Social media marketing has undoubtedly come a long way, seamlessly integrating into virtually every aspect of our lives.
But for businesses, it’s not just about casting a wide net anymore; it’s about leveraging the power of social platforms to generate excitement, foster meaningful engagement, and ultimately boost sales in ways previously unimaginable.
To stand out amidst the ever-expanding online landscape, we’ve curated 18 social media marketing tips designed to help you elevate your business game, connect with your audience on a deeper level, and maximize your marketing efforts for optimal results.
18 Social Media Marketing Tips for 2024
1. Know Your Business Goals
As we’ve highlighted, social media opens up a world of possibilities beyond our imagination, allowing us to tailor our strategies to reach every stage of the marketing funnel — from building awareness to driving conversions and fostering customer loyalty. The key lies in strategically defining our goals.
We recommend adhering to the principles of ‘SMART Goals,’ a popular approach for designing business objectives:
- Specific: Make your goals concrete and tangible, avoiding vagueness.
- Measurable: Ensure there’s evidence to track and measure your success.
- Attainable: Set realistic goals that are within reach.
- Relevant: Align your goals with your overarching business objectives.
- Time-Bound: Establish ambitious yet achievable deadlines to prioritize tasks and stay motivated.
2. Understand Your Target Audiences
In the business world, we talk about “target customers,” and in the realm of social media, it’s all about understanding your “target audience.” Your target audience is essentially those social media users who are most likely to be interested in what you’re offering.
Whether they’re scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, it’s crucial to tailor your communication messages to suit their preferences if you want to see those marketing ROIs soar.
Remember, one brand can appeal to multiple target audiences, each with its demographics, interests, and subcultures. The key is finding the perfect communication strategy to make your brand the first thing that pops into their minds.
3. Choose The Right Platforms
While it’s tempting to be everywhere on social media for maximum exposure, not every platform is a must. Each one comes with its own vibe and user base.
YouTube is great for longer content, perfect for those who love to dive deep into videos.
Facebook excels in storytelling and the written word, fostering meaningful connections.
Then there’s Instagram, a visual wonderland that thrives on aesthetics.
So, when choosing your platforms, consider your products, budget, brand identity, and team size—they all play a role in finding your social media sweet spot.
4. Complete Your Brand’s Social Media Audit
Have you maximized your business profile by filling in all available contact information?
Are your profile pictures, bio, and cover photos effectively showcasing your brand’s unique offerings?
Have you explored and utilized the diverse formats each platform offers to create engaging content?
It’s crucial for brands already present on social media to periodically assess their current presence to pinpoint areas for improvement. Regular evaluation ensures your social media strategy remains effective and aligned with your brand’s objectives.
5. Competitor Analysis
When it comes to brand competition, there are two types: direct competitors, who offer similar products or services to the same audience, and indirect competitors, who target the same audience but with different offerings.
Taking a peek at what other brands do on social media can help fine-tune your strategy. It’s not just about keeping an eye on things—it’s about understanding where you stand, learning from their wins and losses, and finding ways to improve your approach.
Explore complete steps for social media competitor analysis here.
6. Define Your Brand Positioning
In today’s fast-paced world, brand competitors seem to pop up overnight, turning social media into a vibrant marketplace. Crafting your unique brand positioning is key to standing out and capturing your audience’s attention.
Brand positioning is more than just defining your offerings; it’s about humanizing your brand and sparking a connection with your audience. By infusing personality into your brand and communicating in a way that resonates, you can effectively convey the value you bring to your customers.
Take big examples like Nike vs Adidas. Nike comes with the tagline ‘Just Do It,’ which is memorable worldwide, along with the image of supporting athletes from various disciplines to show that the brand values every activity and provides quality products that athletes trust.
Meanwhile, Adidas uses creative marketing tactics to generate buzz about its products, whether it’s collaborating with celebrities in various pop-culture scenes to create a memorable fashion image.
7. Build Up Your Content Strategy
Content and social media marketing go together like a perfect pair in the business world. These days, people on social media aren’t big fans of overly salesy stuff, but that doesn’t mean we should forget our brand’s essence in the pursuit of fun. Luckily, striking that balance isn’t as hard as it seems.
To keep things clear and focused, it’s super helpful to set up content pillars. Think of them as the backbone of your content strategy, guiding what you share and keeping everything on track. We suggest picking 4-5 pillars to shape your monthly content themes, each one tied to different aspects of your marketing goals.
For instance, imagine you’re a restaurant brand. You could have a pillar dedicated to sharing your “restaurant story,” diving into your brand’s history and values. Another pillar could focus on your mouthwatering “menu,” highlighting your culinary creations and the meticulous cooking process behind them. Then, the “editorial” pillar explores interesting topics that tie into your menu offerings. And let’s not forget the “ad hoc” pillar for promotions and seasonal activities.
8. Tap into Social Media Advertising
Many brands still question the need for advertising these days, believing that if their brand resonates with people, they’ll naturally find it. But here’s the thing: how will people know if they resonate with your brand if they haven’t even discovered it yet?
Despite algorithms on many platforms trying to match content with users’ preferences, paid advertising remains a vital tool for increasing exposure. It offers a range of features that can help us achieve our social media goals more efficiently than relying solely on organic efforts.
So, while organic reach is valuable, paid advertising ensures our brand gets the visibility it needs to truly connect with our target audience.
9. Hop On On-going Trends
With TikTok taking the world by storm, achieving virality has become the holy grail of social media success. One of the social media tips you should never overlook is jumping on hot topics that are buzzing among online communities.
🚨| Taylor Swift was eating a piece of chicken with ketchup and seemingly ranch! pic.twitter.com/rpAOP2HFtT
— The Eras Tour (@tswifterastour) September 24, 2023
Take Heinz, for example, as a trend-savvy brand. Last year, during a Kansas City Chiefs football game attended by music sensation Taylor Swift to support her boyfriend Travis Kelce, a fan account snapped a photo of her enjoying a piece of chicken with ketchup and what appeared to be ranch dressing. This post went viral, sparking conversation among fans.
Seizing the moment, Heinz wasted no time in releasing a “Ketchup and Seemingly Ranch” sauce inspired by the Swift sighting at Kelce’s game.
This move not only capitalized on a trending topic but also cleverly tapped into the enthusiasm of Swift’s fan base, affectionately known as Swifties. It’s a prime example of how brands can leverage cultural moments to stay relevant and engage with their audience.
10. Invest in Quality Visuals
In the fast-paced world of social media marketing, capturing attention is key. They say a picture speaks volumes, and it’s true — posts with images see a whopping 2.3 times more engagement! So, if you want your brand to stand out, quality visuals are non-negotiable.
But it’s not just about pretty pictures; it’s about creating a visual identity that reflects your brand’s personality loud and clear. Crafting a strong art direction or brand book for your visuals is your ticket to making a lasting impression and forging connections with your audience.
11. Collaborate With Influencers
In the ever-evolving world of social media, 62% of users place more trust in influencers than in top-tier celebrities. The tip to winning at social media marketing and converting your audience lies in ‘trust’. Influencers, as key opinion leaders, have cultivated deeper connections with their audiences, thanks to their authentic user experiences.
Contemporary social media platforms present us with a multitude of opportunities to collaborate with influencers. These collaborations can take many forms — from brand partnership ads and branded hashtag content to affiliate marketing.
When choosing influencers for your brand, don’t simply opt for those you’re familiar with. Instead, consider the objectives of your influencer marketing strategy, the synergy between your product and the influencer’s niche, and the level of influencer that fits within your budget. Monitoring the performance of your chosen influencers is also crucial, as it provides insights into areas for improvement.
12. Leverage on UGC Content
Famed for its community-focused strategy, Glossier is a standout example of how to use User-Generated Content (UGC) effectively.
Glossier cleverly uses its customer’s voices, or ‘word of mouth’, by sharing its content on social media. They even spotlight the best posts on Instagram, turning loyal fans into mini-celebrities who help promote their products. This smart move has led to a whopping 70% of their online sales and website visits coming from these personal referrals. Plus, their Instagram star strategy contributes to an impressive 8% of this.
13. Be Consistent
Just as traditional brands purchase TV airtime to keep their products consistently in the minds of viewers, the same principle applies to online visibility. Your brand’s presence on social media needs to be regular and consistent to ensure your audiences keep you on top of their mind.
In your social media strategies, it’s crucial to plan out your content frequency within each content pillar. This also means strategically scheduling your posts for when your audience is most likely to be online and engaged. Regularly publishing content at a consistent pace allows you to stay relevant and remembered by your followers.
14. Engage With Audiences
Another crucial tip for social media marketing success is cultivating a sense of brand community. Instead of just pushing sales pitches, brands should strive to establish a personal connection with their audience, akin to peer-to-peer interaction.
This can be achieved by periodically posting open-ended questions to encourage audience engagement and comments. Additionally, actively responding to audience comments and even reposting user-generated content related to the brand can foster a stronger sense of community.
Look at Duolingo, the language-learning app known for its fun and relatable content. With users worldwide, it’s a standout in content marketing. From funny posts to nods to pop culture, Duolingo keeps its audience entertained. Plus, its playful interactions with users’ comments add to its charm.
15. Host a Social Media Competition
Hosting online competitions or giveaways is a savvy social media tactic employed by leading brands to ramp up engagement, attract leads, and boost brand visibility in no time.
By adding elements like games or Q&A sessions, you can prompt followers to like, comment, and share your posts, offering them something worthwhile in return.
For example, Supergoop, a popular sunscreen brand, teamed up with Summer Fridays for a giveaway. This collaboration not only delighted their existing followers but also expanded both brands’ reach to new audiences.
16. Create Social Commerce Channel
For brands aiming to boost online conversions, social commerce is a must-have tool. With online shopping becoming increasingly popular and ingrained in people’s buying habits, integrating it with social media platforms is a no-brainer. These platforms offer advanced tools for setting up online storefronts and streamlining the entire shopping and payment process.
Take Queen Cosmetics, for example, as seen in TikTok Case Studies. Since its launch in 2020, Queen Cosmetics has successfully tapped into new audiences by utilizing TikTok Shopping, achieving annual sales exceeding a million dollars.
Additionally, they leverage their top-performing TikTok videos by turning them into Shop Ads, and clickable and dynamic ads promoting their products to maximize sales.
17. Understand the Metrics
One great thing about social media marketing is the abundance of data and metrics available to help you assess your efforts thoroughly. Beyond likes, shares, and comments, which give you a sense of your content’s popularity, there are other important metrics that beginner social media marketers should understand.
- Reach: Number of unique users who have seen your post
- Impression: Number of times your content was seen
- Engagement: Number of interactions that happened to your posts
- Engagement Rate: Percentage of people who chose to interact with your content after seeing the post
- Traffic: Number of outbound clicks to your landing page
- Cost Per Results: Amount of money you spent for each action or result you got from your ad campaign
18. Dive into Data-driven Insights
After you grasp the knowledge of social media metrics, nothing is more important than analyzing them and defining ways to improve your efforts strategically. Reviewing social media metrics helps you understand how your audience reacts and what they prefer. It’s like peeking into their minds to see what content resonates most. By tailoring your strategy based on these insights, you can make your social media efforts more effective.
If your brand already has a business account, accessing your performance dashboard on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube is simple. And for deeper insights, consider using tools like Mandala AI. These tools help you manage your social profiles, track trending content, and gain valuable insights to make your social media journey smoother.
Social Media Success!
In the age of social media, your brand’s playground is online, offering vast opportunities for visibility and conversion. To thrive, embrace the tools provided by social platforms and keep your content clear, fresh, and engaging to stand out from competitors.
We hope everyone can flawlessly adapt one of our social media marketing tips above and stay true to your goals, executing them with passion for maximum impact!
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