Social Media Marketing is definitely the new kid on the block; this new kid has been kicking around for sometime now. However its only the past year that big brands & businesses have really started understanding the importance of being present on social!
Why is this exciting? Firstly, as a social media marketer, I love that there has been a shift away from traditional channels, and inturn this shift has opened the door for so many new and exciting brands to excel in this space. Lets be honest we are all secretly kicking ourselves we didn’t think of it first, as these brands are making a killing!! So to these tech savvy forward thinking brands, congratulations. You risked and you made it.
Secondly, it has broken down walls, forcing tried old school marketing professionals to put their thinking caps back on and really start looking at briefs with a fresh perspective. By no means am I saying brands shouldn’t be using the traditional methods of marketing & advertising, but what I am saying is its now time for marketers to add a new layer to the planning process. Asking themselves and their team the big social success question:
‘How do we to make it trendy and unforgettable?’
Sounds easy right? Well its not! Takes time, research and lots of planning!
Guys I am going to let you in on a little secret…. Social media is more than just taking a pretty picture and posting it on your page and waiting for the likes and comments to validate your decision to use that picture and that caption. Social Media for a brand is more than just posting and waiting for people to react!
A successful social campaign or ongoing platform network is about telling your brands story consistently, to an audience that are interested and with a purpose behind everything.
This purpose is identifying;
The core objectives your brand wants to achieve by being on social media
Then creating an action plan to make these objectives a reality. This action plan is more formally known as a strategy.
Now that the strategy has been outlined, we need to start the creation process. Asking the question, what is your brands style? How will you be delivering your story?
Imagery
Videos
Blog posts
Graphics
Audible files
Slideshow files
eBooks and PDF documents?
How will you create these files? Does someone in your team have the skill set to generate unforgettable and likable content? If the answer is yes, that’s great. If the answer is no, that’s fine. Just make sure you source a skilled professional to help you.
The next step is to identify the social celebrities you wish your brand to be associated with. These new age influencers endorse your brand via their own channels and generate awareness for your brand, by presenting content to their loyal audience members.
The use of social influencers is important, however can prove to be an expensive exercise with little to know ROI if the process is;
Poorly managed and the influencer is poorly briefed/instructions are unclear.
If the wrong social influencer/s is selected for your campaign! How do we know whom to select? Look at the influencer and what their personal brand image represents; does it complement your brand? Will this influencer’s audience be responsive to your brand? Is the influencer’s style of content appropriate and fitting to your brand style and tone?
Set a budget and work with influencers who will give you the most bang for your buck!
Repetition and authenticity is key when targeting an influencer’s audience. You cannot expect big results from a single (one off) post by an influencer just because they have half a million followers. Half a million followers of the wrong demographic will equal zero return on investment for your brand, so what is the point?
Platform selection to promote your brand also plays a key role in the distribution of your content and the target audience connection. Ask yourself & your team the question: ‘If I were the customer of this product, where would I look for information?’:
Facebook?
Instagram?
SnapChat?
LinkedIn?
Twitter?
The mistake so many people make when attempting to run a social brand account, is they run it like a personal account. There is no thought behind it or the young intern is given full responsibility to manage the social accounts on behave of the brand, with no guidelines, direction or planning! Social Media is the new age advertising, and deserves to be treated accordingly.
Stay turned for more Social Media learning’s by Avenew.