in social media is vast and constantly expanding. This can create clutter and confusion in the form of posts that are poorly targeted or hardly viewed. Instead of incorporating every available networking medium in your social media strategy, focus on one or two platforms that will help you best reach your audience and goals. A thoughtful and purposeful social media campaign could be just what your business needs to gain a competitive edge.
