Social Media Marketing
Amplify Your Digital Marketing Impact
Are You Properly Using Social Media? The Answer May Surprise You!
What is Social Media Marketing?
According to Investopedia, “Social media marketing (SMM) is the use of social media websites and social networks to market a company’s products and services.” But there is much more to it than this impersonal, literal definition.
In short, effective SMM is about first understanding which platforms your target audience uses most, then, connecting with them by creating relevant, custom-tailored content for each social media platform you choose. This helps you build meaningful connections and drives user engagement and social sharing.
There are two distinct aspects to social media marketing (1) posting and (2) advertising. There are also multiple social media platforms. Each has its own dynamic from a management perspective, and some are more useful to your business than others.
Since definitions of what social media marketing entails can vary, so here’s our take on the subject:
Posting
Social media posting is the process of creating highly engaging content. The creativity is in both the ideas for engagement as well as the production of images, messages, and videos. The content, format, and posting frequency must appropriate for the platform. For example, users of LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook have very different expectations.
Advertising
Social media advertising is the strategy, creation, and management of the advertising on each advertising platform. See digital advertising for more information on Ocean 5 programs.
Social Media Engagement
Engagement is one metric used on social media platforms to measure the interaction with posts and other content. A crucial part of engagement is interaction in a social media conversation.
Social Media Conversation
Another type of engagement is a social media conversation with someone who has reacted to one of your posts.
Social Media Platforms
Primary platforms include LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We also consider Google My Business, Yelp, and other industry-specific platforms under our broader definition of social media.
Which Social Media Platform is Right for Your Organization?
Talk to one of our experts today!
Why Use Social Media?
Social media for businesses is a great way to amplify existing marketing programs. It is an opportunity to engage existing clients beyond a transactional relationship. It shows a different, less formal, side to your company.
Social media gives you opportunities to showcase your success stories, find new employees, and build your online brand. Some platforms, such as Google My Business and Yelp are hugely influential with many audiences because of their reviews. Creativity and interactions make social media, well, social. Your customized content must be engaging and relevant enough to make your audience want to share it!
Social Media Marketing Challenges
There are three challenges most companies face when starting a social media marketing program.
- Keeping up a consistent posting schedule
- Creating exciting posts with images and video that drive engagement
- Building a content plan that integrates with the overall marketing objectives
As an extension to an existing digital marketing program, an Ocean 5 social media program will resolve all of these challenges.
Ocean 5 will help you make the right choices for your business and implement them with ease.
Included in Our Social Media Marketing Programs
Initial Audit
We will review your existing social media activities and undertake competitor evaluation to establish benchmarks for your program.
Social Media Strategy
We will work with you to create a social media content plan that aligns with your marketing goals and objectives.
Account Set-Up/Optimization
For existing social media accounts, we will optimize the profile and prepare the groundwork for future posting. Where required, we will create a social media profile for you.
Posting Schedule
The plan will include a posting schedule that aligns with other marketing activities. Blog posts, advertising, tradeshow, holiday events, and other campaigns can be amplified through social media.
Creative Posts
We will create attractive posts, graphics, and videos to engage your target audience.
Metrics
We will measure the impact your social media investment is having on your business through our social media dashboard.
Review
Our social media account manager will review the program’s performance with you regularly and discuss future posting activities.
“Combining creativity and clarity, the final outcome was impressive. The feedback we received was uniformly positive and the resulting inquiries made the investment worthwhile.”