Top 10 Social Media Tips To Elevate Marketing Strategy

Both new and well-established brands are using social media to grow their following, generate leads, and increase sales. It is easier than ever to use social media to connect with people and grow your brand organically.

In this article, we’ll cover social media tips and tricks you can apply that will optimize your marketing strategy and break down the top social media platforms you should be using and give suggestions for making the most out of each one.

Start with a plan

It’s easy to get started using social media for business purposes. We all use social media in our day-to-day lives, so there’s a level of comfort with the tools.

It doesn’t cost anything to create a Facebook or Instagram business profile or on Twitter 

Research the competition

How are your competitors using social media? While you don’t want to copy them, learning from what others have done is a great way to reduce your learning curve.

Conduct a social media audit

If you’re already using social media, now’s the time to take a step back and evaluate your existing efforts.

Create a social media calendar

A social media calendar helps you post the right content to the right social channels at the right time. It should include a plan for your content mix.

Try starting with the 80-20 rule. Use 80% of your content to inform, educate, or entertain your audience. Use the other 20% to promote your brand or sell your products.

Decide which platforms are right for you

Don’t make assumptions about where your audience spends their time online.

Your instinct might tell you that if you’re targeting Gen Z, you should skip Facebook and focus on Instagram and TikTok. 

Know your audience

One reason using social media for business is so effective is that you can micro-target your audience. But first, you need to understand who your audience is.

Start by compiling data on your current customers. Then, dig deeper with social media analytics. You’ll soon start to understand who’s buying from and interacting with you online.

Build relationships

The unique benefit of social media marketing for small businesses is that it allows you to talk directly to customers and followers. You can build relationships over time, rather than asking for a sale upfront.

More than 44% of internet users use social networks to research brands. When people engage with your organic content or ads, it’s a great idea to engage back. This helps to build trust and form a loyal following. 

Connect with other entrepreneurs and influencers in your niche

Think your business is too small to work with influencers? Micro-influencers and nano-influencers with as few as 1,000 dedicated followers can be effective for establishing brand trust.

As a bonus, they are often well within the budget range of smaller brands.

Mention followers in your posts and Stories

Collecting user-generated content through contests and branded hashtags is a great way to source quality material for your social feed. UGC is also a powerful source of social proof.

Even better, sharing your followers’ content on your social channels (and tagging them, of course), helps you establish relationships with some of your biggest fans.

Sell your stuff with social commerce

Social media marketing has evolved in recent years to include social commerce: the ability to sell your products directly from social channels. And business is booming, with a global market value of $89.4 billion in 2020.

Focus on quality over quantity

The sheer number of social media marketing options for small businesses might seem overwhelming—but you don’t need to do it all. It’s more important to create quality content on a couple of key channels than it is to have a presence on every single network.

Above all, be sure that your social posts offer value. If all you do is pitch and sell, there’s very little motivation for people to follow you. Remember, social marketing is about building relationships.