It’s never easy being the new kid on the block, especially when that block is some three-billion strong and you have to fight for every shred of attention, expressed of course in likes, follows, and shares. Nevertheless, social media has become one of the most powerful (if not the most powerful) mass media marketing tools every growth-oriented company in the 21st century should be using to its advantage.
However, it’s not just about being present on certain SM platforms or posting whenever you feel like it. The road to social media dominance is laden with challenges and it does require your undivided attention, as well as plenty of careful strategizing and meticulous execution in order to surpass the competition and gain the traction you deserve. So, let’s take a look at how you can improve your startup’s social media presence and teach the bigger brands a lesson or two.
Focus on your most relevant platforms
Yes, you should cast a huge net in order to fish out as many followers as possible, meaning that your brand should be on every social media platform out there, but that doesn’t mean that all SM platforms were created equal, or that they will serve your brand the same way. The truth is, every industry, niche, and business type has a couple of high-yield platforms they should focus on.
For example, a B2B company might find more luck catering to the LinkedIn and Google+ audiences, while a B2C brand might find more success focusing on growing its Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram followings. In any case, your brand should be present on all of these platforms, but meticulous market research will help you pinpoint where your ideal audience truly resides.
Boost your content strategy game
If you know anything about digital marketing, then you know that content truly is king in the online universe. Not only does beautiful, engaging, and optimized content guarantee you the top spot on every related search page, but it also guarantees you new followers that will soon become paying customers. In a nutshell, if you don’t have a content marketing strategy, it’s high-time you crafted one.
Why is this relevant to your social media presence, you ask? Because amazing content spreads like wildfire on social media, with people liking, sharing, and talking about your informative and engaging articles and videos, making your brand the trending story on every SM platform out there. With that in mind, here are several key elements of a great content strategy:
- Writing content for people and SEO.
- Focusing on relatable, emotional, and valuable copy.
- Diversifying your content pool.
- Creating blog posts, videos, infographics, tutorials, podcasts, and more.
- Creating a strong value proposition in every content piece to drive the audience to your site.
- Creating content that portrays your brand’s tone of voice and visuals.
Create a comprehensive battle plan
It should go without saying that none of the above (or the latter, for that matter) will bear any fruit if you don’t have a comprehensive social media marketing strategy in place, aimed at not only portraying your brand in the best possible light, but also nailing down your key demographics, creating diverse content, posting at the right time every day, and much, much more. The truth is that social media is not a beast you want to tackle without a strong battle plan.
If you post irregularly or seldom, your audience won’t know when to expect to hear from you, and they will lose the incentive to follow your brand. If your content doesn’t speak the language of your brand, you can’t expect people to connect with your company on a deeper level. And lastly, if you don’t know which demographic you’re catering to, you can’t expect to craft content that will make an impact in the industry. This is why having a comprehensive strategy in place will be essential for long-term success.
Get in touch with notable influencers
Nothing can boost brand awareness and recognition in an over-saturated marketplace like word-of-mouth marketing. If you manage to get people to talk about and spread the word of your brand among their friends and family, you are guaranteed to see a surge in followers and website traffic.
However, if you get notable influencers in your industry to spread the word of your brand on their social media feeds, you can expect your brand to grow on all fronts. Influencers are high-value assets every company should have, but instead of trying to land top stars in the industry, you want to focus on micro-influencers as they tend to attract a more loyal following that will actually act on their advice.
Keep track of relevant KPIs
Finally, it’s important to always monitor your KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) in order to gauge your standing in the industry and adapt your approach based on concrete data. Some of your KPIs should include:
- Likes, Mentions, Shares, Comments.
- Reach.
- Leads.
- Website Traffic.
- Conversions.
In conclusion
In a social-media-driven world, it would be a terrible waste of potential if your brand didn’t try to reach such an extensive audience and convert them into paying customers. After all, if you don’t, you can bet that your competitors will. With that in mind, be sure to implement these time-tested tips into your SM marketing strategy and you will have no problem growing your social media presence and teaching the competition a lesson they won’t forget.
Raul is a B.Sc. in Innovative entrepreneurship and has a lot to say about innovations in all aspects of digital technology and online marketing. While he’s not enjoying travel, football and great food, you can find him on Technivorz.com