There are currently more than 200 social networking apps available. Some are more popular and have a wider reach than others. Different social media platforms are able to appeal to different audiences.

To determine which social media platforms you should use for your business, it is important to first research your target audience. This will allow you to direct your social media marketing strategy in a way that is familiar for them.

This post will discuss 5 steps to grow your business via social media. We’ll also show you how to generate more leads using the simple strategy to keep your audience interested by curating your content.

Why use social media platforms for your business?

Social media marketing is on the rise. In 2021, marketers spent 60% more than they did in 2020 on social media marketing campaigns.

Businesses must have an online presence in today’s digital age. They must also be active on social media in order to raise brand awareness and increase lead generation.

You can also get a better understanding of consumer behavior by connecting with customers via social media. You can see what your customers are talking about on social media and what they think about you.

There are two types of social media marketing: platforms and channels. Although they are often interchangeable, there are some key differences.

What’s a social media channel and platform?

A channel is a communication conduit that allows for one-way communication. Think email marketing and websites. Push notifications.

A platform can be described as a digital space in which people can interact. Think of Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. These platforms enable customers and businesses to interact with one another and create a digital community.

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You can see that marketing strategies for different channels are different. It is important to know your goals and choose the right social media tool for you.

How do you choose the right social media platform for your business?

Step 1 – Defining Your Social Media Objectives

To choose the best social media tool(s), you must first define your social media goals. Start with the end. What are you looking to achieve with social media in your business?

To get started, you can ask some questions:

• Are you looking to increase your lead generation?
• Are you looking to increase brand awareness?
• Are you looking for more customer engagement?
• Are you looking to monetize social media?
• All of the above?

After you have answered these questions, you can set specific, measurable goals you are able to achieve. You can track your progress and keep yourself accountable by setting goals. Start small, and you will see the momentum grow into greater and more important accomplishments.

Are you interested in customer satisfaction strategies Helpcrunch has a post about how to make customers happy.

Step 2: Define Your Target Audience

Consider who you are marketing towards when choosing which social media platform. Learn about their likes and dislikes. Spend some time to identify your target audience.

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Questions to ask to help you define your target market

• Which demographic are you targeting
• What industry is your target market in?
• What are the interests of your target audience?
• Where are they located?
• What is their communication style?

After you’ve done this, choose the social media platform where your target audience is most active. Your target customers will use the best social media platform. How can you make the most of every platform for engaging with customers?

Link social media platforms to your target audience. The next step after you have created a list is to research the different platforms that you can use for brand promotion. Sometimes, adding unusual features such as a QR code to your social media pages can help you attract your target audience and increase brand awareness.

A great way to determine the best social media platform for you is to look at what your competitors are using. You can do this by simply doing a Google search on your competitors to find out which social media accounts they use. If you notice that your competitors target customers who mainly work at home, take note of the language they use and how it is getting them to interact with their content.

Expert tip Take the time to look at the feeds of your competitors when researching their platforms. Note what they are doing well and what could be improved. This information will help you offer a better service to your customers.

Step 3: Selecting a platform

There are many social media platforms to choose from, as we mentioned previously. There are over 200 channels and platforms that you can use for marketing to your target audience. We decided to limit our discussion to the most popular platforms, so you don’t have to read on until Christmas.

Which social media platforms are best for your business?

Facebook

This is the largest social media network with more than 2.45 billion users monthly as of 2021. The platform is used by people to communicate with loved ones, their favorite brands, or any other emotion that appeals to them.

You can share news, photos, updates and other information in a way that engages your Facebook audience. They will like, comment, share, and even share your posts. Because Facebook is a place where people can interact with their family and friends, your posts shouldn’t be too salesy.

Instagram

An app for social media that allows users upload, edit and share images and videos. Use hashtags to reach new audiences and promote collaborations. One-third of Instagram stories that receive the most views are from businesses.

Create shareable content to increase visibility. Encourage people to tag their friends and share the solution with them. To promote events, sales, and app downloads, use the link in your bio section.

LinkedIn

Designed with professionals and businesses in mind. LinkedIn is an excellent learning tool and a great place to network with business professionals. LinkedIn users use the site to expand their knowledge and learn about new industries.

LinkedIn is often the best social media platform for B2B companies to connect with their target audience. It can be used to increase traffic, develop thought leadership and hire new staff.

YouTube

YouTube is becoming more popular as a social media platform for vlogs, and other types of video content.

Anything can be distributed, including tutorials and instructional videos as well as tips and tricks and corporate videos. You can promote your brand on YouTube and engage your audience with interesting videos. Video quality is important.

Twitter is last but not least

This portal is where people go to find news and updates about live events. Users check it often to stay up-to-date on the latest issues and happenings. Customers can interact with brands and companies via this portal.

Twitter allows you to engage with your followers. You can share statistics, articles or quotes and link to your website or landing page. Use hashtags to reach a wider audience. Use the most relevant hashtags in your tweets.

Expert tip You can use other platforms to reach your target audience. It is important to start by narrowing down the top platforms. You can also show your skills by moving to other platforms as they gain popularity with your target audience. Some progressive organizations have begun to move into the Metaverse in order to interact with customers.

TikTok and Snapchat are also popular social media platforms that target specific audiences. These platforms are proving to be a great way for marketers to reach their target audience. TikTok is the fastest-growing social media site.

Step 4: Structure a Social Media Strategy

To be successful in marketing, it is important to structure your social media strategy. Every platform should reflect your brand’s values and voice. Each post should be seen as an opportunity for your business to grow. Your online presence should be an extension of your business.

You must decide what kind of content you want for your social media strategy. Ask yourself questions like:

• What type of content is most relevant to your brand’s needs?
• Which is the best targeting option to increase brand awareness?
• Which type of content is most appealing to your target audience?
• If your product is visual, what content will stand out?

Research your target audience’s preferences before you start your social media strategy. Also, look at the work of your competitors. You can do this in images, videos or short information-rich texts, infographics, figures, and other formats.

Next, you need to start writing your content. Hire someone to help you if you’re not a skilled content creator. Your content should communicate your brand’s voice clearly and convey your overall emotion.

It is crucial to ensure that you keep your social media strategy current and update content frequently. Content curation is a great tool.

Content curation allows you to reuse and use information from other posts, articles, websites, and so forth. To keep your followers engaged on social media, it is essential that you post frequently. It’s not easy to keep coming up with new content.

Who said social media marketing had to be hard? You can make the most of social media marketing by using content creation.

How do you know if your social-media strategy is working?

Social media strategy goals should be SMART goals.

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Because you can measure your progress against them, SMART goals provide a framework for success. You can create key performance indicators (KPIs) with them.

• Brand Awareness – Organic and Paid Impressions
• Traffic – The number of clicks your posts bring to your website
• Engagement – Number of likes, comments and shares for your posts
• Lead generation – The number of social sign ups, guides downloaded, etc. Social media is the first stage of the customer journey.
• Influence – The number of mentions in media and the amount of people talking about your brand
• Conversion – Your sales figures from social media traffic. As a key performance indicator, you can also measure your return of investment (ROI).

Expert tip Creating your own merchandise is a great way to increase brand recognition and customer engagement. Printful offers high-quality merchandise that can be customized to promote your company.

Step 5: Monitor and Evaluate.

Monitoring your social media performance is the final step. This includes evaluating what is working and looking at what needs to be improved. This is a process you should repeat weekly or monthly.

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Effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E), must be developed that is both actionable and measurable. Analyze your monthly social media platform statistics based on your KPIs to determine which posts were the most successful. Consider what attracted your audience’s interest and how to increase engagement on that site.

If you find posts that aren’t performing well on certain platforms, you can review the times and type of content you have posted. You can post when there is high activity on social media, increasing engagement and communication. These insights will help you plan your future posts.

The key to a successful M&E Strategy:

1. Your M&E strategy should be planned as soon as possible after the design phase.
2. Know your project inside and out
3. You can test different M&E tools in order to find the one that suits you best
4. Collect quality data from multiple sources
5. Be truthful with your statistics

Take a bow

It’s always exciting to begin your social media marketing journey. Social media is a great place to start your social media marketing journey. There are so many things you can do to increase brand awareness. Effective research, planning and setting goals are key to your success.

Enjoy the journey and be patient at the beginning. Customers will be more engaged if your content is constantly changing. Content curation is your best friend .

Here’s a quick recap:

1. Define your social media goals
2. Define your target audience
3. Select the platforms that you would like to use
4. Structure a social media strategy
5. Monitor, evaluate, then review

The article How to Pick the Best Social Media Platform for Your Business in 5 Easy Steps appeared originally on Scoop.it Blog.