Many businesses invest so much in promoting and marketing on social media that they think it’s the be-all and end-all that will bring them business. However, they forget that social media is only a marketing channel, not a strategy. Social media marketing should be part of a broader marketing strategy.
The word “media” in social media is there for a reason. A social media platform is just a medium to help disseminate information and promotions. Engaging people only through social media cannot assure conversion. To convert people, you need an effective marketing strategy that will get them off social media and into your mailing list or to your website. Remember, social media is only part of the top and middle of the conversion funnel. It helps them gain awareness and interest in your brand and what you offer. The bottom part of the funnel should trigger desire and convince them to take action.
Social Media is Not Owned Media
Owned media are those communication channels that you can control, such as your website, blog, and email. Therefore, social media is not owned media. If Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram shut down tomorrow, what would that mean for your business?
Focus on optimising owned media. Improve your website. Get people to read your blogs and subscribe to your mailing list. Algorithms can change, and if you’ve put all your efforts into social media, it can have a detrimental effect.
Don’t Put Your Eggs in One Basket
Don’t get me wrong; social media is powerful and can certainly help with your overall business and marketing goals. However, it’s not ideal to put all your efforts into it. The most effective marketing is executing campaigns that are consistent in various channels, both traditional and digital.
Marketing via social media is great when combined with other marketing channels. It helps to increase brand awareness. It also serves as a great entry level marketing option for small businesses and start-ups as it can be cost-effective.
Marketing through Social Media
It’s not enough to set up your business’ social media pages and start posting and sharing relevant topics and articles. Engage and get people to convert through social media advertising. Sure, posting on your pages is free, but to reach more people and ensure effective marketing through social media, paid advertising is the way to go. You can always adjust the plan according to your budget and the results you need to achieve.
My word of advice when marketing on social media: it’s best to start with one platform. Assess where your target market mostly spends their time on. Many people usually visit more than one platform. In that case, for example, choose to execute your campaign first on Facebook and do it well on that channel before you move on to the next one.
Not All Businesses Need Social Media
While social media is a great channel for marketing, there are industries where social media simply isn’t effective. Remember, the first word in social media is “social.” If you’re in an industry where it would be hard for people to have meaningful conversations with each other about your product or service, or where people wouldn’t engage with your content, then social media probably isn’t right for your business.
