that should be considered when trying to build your brand’s authority on the internet. The first, and most obvious, is the fact that your brand needs a website – an online property that offers the world access to details about your brand, the products and services you produce, and other important details.
Your website, however, will not magically start to receive traffic. Search engine optimization and social media marketing are among the most popular forms of driving targeted, quality traffic back to your website without having to spend a fortune on paid advertising, such as banner adverts and Google AdWords.
While search engine optimization can take months before results become visible, social media marketing can sometimes yield faster and even more effective results. Consider the fact that millions of people hang out on social networks every single day – and many of these people are looking for products and services related to your industry. By putting your brand in front of these social media users, you can boost visitors to your website, which you can then turn into leads, sales and, ultimately, profit.
Unfortunately, creating a social media marketing plan can be daunting and many people do not know where to start – so, we’ve decided to create a comprehensive guide that will help you get started, even if you’re a complete beginner.
Start By Determining The Appropriate Social Networks To Target
There are quite a large number of social media networks out there, but you simply cannot target all of them. This will take up too much of your time and you will not be able to keep them all up-to-date at all times. By doing some initial research and determining the best social networks to target, you’ll be able to create one or two social accounts and only focus on making them grow. Pew Interest reports the following interesting facts about different social media platforms:
- Facebook – At least 71% of all internet users have a Facebook profile. Facebook is by far the most popular social network. Around 66% of all men have a Facebook profile and about 76% of all women. Facebook is most popular among individuals between the ages of 18 and 29, and individuals aged between 30 and 49 closely follow this statistic. Most people with a Facebook account have graduated from high school and at least have some college experience. Approximately 75% of people in urban areas, 69% of people in suburban areas and 71% of people in rural areas have a Facebook account.
- Twitter – Approximately 18% of all internet users have a Twitter profile. Approximately 17% of all men and 18% of all women have a Twitter account. The social network is most popular among individuals between the ages of 18 and 29. The majority of Twitter users have some college experience or have graduated from college.
- Instagram – About 17% of internet users are on Instagram. Similar to Facebook and Twitter, the platform is more popular among people between the ages of 18 and 29, and less popular among older individuals. It does seem like most people with an Instagram account have attended college, but many of them haven’t finished a college degree. Most Instagram users seem to originate from urban areas and the majority earn between $30,000 and $49,999 per annum.
These statistics only account for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It is also important to consider Pinterest, LinkedIn, SnapChat and the many other social media networks that exist. These will also be useful if you ever consider offering sponsored blog posts and the addition of sharing details of these posts on your social profiles – you will be able to maximize the value you offer clients.
Create Your Social Presence
After you have determined which social media network would be most appropriate for your brand and the niche you are targeting, then it is time to move on to create your social profiles. You should not start out with too many social networks to target. It’s better to start building your presence on one or two platforms, and then to expand towards other networks as you gain experience – and, of course, a following on the platforms that you started out with.
Raven Tools recommend choosing a custom URL or username that is not too long and that represents your brand. Don’t choose something irrelevant. They also recommend adding a detailed bio and to fill in the “about” section on platforms that allow this. Your website should also be added at the appropriate field and you should include your business hours, as well as your business location if you have physical locations. You also need to add an appropriate, high-quality profile picture and cover photo. These will be two of the first things that visitors see on your profile, so be sure to make a good first impression.
Schedule Your Posts
The next step is to post content on your social media profiles. While it may seem like an easy task, posting the wrong content will have a negative impact on the results you achieve through your social media marketing efforts. You should not only share posts you make on your blog, but also share interesting news and facts about industry-related topics. This will keep your profiles fresh and interesting, while getting followers to join in on the conversation.
You should not only publish posts, but rather determine the best times and then schedule your posts in advance. HubSpot reports that the following times have been found as most appropriate for posting on different social networks. If you make use of social media influencers, then you will also need to take these times into consideration when creating a posting schedule with the influencer.
Saturday and Sunday: Between 12:00 and 13:00
Wednesday: Between 15:00 and 16:00
Thursday and Friday: Between 13:00 and 16:00
Monday to Friday: Between 12:00 and 15:00
Wednesdays: Between 17:00 and 18:00
Wednesday and Thursday: Between 7:30 and 8:30, at 12:00 and between 17:00 and 18:00
Tuesday: Between 10:00 and 11:00
Every day: Between 02:00 and 04:00
Friday: At 17:00
Saturday: Between 20:00 and 23:00
Conclusion
Making social media marketing a priority for driving traffic back to your website or blog can help you gain the advantage, but getting started can be quite difficult. The guide we’ve shared here will help you get started, even if you are a novice at social media marketing. From start to finish, you will learn every step it takes to be successful and avoid doing the common mistakes that often results in disappointment and an ineffective campaign.
Written by: Vivian Michaels, a huge tech enthusiast who likes to write articles on evolving technology and internet marketing.
Add CEOWORLD magazine to your Google News feed.
Follow CEOWORLD magazine headlines on: Google News, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
Copyright 2024 The CEOWORLD magazine. All rights reserved. This material (and any extract from it) must not be copied, redistributed or placed on any website, without CEOWORLD magazine' prior written consent. For media queries, please contact: info@ceoworld.biz
