There is no doubt that the majority of users nowadays, especially because of the lockdown, are using the Internet to search for almost everything that they need. Because of that, digital marketing has become a necessary part of every company’s initiative. Moreover, due to the rise of mobile users worldwide, there’s another aspect of digital marketing that has become a strong technique for reaching online audiences: it’s using different social media channels.
Many, if not all, businesses nowadays already have their social media accounts set up. Among the most famous social media platforms are Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Each has different features and personality that can reach different types of audiences in the World Wide Web. Having social media presence not only gives them an extra avenue to communicate with their target market but it also helps build their online presence.
However, some businesses’ pages are stagnant because they fail to keep their accounts active. Now, if you already have a social media account but you are not sure how to start a social media marketing campaign, here are some pointers that will help you.
Set A Goal For Your Campaign
One of the biggest mistakes for some businesses when creating a social media marketing campaign is failing to set its purpose. You need to know why you are launching it. Some of the basic goals are as follows:
- Increase page likes or subscribers
- Promote a specific event
- Launch a promotional sale for a product or service
- Increase brand awareness
Once you have identified your goal, it will be easier for you to align the next points. Remember, a good social media marketing campaign depends on the strong foundation of your goal. If you’re creating campaigns without a clear goal, it is unlikely that you will succeed.
Align Your Campaign Based On The channel
As mentioned above, each social media platform has different features and personality. Here are some guidelines worth remembering:
- Facebook – This is the best tool for running a social media campaign. Facebook marketing is becoming a big hit in Singapore because it’s where the majority of online users are active. You can also maximise it by using different types of media such as images, GIF, or videos.
- Instagram – If you are going to launch an Instagram campaign, make sure to produce quality photos or images. IG, as what users call it, is all about the beautifully shot pictures and artistically crafted graphics. Your campaign has to be something nice to the eyes for it to be popular in IG.
- YouTube – Using this platform as part of your social media campaign requires a little bit more expertise in video editing and storytelling. YouTube is a video marketing platform that gives an avenue for anyone or any brand to showcase themselves through moving pictures. In addition to that, gaining more followers and viewers on YouTube can also gain income.
Knowing how to promote your campaign on each specific channel can help reach your goal easily. Some campaigns can be aligned on all social media channels, which is very helpful.
Enrich Your Content
Above everything else, social media marketing is all about content. No number of technicalities can surpass the importance of content in the success of your campaigns. Yes, you should do all kinds of Sponsored and Paid campaigns, but if your posts don’t capture the attention of your audience, you won’t improve your customer engagement. Here are some items to check to help enrich your content:
1. Topic Conceptualization Is A Must
It’s necessary to study your target market—what they want, why they browse, who they like. That way, you can come up with topics that are aligned with your products or service. Plus doing so helps you engage with your audience.
2. Create Supporting Visual Content
In social media marketing, it’s all about visuals. Whether you’re aiming to post on Facebook or Instagram or YouTube, visual content is necessary. You can maximise the use of illustrations, GIFs, infographics, or personalized video graphics. People are always attracted to images so it’s better to use this medium to capture their attention and promote your product at the same time.
3. Create Engaging Posts Such As Polls Or Contests
While informative posts are important, you should also make your social media marketing campaign interactive. Give an option for your followers to share their thoughts and ideas about your business. Moreover, you can create online polls and contests where they can share using your product or service. Through this, your campaign will not just have reach browsing users but it will also record an engagement.
4. Create A Content Calendar
Plan ahead but make it flexible. It means that you have to create a draft campaign for what you want to post in a month or even a year, but also give space for changes should new things happen. Having a content calendar strengthens your online presence and keeps it from being stagnant.
5. Make Follow Up Campaigns
If you are going to launch a campaign, for example, an event, make sure to create follow up posts updating your followers on its progress. Moreover, if you are planning to launch a promotional sale, do not just do it at once. Create a series of posts that will build up to the actual day of your sale. In that way, your consumers will prepare for it.
Monitor And Respond To Your Audience
Monitoring the progress of your campaign is already part of your priorities. However, make sure to check your campaign’s reach and engagement with customers by looking at the comments, reactions, and enquiries. Moreover, you also need to respond to your customers. Users love brands who interact with them online. Here are some tips on how you can boost user engagement:
- Be approachable but not too informal. You may speak the language of your consumers but do not disengage from your brand’s identity.
- Be nice, even to trolls. It’s better to respond with humour in times of distress. If a user responded negatively to your post or campaign, it’s better to be more creative and use humour as part of your marketing strategy.
Make Use Of Analytics
If the social media platform you’re using doesn’t have its own analytics, use other tools to monitor your performance. The data you’ll gather with these tools can help you adjust, improve, or change the way you do your social media marketing campaigns.
In essence, social media users are more realistic than numbers. They respond to whatever tingles their interest and curiosity. However, numbers also don’t lie and it shall give you a clear forecast on how your followers behave. Thus, using analytics as a reference for your next action is still necessary.
For example, in Facebook, you can use your followers’ demographics such as age, location, and gender to conceptualize for your next campaign.
Find A Social Media Marketing Partner
Just like any other digital marketing campaigns, social media marketing is just as important. Find a digital agency that can help you with social media management and paid social media campaigns to properly launch your online presence.
OOm provides professional social media management services and helps produce content and designs for your social media campaigns. Contact us to know more!