Social media marketing represents the marketing strategy on social networks, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter. Social networks are considered new media in their own right, with their specificities: multifaceted, conversations, immediacy, and speed of propagation. It is therefore imperative that this new media can be mastered by the marketing manager.
Knowing that 4.2 billion people use social networks, they are becoming an essential communication tool for brands. Indeed, they allow companies to increase their visibility and promote their brand image. These platforms also represent an opportunity to establish a close relationship with customers. Faced with these challenges, companies are focusing their efforts on implementing a social media marketing strategy.
Definition of Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing refers to all marketing actions carried out on social networks. It complements the company’s other communication strategies. Its goal is to strengthen brand awareness through a strong community. It also contributes to increasing traffic on the company’s official website and, by extension, sales. Social media marketing is also one of the effective loyalty tools.
Social media marketing includes several techniques such as regular publication of content, animation of social networks, community management, etc. The synergy between these different actions makes it possible to achieve the objectives. Brands generally use social media to:
- build customer loyalty
- generate traffic to the company’s main website
- build a community of enthusiasts around the brand
- increase the visibility and notoriety of the company
- generate qualified leads, etc.
What are the challenges of this strategy?
Social media marketing is the marketing approach adopted on social networks with a view to consistent communication throughout the company. The primary objective is to establish a relationship based on the exchange, discussion, and co-production of ideas, with its customers and its “fans”.
Businesses use social media marketing as a tool to communicate with customers. They can share their thoughts directly on their brand page. Beyond the advantages, this strategy also presents constraints that you need to be aware of.
A web visibility tool
Social media marketing has become essential in the era of Web 2.0. This practice results from the massive use of social networks. According to Data Reportal, 4.2 billion users are on at least one social network. This is equivalent to 53% of the world’s population. These figures largely justify the transformation of social networks into a marketing tool.
Content is at the heart of this strategy. When a publication is relevant, Internet users do not hesitate to share it on their network. This concept of sharing increases the visibility of the brand.
To quickly increase their visibility on social networks, companies use SMO or Social Media Optimization. This technique consists of doing social referencing.
An effective means of communication
On companies’ social pages, their community does not hesitate to share their experiences with the products. The networks thus become a platform for direct exchange. By communicating directly with its community, a brand puts itself on its level. This point is important in a context where 54% of users are looking for a product on these platforms according to GlobalWebIndex.
Pages and accounts then become a tool for engaging in conversation with customers. Before launching a product, the brand can carry out a survey, for example. This is an effective method for obtaining information on customer expectations.
For marketing experts, SMM performs the functions of a CRM. This tool makes it possible to monitor social interactions and changes taking place in the market.
A time-consuming strategy
Social media marketing is a strategy that requires a lot of time. The algorithm of the main social networks favors active pages and recent content. Therefore, the brand must regularly supply its channels with relevant content. This requirement for regularity encourages companies to hire a social media consultant.
The success of this communication strategy is also based on the provision of quality content. Difficult to maintain this level unless you have a team dedicated to creation. This is why subcontracting represents a wise solution.
5 steps to Implementing a social media marketing strategy
Like all marketing strategies, the implementation of SMM must go through five main stages.
1. Define goals
Knowing the objectives is essential to define the actions to be implemented. Marketers use the SMART method to facilitate their implementation and monitoring. Here is an example of an objective following this method:
– Increase engagement rate on Instagram by 15%.
To measure the progress of the actions carried out, the definition of KPI is essential. The main indicators used on social networks concern brand image, conversion, awareness, and customer satisfaction.
2. Define the buyer persona
The effectiveness of a communication campaign on social networks requires good knowledge of the target. This makes it possible to produce content that meets audience expectations.
The marketing team segments customers into several profiles. Segmentation is based on criteria such as age, average income, interests, and finally fears.
3. The choice of networks
The choice of networks becomes more obvious once the target is defined. In Pakistan, Facebook is in first place among the most-used social networks with more than 43 million users. WhatsApp and Instagram complete the podium according to Business Insider.
Among young people, the reality is quite different. According to the Moderator’s Blog, 82% of those under 25 favor Instagram. The platform is followed by Snapchat. Facebook is only in third place.
These figures already give indications on the platforms most suited to the brand’s audience.
4. Implement an editorial strategy
Just like on the internet, unique and relevant content generates more engagement on social networks.
Faced with the desire to stand out, the brand can be scattered in the content published. Hence the need to implement an editorial strategy. It defines the guidelines to follow for all publications: tone, format, keywords, themes, etc.
5. Monitoring through KPIs
Social media marketing is measured through several KPIs such as engagement rate, impression, reach, etc. These indicators highlight the success of the strategy and reveal whether the objectives have been achieved.
These KPIs also represent effective tools for better understanding customer behavior.
Through these figures, the brand adjusts or changes its strategy. If the SMO efforts are not sufficient, it can resort to the SMA for example.
Advantages
- Social media marketing professionalizes the marketing manager’s approach to social networks.
- Approach consistent with the marketing strategy and all brand communications.
Precautions to take
- Social media is multifaceted by the multiplicity of Internet users and social networks: other forms of communication need to be invented.
- Identify your community and its degree of affinity with the brand.
- The benefits of a relationship are only visible in the long term; this requires regular investment, which must be maintained over time.