4 Ways to Reap the Benefits of Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is more complicated than it looks. Here’s how to reap the rewards.

Of course anyone can log onto his or her Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, but it takes true skill to fully benefit from social media marketing. There are certain tools, techniques and times that are involved in making the most of your efforts. Some organizations may not see immediate results, but if you cultivate your ability to tweak your strategies, things can turn around in a hurry.

Here are four, straightforward ways to start reaping the benefits of social media marketing:

1.) Post In Real-Time

If you haven’t added real-time posting into your content strategy then you’re missing out.

Fans, clients and customers love to see immediate coverage of events. For instance, if your organization has a fundraiser, it’s best to have a designated person or individuals who will post real-time pictures and interact on social media.

Let me issue caution here as well–make sure that these photos and videos are of the highest quality possible. This may require a professional camera such as a DSLR or a professional photographer/videographer in general.

2.) Interact With Your Ongoing “Static” Campaigns

Before the Internet, campaigns were not living advertising products so to speak . Customers could not directly interact with the content, but social media has changed that. Nowadays, you can compliment your “static” billboard graphic with a call to action that sends the conversation to one of your platforms. Marrying your traditional and digital efforts will help you make the most out of your advertising dollars.

3.) Direct Communication With Your Audience

The people who are directly connected to your organization don’t want to deal with a robot. They want to talk to a human being. Give your company the value that it deserves by treating your audience with constant communication. Listen to their concerns and let them know how much you appreciate their questions and concerns.

4.) Use Custom Content and Campaigns

You don’t want your social media to turn into a graveyard of old content.

Many organizations make the mistake of using stock content–or “regurgitated content” as Top Hat IMC founder and president Ben Butler likes to say–to push out information on their social media platforms. While it is beneficial to use the occasional article or quote, it is best to create a brand for your organization by being creative in your customization of content.

Campaigns should be tailored to the clients and the audience. Without the extra effort, social media marketing could fall flat.
There should be a specialized team of individuals working with your company to ensure the success of your brand. Without customization, audiences become bogged down with useless and boring information that dose not apply to the services you offer.

We believe that if you follow by these guidelines, you will see an increase in activity on your social media platforms.