Know How To Use Social Media

Social media is an integral part of any business’s success story. In fact, in today’s digital environment, businesses cannot afford to ignore social media.

According to some studies, social media is an efficient lead generation tool:

• 74% of online adults use social networking sites.

• Social media may account for as much as 57% of your sales funnel.

• 81% of consumers research online before making big purchases.

Here is a beginner’s social media guide:

Do Your Homework

Social media is all about connecting with the right audiences. To do that, you have to understand your existing as well as potential customers. You need to distinguish your customers on the basis of their age, gender, interests, location, profession, etc.

Perform Market Research

If you are starting with no knowledge of social media, the best way is to do a little market research and see where your target audience stand.

You can also see your competitor’s profiles as well as marketing tactics to build your own.

Get Started

Once you’ve identified your target audiences, it is the right time to reach them. Choose one or two platforms to start with rather than pouring your energy in all platforms.

One of the best ways to ensure consistency is to incorporate social media into your routine.

Listening and Sharing

Social media includes listening to your audiences and sharing vital information with them in real time. Social listening is a great way to monitor what people are saying about your brand.

Also, quickly respond to comments/feedback and try to turn negative comments into positive.

Embrace Social Advertising

Social media sites offer a great number of effective and productive advertising solutions to help businesses. These solutions are helpful to improve:

• Sales

• Website traffic

• Brand exposure

• Audience engagement

What to share?

It is one of the most important questions businesses ask. The simplest way to deliver value is to share:

• Blog Posts

• Infographics

• Photos

• Humorous Posts

• Quick Tips

• Behind the Scenes Photos

• Questions Fill-in-the-Blanks

• Polls

• Promotional Material

• Short Videos

Besides sharing your own content, include others’ relevant resources as well for the maximum benefit.

Popular platforms to use

• Twitter

• Facebook

• Pinterest

• Google+

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

A general rule of thumb is stay consistent on these powerful sites in order to reap benefits.

Bonus tips:

• Always start by identifying your targeted audiences.

• Incorporate social sharing buttons on your web pages and posts.

• Include a call to action (CTA) at the end of blog posts.

• Display social icons in header or sidebar.

• Establish your brand’s voice.

• Share relevant information only.

So, Use these social media marketing strategies to gain an edge.