There aren’t too many things in life that we are certain about, which is why we often get asked how to choose the right social media marketing platforms by all sorts of business owners.
Take dating, for example. We rarely go on a first date with the knowledge that this is the right person for us. We take our first tentative steps on a wing and prayer and hope to hell that we didn’t just have an $80 meal with a serial killer.
Likewise, learning how to choose the right social media marketing platform on which to market your business is a similar decision in which we start in the dark and rely upon our past knowledge, intuition, and strategy.
Often, when it comes to dating and digital marketing in Adelaide, it is best to play the field.
After all, how do you know what you want if you don’t first find out all of the things that you don’t want?
Social Media Marketing Platforms: What Are You Looking For?
Don’t get me wrong; there are guidelines and life lessons that we have learnt along the way that help guide us into the right decision.
When flirting, whether with someone we find attractive or social media sites, most of us have specific guideposts that allow us to intuitively know whether this pursuit is right for us or not.
To guide this “flirtation” with social media platforms, there are particular questions we must ask ourselves.
- Will this increase my exposure?
- Am I gaining increased traffic?
- Is this creating more engagement?
- Am I learning about and gaining insights into my prospects?
- Are there loyal fans out there for me?
- Am I generating leads?
- Am I growing partnerships?
- Are there increasing sales?
When choosing the right social media platforms to use, you’ll often find it easier to fully commit to a decision if you’ve allowed yourself to have made a mistake or two. Just like in dating, you’ll find you’ll flirt with a few potential candidates who, while fun and right for someone, are just not right for you.
However, unlike dating, understanding how to choose the right social media marketing platforms does come with some advantages thanks to data.
Data will tell you a lot about the social media platforms that you are testing. Most come with some form of analytics that can reveal insights into what type of engagement your content is receiving. Sadly, these things are only available in Adelaide in the digital marketing world; there is no downloadable report at the end of the date that tells you which story hit the mark with your prospect!
Use analytics to your advantage, give yourself the edge amongst your competitors by looking for the types of content that result in greater engagement and interest.
Where Does Your Ideal Match Hang Out?
Digital marketing, including social media marketing, is customer-centric. You have to show up in the places where your ideal customers hang out. Pop up there on a regular basis and engage them in a way that gets them excited about you and you’ll be doing the equivalent of mixing and mingling in the dating scene; you’ve got to be in it to win it!
One of the biggest mistakes people can make when posting on social media sites is to do it robotically; knowing that it is time to post and slapping something together with no real meaning or value is worse than not posting at all. Remember that!
When playing in the realm of social media marketing, it is time to be strategic as you woo your audience. The zany wine-marketing guy from America, Gary Vaynerchuk, argues that much of what you do publicly in your marketing should have been strategically planned behind the scenes.
From the outside looking in, social media marketing is about showing up consistently with funny, engaging and educational posts. However, to be successful at this, you must have a sound strategy and reason behind everything that you post.
In much the same way you would chat with your friends about an upcoming date, it is great to chat about your digital marketing strategy and social media platforms with someone. The reason behind this is twofold. First, talking about what you are going to do sparks creative ideas and inspiration. Thus, developing a strategy that is engaging and profitable. Second, it is a great way to see what other people are interested in when it comes to your service or product.
Be strategic in every marketing decision you make. Ensure there is a reason, audience and measurement for everything that you do.
Ps. Stay tuned to read about the type of content you should create and examples of how to do it.
But if you can’t wait until then, here’s a great blog about why you need to create social media content calendars.
Image by Social Media Marketing Mix by Blogtrepreneur via Flickr CC BY 2.0
