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Social Media Marketing: The Basics

The number of people who use technology increases annually. Mobile phones, computers, and tablets have become necessary to keep up with social media platforms. Social media platforms are used in various ways, such as checking Twitter for updates on your favorite sports team, looking up recipes on Pinterest, or chatting with family on Facebook.

Using social media platforms is pivotal in finding followers when building a business or a brand. Social media marketing takes time and effort to succeed, but it provides an opportunity to spread the word worldwide. Identifying the target audience, keeping content updated, and interacting with followers are key when promoting a business or brand.

Keep reading to learn more about how to use social media marketing.

Identifying the Target Audience for Social Media Presence

The beginning step is understanding who the business, brand, or service is targeting. Is it targeting children, parents, small-business owners, or another demographic? Researching businesses and brands is a good starting point in identifying the target market. It also helps understand the competition and how they handle their practices, prices, or social engagement. It is always important to keep up with trends and keep content relevant.

Circle dividen by different slices with people on them. One slice is in red and looks like a target.

Keeping Content Updated and relevant.

Knowing about current trends and popular features is crucial to keep content current. Social media platforms are a perfect way to ask questions to customers or see their reactions based on possible products or services. For example, if a business sold funny shirts based on movies, it would be crucial to know what movies are current and would move merchandise the best. Understanding what your followers enjoy and what they’re looking for will assist with promoting the product or service.

Maintaining a Relationship with Current Followers

After establishing a social media presence, engaging with the current followers is very important as it keeps them interested and influences them to share with friends. Some companies have even gone the way of creating a certain persona to handle the social media presence.

An example is Wendy’s, a fast-food restaurant whose mascot is a pale girl with red pigtails who has no patience for any other restaurant. Wendy’s social media marketing is to poke fun at their competitors by proclaiming their food is inferior to Wendy’s. As Wendy’s is a chain, they already have a general following, but they use the character to keep followers interested in their social media accounts.

Social media marketing has become a significant way of keeping in touch with followers. As social media becomes more popular every year, knowing how to market products and services on these platforms is almost necessary to succeed—first, doing the research necessary to understand potential competitors and know the target audience. Second, ensuring that content is updated and relevant to current trends, and third keeping up with the followers and audience gained.

Understanding how to market via social media will take practice and trial and error. However, these basic steps are a good way to build a new business, brand, or product. Interested in learning more about business and marketing? Check out our site!