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    Tag: Social Media Platforms

    How to craft an effective social media marketing strategy

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    The social media content that you choose to formulate and post holds great power for your brand. However, aimlessly posting is not the best method for turning followers into fans, which is why it’s important to develop a social media content strategy before you can fully explore the potential of each platform. Since it can be challenging to get noticed on the wide web, the best way to stand out on social media is to identify your specific goals and distribute them across the right platforms. This ensures that each post is valuable, aligned with those goals, and measurable, which allows you to fine-tune your strategy over time. Since there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to crafting an effective social media marketing strategy, you must first access your industry and audience, then build a plan that promotes longevity and growth for your brand. 

    Identify and set your goals 

    The first steps toward having a long-term social media marketing strategy are to set goals for your content. This includes the type of content you will post, how often, what time, and so forth. Having goals in mind helps you to plan, create, and facilitate content that embellishes brand values and reaches your audience. While you can start by making some generic marketing goals, such as increasing your following, it’s best to create a lasting social media marketing strategy that serves all of your goals long-term. Specifics allows you to tailor content to better meet your goals and to convert high sales by moving followers to a landing page as part of your marketing funnel. 

    Plan out your social content

    Once your goals are clear, it’s time to look at the content that you’ve created so far and make note of which posts are performing well and what platforms are getting the most recognition. Appropriately tagging your content will allow you to utilize analytics to achieve a holistic view of your social media content’s performance. Many social platforms also allow businesses to view page analytics directly. 

    During this phase, be sure to look closely at the language and tone you’re using on the underperforming content. It’s important to use your brand’s authentic voice so that followers know what to expect from your content. 

    Build a content calendar

    Part of distributing great content is planning, which is why it’s now time for you to build a social media content calendar. This allows you to have a space to organize and visualize your ideas so that they can be strategically executed.

    When planning, don’t be afraid to repurpose content and schedule it across different platforms at different times. This allows you to learn more about your audience’s engagement so that you know when and where you can get the most reach. 

    Promote and distribute content

    Since your social media marketing strategy goes beyond what you post on each channel, you will want to set up distribution allowing your posts to be shared widely. If you actively blog, be sure to post a snippet of this content on your social channels. If your audience admires what’s written, they may choose to share it among their friends, which offers you free distribution to new followers. Another way to effectively promote and distribute your content is to remember to ask questions. Encouraging people to share their answers on your post increases your engagement rate and keeps the post active.

    While posting content to go live immediately is a great way to show your followers that you’re an active business, you’re missing out on a massive opportunity. Pre-scheduling content and utilizing hashtags create a further reach, which allows you to network with others within your niche. You can also join other pages and link your comment in the comments section if it relates to the conversation. 

    Are there other methods that your brand uses as part of your social media marketing strategy? Drop a comment below to let us know.

    Third-party software tools that help with social media marketing

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    third-party software tools

    Social media is one of the best methods of getting your message out into world. With a wide reach to your targeted audience, branding on social media networks is almost a necessity for any e-commerce business wanting to assert their knowledge in their field. Needless to say, social media marketing can be a little overwhelming if you don’t have access to the appropriate third-party software tools. Whether you want to have the ability to repurpose old content, engage with your audience regularly by means of a posting schedule or have more time to focus on your other business arrangements, third-party software tools have the ability to retain a social presence without dedicating an endless amount of time every day.

    Hootsuite

    If your business has a presence on multiple social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.) then Hootsuite will make it simple to post, schedule and customize to each of your social feeds from one easy-to-use platform. You simply add all of your social accounts, craft a post in the post manager section and schedule that post for as far in advance as you need.

    Hubspot

    This third-party software tool is beneficial for tracking which posts and channels are driving your sales. Not only do you have the ability to post and schedule content to your social media, but you can also monitor your channels closer and track the data.

    TweetDeck

    If you are on a tighter budget due to e-commerce startup costs then TweetDeck is the perfect third-party software tool for you. Although it is only used to post to Twitter, the free, multi-columned layout makes it easy to follow conversations, retweets and future scheduled tweets all from one screen.

    Sprout Social

    Comparable to the more widely used third-party software Hootsuite, Sprout Social allows you to monitor your client’s social media mentions, engage with your brand advocates and schedule your future content.  

    Google Analytics

    Data can be gathered from your social media platforms by the use of Google Analytics. That gathered data has the ability to break down traffic and conversions in order to find out which social feeds are converting into sales and which ones need to be revamped.

    Content Calendars

    Although this suggestion for a third-party software tool does not require you to subscribe or purchase any complex software, it is recommended that e-commerce businesses create one in Google Docs or Microsoft Word. If you plan out your content in advance you have a distinct advantage that ensures you are present on your social media without needing to worry about coming up with unique ideas every day. This will give you more free time for other aspects of your business that require it.

    Have you used any of these third-party software tools for your e-commerce business? Tell us about your experience in the comments section below.

    Social Media: How to use YouTube for business

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    YouTube for business

    When most business owners think of social media promotion, they think about using Twitter, Facebook or Instagram to endorse their company. However, because of YouTube’s intuitive design, it’s actually more social and influential than you may think. While some consumers are accustomed to a visual learning style, others respond better to an aural (auditory) or verbal (linguistic) approach. That’s where YouTube has the chance to shine! Below are some tips to try when you are using YouTube for business.

    Keep regular content flowing

    Popular YouTube channels remain popular because a high volume of content is posted on a regular schedule (daily or weekly). If you want to succeed in using YouTube for business purposes then you will need to craft tons of videos in order to use this advantageous marketing tool to its fullest potential.

    Highlight a clear Call to Action

    At the end of your video, or where you place necessary links in your video’s description, you should also include a call to action. This will allow viewers to respond to your video and leave you some feedback.

    Use YouTube to engage with your audience

    As your channel becomes more popular, you will notice a much larger audience is viewing your content. Naturally, with more people comes more opinions. Use this as an opportunity for you to see any patterns in your feedback and comments as well as make a habit of promptly responding and personalizing yourself as a business owner.

    Get creative when it comes to titles

    People search YouTube comparable to how they search Google, so your description, keywords and phrases are essential when using YouTube for business. Flashy titles, tags and category placements allow the pathway that once separated you and your audience to narrow in the direction of your branded content.

    Post your content to other social platforms

    Just because you’ve created your videos for YouTube, doesn’t mean they have to exclusively remain there. As part of an effective social media strategy, posting content to all your channels gives you a wider range of viewership and allows you to spread the word much faster.

    Are there any other ways that you have successfully used YouTube for business? Tell us all about it in the comments section below.

     

    5 types of Instagram ads to consider for your business

    Posted on by Alex Wilks

    Instagram ad tips

    Although you may think that Facebook and Twitter combined are enough to attract and maintain customers, Instagram is another heavy player that helps with social media marketing. Follow these Instagram business tips for advertising to create posts that expand your audience, increase exposure and enhance branding.

    Why use Instagram?

    Developing your SEO, keywords and text are still effective marketing tools, however, there are certainly times when sharp imagery is better than stamping a post as TL; DR. In September 2017, Instagram reported that they had approximately 800 million active users a month, which means seemingly endless opportunities for your business to reach followers. We live in a vastly visual age, so you need to grab your audience’s attention quickly and keep those target groups coming back as much as possible.

    Which ad best relays your message?

    Facebook owns Instagram, so once you’ve created your Facebook Business Page, why not also set up an Instagram account so your ad manager can sync both apps? Then you can choose the type of imagery that best reflects your brand.

    • Photo: Everything is a photo opp these days, so show off products in ways that entice customers. Create snapshots of services that speak to your audience and tap into their desires and wishes. Of additional benefit, caption the images with strong CTAs.
    • Video: Consider this an expansion of the power of photos. You get 60 seconds to tell a story, but place the product or service within a few seconds, for maximum effect.
    • Carousel: A series of 5 photos or videos for customers to view, ideal for advertising that requires more than 60 seconds for effective messages. It can also illustrate multiple ways to use a product or service.
    • Story: These are ads that are only available for 24 hours and are shown between stories by followers. It’s a great tool to use for a limited time or special promotions. It is also based on viewing habits, so users can go right to your website or contact information while watching their favourite content.
    • Canvas story: Ideal for mobile use, you can create this ad from a Facebook or a custom template.

    Why settings matter

    It’s important to put thought into the settings for each post or campaign in order to monitor what works and what may need an adjustment. Ask yourself (or your team) which of the following objectives meet your goals:

    • Video views
    • Website traffic and conversions
    • Alluring posts
    • Mobile app installations and usage
    • More leads and event attendees

    Remember to name each campaign uniquely and just as you increase engagement on Twitter, use branded hashtags and short captions to entice your audience. Although you get 300 characters to say something, the recommended number is between 125-150.

    Other settings to note as you build your own analysis for Instagram ads tips include:

    • Audience and placement: Are you targeting a specific, “custom” audience (based upon interests and sales), or a “lookalike” audience (potential leads that already follow and are similar to other companies)? Filters include age range, region and connections, along with deciding any placement factors, such as categories and devices to include/exclude.
    • Budget: Instagram ad costs can vary. Depending upon dynamics and typically ranging from less than 50 cents to about $1-$2 per click (approximately $5-$7 per 1,000 visitors). You can choose a daily budget or a lifetime (length of campaign) option, with the ability to change the figure, but not the type of campaign you have just set up.
    • Bids: Related to budgets, this setting represents maximum monies spent for customer responses. It’s either manual, set by you, or automatic, determined by Facebook analytics.
    • Start and finish times: Continuously, or for a specific duration.
    • Delivery optimization: Choose how your campaign reaches viewers, either through impressions (as often as possible), link clicks (to followers most likely to respond), or daily unique reach (once a  day).
    • Delivery speed: Do you prefer your campaign to run at a standard pace, or rapidly  at a more accelerated rate?

    Are you concerned about correctly getting your message across Instagram? Learn how our social media marketing services can help make it happen!