5 Things You Need to Know Before Going Social
What You Need To Know About Social Media Marketing in 2016
Have you ever gotten advice from people about dating and relationships — you know, how you should really get to know someone before taking it to the next step? Well if you have, and if you’ve taken that advice, you’ll understand that it really does help in building a solid foundation for a relationship.
I’d like to think that this advice can also apply to other things such as social media marketing. While social media marketing has the potential to propel your brand or business to new heights, it also means added work that you need to take on — that’s just how it is.
So needless to say it’s always a good idea to understand exactly what you’re getting yourself into so you don’t set yourself up for failure.
With that said here are 5 facts you need to know about social media marketing before you jump in…
#1 IT TAKES TIME:
Success with social media marketing does not happen overnight — it just doesn’t. It can take quite some time before you really see any benefit from social media marketing. You have to be in it for the long haul, this is not for the short term visionary.
You really have to put in the effort to build real relationships with your audience. IF that isn’t your goal then maybe social media marketing isn’t for you, but it you’re willing to put in the time then you may just find your little spot and find success.
#2 CONSISTENCY IS ESSENTIAL:
Aside from great content, consistency is key when it comes to social media marketing success. If people see that you’re not active and participating in conversations, they may think twice to want to follow you. Think about it this way, if you visited a social media page and you notice that they haven’t posted anything for the last few months or so, would you be curious to find out more about the page? Probably not.
With that said being consistent doesn’t mean posting 8 times per day, that would just be annoying to your audience but also very difficult for you to maintain, and especially if you’re a one man show. If all you can do is one post a day then do so, but stick to a schedule.
#3 LET YOUR CREATIVITY SHINE:
Being creative is a must. People in social media are visual. Text only post are a thing of the past — I don’t mean that they don’t work, it just doesn’t have that great of an impact as it once did. This means that you do have to put on your thinking caps and produce images that will catch people eyes and videos worth watching over and over again and sharing them for the rest of the world to see.
This will be one of the most difficult task to do, at least that’s what I’ve experienced, when it comes to social media marketing as you don’t know what your audience will respond to. So testing is a must, meaning you need to test your post and see what your audience respond to and post more of it.
Being creative in the digital age means you have embrace technology. If you have been technology averse, you need to set that aside and start learning how to use certain apps to produce content that your audience will like — these apps will not only make you look like a creative genius but it will also save tons of time so you can do other things.
#4 AD SPEND IS A NECESSARY EVIL:
It’s time to face the music, people are getting harder and harder to reach on social media. Long gone is the free exposure and organic reach, now you have to set a budget for ad spend — I know it’s tough swallow but you do have to pay to play.
So how much should you spend on ads? Well that is something only you can answer. Do what works for you because every business is different, in different stages, and with varying resources and goals. What may work for others may not work for you, so the best approach is to figure out what your goal is, set a maximum you are comfortable to spend, and test your ads. Testing your ads is probably the best advice I can give you as it can lower your cost and maximize your budget.
#5 BEING EVERYWHERE IS FOOLISH:
There is this misconception that in order for you to have more reach you need to be in every social media platform ever created. This is absolutely wrong and a complete waste of time. This strategy could probably work for bigger companies with more resources but for small businesses or “solopeneurs”, this in my point of view is suicide.
As I mentioned earlier social media marketing takes time and effort, if you’re on 5 different social media platform you’d have less time and more difficulty focusing on your core business as your attention will be in so many different places. Ask yourself this question if you plan on being on several social media platform — can you afford to spend so much time away from the core business that is generating sales and revenue for you?
What I suggest is to be in just a few social media platforms, learn and master it, build a following, and then move on the next if you feel it’s necessary and will benefit your business.
Some of these may sound like common sense but for those of you who are just starting out or thinking about social media marketing you need to know what you’re in for. It can be very daunting at first and filled with uncertainty but if you stick with it and really hone in with the message that resonates with your followers, I think you’ll find that social marketing is a worthwhile effort to grow your business.
So over to you, what do you think of these social media marketing facts? Do you agree or disagree? If you have any comment send them over the comments section below — I’d love to hear from you.
About the Author: Jonathan De Leon is the creator of KLT Tv, a YouTube Channel where he shares his knowledge of online marketing ranging from social media marketing to online marketing tools to help with your online presence. If you’d like more online marketing tips, tutorials, or marketing tool recommendations and reviews just like this please come check out his YouTube channel HERE or his blog HERE.
Originally published at knowlikeandtrustmarketing.com
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