Having a social media presence is essential for all businesses, big and small in the twenty-first century. Whether you have a product or a service, social media can boost your audience, visibility, and revenue.
Each social media platform targets a different audience, and some target multiple. It is imperative to learn which one targets your specific audience.
| Social Media | Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or participate in social networking |
| A social media site, known for sharing photos, videos, and group pages | |
| A micro-blogging site, 280-character limit called a tweet | |
| A photo and video sharing site, caption character limit: 2,200 characters. Instagram hashtag limit: 30 hashtags. Instagram bio character limit: 150 characters | |
| Post/Content | A picture, video, or written message |
| (#) Hashtag |
Used to index or mark a word or phrase for filtering and draws attention by promoting or organizing a concept, topic, or term |
| Engagement | Anytime a user likes, comments, or follows a specific post |
"Social Media Marketing 101" 2019 by userColin Bennett
under license"Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike"
| Activity | Tips and Recommendations |
|---|---|
| Start with SWOT | Start by conducting a SWOT analysis of your social media activity. Evaluate how your organization is currently using social media, as well as the competition (platforms, messaging, tactics, and campaigns). |
| Establish a baseline | Establish a baseline. Take measurements for current reach and engagement before starting to use social media for marketing. This will help you gauge the impact and improve as you pursue a social media strategy. |
| Set goals | Set specific goals for your social media campaign. Make them S.M.A.R.T. goals that align with your broader marketing strategy. |
| Target audience | Understand how your target audience is using social media (and what platforms). |
| Platforms | Identify which social media platforms you will use and what you want to accomplish in each. |
| Ownership | Identify who within the organization will “own” and share responsibility for social media participation. Work out plans for how to coordinate activity and messaging if there are multiple owners. |
| Testing | A/B test your content using the targeting features of the social media platform. Figure out which types of posts, messages, content, and topics generate better response. |
| Measurement | Regularly take measurements for how much engagement your efforts are producing. Compare them to the benchmark and assess progress toward goals. |
| Monitor |
Monitor social media activity regularly and be sure to respond to customers, prospects, and other users. |
Social Media Marketing. Authored by: Melissa Barker. Provided by: Spokane Falls Community College. License: CC BY: Attribution