More than 50 percent of the world is actively using social media in 2020. The figure speaks volumes about the popularity of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and so on. Not long ago, these sites were only exploited by individuals for fun or connecting with people. But that is not the case anymore. Today, businesses are also running the rat-race to dominate social media space because they have identified it as a lethal tool for marketing.

Remember, social media is a place where marketing trends keep on changing quite frequently. So you cannot pull off successful promotional campaigns by sticking to the old and outdated methods. To make it understandable for you, we are narrowing down the latest ways to boost your social media marketing. Let us unveil them without further ado:

1- Create well-balanced content

Companies utilize social media to gain as much exposure as possible. But that does not mean you should only share promotional material. Unlike the past, brands have to invest in diversified content strategies so that customers also get something additional. “How to” videos, infographics, gated content, question posts, industry news, and memes are the types of content people adore. Guess what, you can use automatic transcription software to convert videos into text. Meaning, it is possible to share a single piece of content in multiple forms, which is quite time-saving.

2- Unearth the right social media platform

With every social media platform having more than millions of daily visitors, brands desire to create accounts everywhere. However, this strategy is unlikely to work because the number of social media platforms keeps multiplying. Every social site caters to a specific audience. For example, if a particular video accumulates a lot of engagement on Facebook, it may not necessarily be well-received by the twitter audience. Therefore, you will have to create diverse content, which consumes resources. Of course, some companies successfully maintain their presence on multiple social media platforms. But such examples are rare. That is precisely why marketing experts suggest every organization should cherry-pick only a few networks.

Though the internet is full of social sites, you can assess which one will get the job done for you by taking the following measures:

• Take the nature of business into account: If you run a business-to-customer (B2C) company, Instagram and Facebook may be your best bet in terms of gaining visibility and engagement. For a business-to-business (B2C) company, LinkedIn is likely to live up to the expectations.
• Define goals: Lately, several organizations have turned to twitter to provide better customer service. Likewise, you may strengthen the bonding with consumers by sharing funny “behind the scene” moments with them on Instagram. Once you outline the objectives, choose a social network as well.
• Drill down the age factor: There was a time when youngsters hijacked social media. But, over time, people from all age groups made their way to social feeds. Knowing the age group, you want to target can make life a lot easier for you.

3- Work on your profile

The majority of social media users would get to the bottom of your profile before following you. If they notice anything unprofessional, it will give them a wrong impression of the brand. Hence, as soon as you finalize a social media site, set up the profile right away.

Start with the profile picture. Make sure it contains the brand logo rather than any individual personality. Also, do not try to change the profile picture every once in a while. That way, people might lose track of your account. We recommend using a high-quality picture because nothing turns people down these days more than an image with scattered pixels.

Fill all boxes with the correct details. The modern-day generation does not readily believe whatever you feed them. Having the internet by their side, they can unearth misinformation in a breeze. Keep upgrading the information on the profile if you introduce any change in the organization with time. Lastly, incorporate the industry-oriented keywords in the introduction. It will help to attract organic traffic to your profile.

4- Capitalize on influencer marketing

Until recently, entrepreneurs had to rely on tv stars to promote their products and services. Of course, this luxury was not budget-friendly for countless small businesses because celebrities charged a hefty amount. Luckily, with the emergence of social media, many talented individuals have earned a lot of recognition. We typically dub them as social media influencers. You can hire their services to fuel social media marketing affordably.

You must be mindful of the following factors before signing the official dotted line with an influencer:

• Emphasize on the expertise:

Often, marketers fall for the number of followers rather than the expertise of an influencer. That is a recipe for disaster. The influencer must be well-equipped with the knowledge of the respective niche; otherwise, his millions of fans would not do any good to you. The numbers also confirm the same. As many as nearly 72 percent of businesspeople agree that relevance is preferable over widespread reach.

• Go for an international influencer:

A local influencer will restrict your brand to the local market. On the other hand, an international influencer will spread it beyond borders. At the same time, it is pertinent to get into the demographics. There is no point in getting hooked up with an international influencer whose vast proportion of followers come from regions having no demand for your products or services.

5- Schedule posts

Social media does not always have the same number of users. They keep increasing and decreasing throughout the day. So if you share something when the maximum people are active, there is a good chance of your content going viral. That is why scheduling posts at a specific hour is a masterstroke. Since optimal timings of all social media networks vary from each other, you have to schedule posts accordingly. It also ensures a steady flow of content because scheduling takes “oh! I forgot to post today” out of the equation.

1. Make the most of loyal customers.

Whenever brands endure a rough patch, loyal customers always come to their rescue. Indeed, they are such an asset. If you have also successfully run loyalty programs and enjoy the support of a devoted customer base, it is about the time to maximize the outcome of social media marketing. It is not an uphill task. Adhere to the following practices to attain your goal:

• Reach out to the satisfied customers, get positive feedback from them, and put it on the social media accounts. These reviews will do a world of good to uplift your overall standing.
• Request loyal customers to spread your word on their social profiles. In a way, they will all act as your brand ambassadors.
• Ask customers to tag friends and family members in the comment section.

The final verdict

Technological advancement allows us to implement business strategies and plans effectively. Resultantly, small start-ups are increasing their footprint at an alarming rate. In other words, the business world has never been so competitive. The only way you can stand a chance to survive such cutthroat competition is by reigning supreme on social media. And executing the above-discussed techniques are your best bet to achieve this lofty objective.