Social media marketing refers to the use of various social media sites and platforms to advertise a service or a product. Although the traditional terms like digital advertising and e-marketing are more dominant in academic circles, social media marketing has become much more prominent for researchers and practitioners alike. With an estimated 600 million users on Facebook alone, social media marketing may very well set new benchmarks for online advertising. This kind of marketing has definitely opened doors to new opportunities and better ways of making and generating revenue.
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There are many ways to boost conversions using social media, but all fall under three main rules. The first rule is to make sure that you have a clear and concise call to action. The second rule is to always offer something free. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, it is important to have a relevant, up-to-date piece of content on your page that will encourage followers to take action.
Building a targeted audience for your product is essential to success. You will not receive nearly as many potential customers if your target audience cannot access your page. One way to target your audience is to join various social networks; by doing so, you will be able to find out who your ideal customers are. Facebook, for example, is an excellent place to start; although Twitter and YouTube are also excellent avenues to reach out to your target audience.
There are other platforms on which you can market your products, but these are the biggest two. However, there are growing numbers of small and medium-sized businesses that are choosing to go beyond social media marketing by creating their own platforms or purchasing marketing rights to use other platforms. YouTube is a great example of a platform that is starting to rival the well-known search engine, Google. Unlike Google, YouTube does not show search results directly; therefore, it acts as a bridge between search engine users and buyers. The same goes for Twitter, a Twitter-owned platform.
There are many different ways to utilize social media marketing, but the bottom line is that you must be consistent with your efforts. It may seem tempting to try and hype up your campaign on one social network, only to see that it does not meet your expectations. The best thing to do is to be consistent with your social media marketing efforts. After all, no one wants to start off on the wrong foot. Instead of waiting for users to catch on to your marketing efforts on a particular platform, start promoting your business everywhere!
For example, if you set up a Facebook fan page, try to post messages on every available social media outlet, including those that do not belong to you. For example, post on your personal Facebook page, as well as on your company’s page, your blog, and even your Tumbler (a type of mobile app). This will help increase the number of followers and engage them in a way that is more likely to turn into a sale. If you own a YouTube channel, make announcements about your channel on other channels, as well as uploading promotional videos (like those associated with your brand’s products or services). Finally, ensure that your social media management platform has enough engagement-type features to allow you to add videos to your channel quickly and easily.