5 key considerations for a powerful social media marketing approach

Social media marketing is the future of digital marketing on planet Earth. The rise of national lockdowns in light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a social media resurgence, and marketers across the globe are capitalising on the new trend. With so many brands flocking to social media, your social media marketing content must be compelling enough to stick out from the general noise and grab the attention of social media users. Here are five thoughts to keep in mind when thinking about launching a compelling, engagement-worthy social media marketing campaign.

1. Carefully define your target audience

Before commencing social media marketing campaigns, a brand should find the answers to five questions regarding the audience they are hoping to target.

WHO is the customer?  (age, sex, LSM category, etc.)

WHAT do they need or want?  (what problems could they be facing)

WHEN do they interact?  (when do they use social media the most)

WHERE do they interact online?  (which social media platforms are they using)

WHY should they engage?  (what can your brand offer the consumer)

2. Articulate your brand effectively

Keep in mind that everything a brand puts onto social media is instantly in the public domain. Everything that a potential customer sees, reads, and hears from a company on social media will affect their impression of the brand. For this reason, brand articulation is an important consideration from the start. These elements (among others) will determine where a brand is positioned in the marketplace:

The tone of voice used in the copywriting

The choice of imagery used for each post

The topics a brand chooses to comment on

The brands they elect to align themselves with

3. Focus on a common concern

This tactic involves understanding your audience and knowing what is currently being offered in your market. Modern consumers have causes they hold dear, and have their fair share of concerns. Companies are the same, and you can find evidence of this in their mission statements. If a company uses an eco-friendly active ingredient in their shampoo formula, and they discover that a large portion of its followers promote eco-consciousness, they could promote the eco-friendliness of their product over competitors’.

4. Encourage followers to drive the convo

You’ve seen the competitions on social media. A nearby spa offers two people the getaway of a lifetime, complete with newly-washed white robes and an endless supply of cucumber slices. All you are required to do to win is like, comment, and SHARE. The last word is capitalised to emphasise its importance. Each social media follower has their network of friends and followers. When they share a brand’s post, they are spreading the message to even more people, which can massively increase the reach of the post. The trick is to find things that social media followers will be willing to share.

5. Integrate social media into your marketing

The digital age has taken us on gigantic leaps into a world where productivity is increasing on an almost monthly basis. As an integral part of their social media marketing strategy, brands should integrate their marketing department so that all marketing staff have an input. One idea is to use a department WhatsApp group where trends and content ideas can instantly be shared, discussed, worked on, approved, and uploaded in the shortest amount of time possible. This will prove beneficial moving into the new normal, where brands don’t want to follow the trends – they want to set them.

Social media marketing doesn’t have to be the confusing enigma that many business owners feel it is. When following carefully the five guidelines above, marketers will ensure that their social media campaigns are aligned with international thought-leader best practices.

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