Social media has never played a more important role in our day-to-day lives. It keeps us connected to our friends and family, but also allows us to stay up to date with the latest news and trends all over the world.

And, in times like these where social distancing and self-isolation have become necessary precautions against a global pandemic, social media has become an integral part of our lives.

Savvy businesses understand the incredible value that social media can add to their marketing strategy.

In the right hands, social media is an incredibly powerful tool that can help connect you and your business to thousands of potential customers. Whether you’re a small business owner looking to promote your brand, a marketing professional who wants to expand your skillset, or an aspiring influencer who wants to master social media marketing, understanding how to use social media to your advantage is an absolute must-have skill in today’s online world.

But don’t expect to become a Social Media Marketing pro overnight. It can take a long time to build up a solid understanding of how to use social media effectively to get the absolute best results.

So, where to start?

What is a social media marketing strategy?

A marketing strategy is what you would call a business’s approach to achieving exposure with their target audience to generate sales.

Your social media marketing strategy is how you intend to use social media to achieve those goals.

A strong social media marketing strategy is an integral part of any modern business. No matter who you are or what you’re selling, in today’s super connected world, you have no excuse for not utilising social media for the incredibly powerful marketing tool that it is!

The trick is finding out what works for your business.

Why is it important to have a social media strategy?

Social media can be a very useful tool when it comes to building your brand’s identity. It can also help build credibility and trust.

The first thing to remember is that your audience does not want to be force-fed ads. They want interesting, authentic, shareable content.

By creating useful and interesting content and sharing it with your audience, you can help build your brand’s identity, while also garnering loyalty from your existing followers and attracting new followers.

You can then work towards turning those followers into customers.

But don’t just post just for the sake of it – your posts will be that much more successful if they contain something valuable to your audience. 

Why is social media used for advertising?

Regular, engaging social media posts will help you to connect with your audience and let them know about important updates, such as a new blog post, new products, an upcoming sale, or anything else relevant to your business.

In this way, social media posts will help drive targeted traffic – whether you want your customers to visit your website or your bricks-and-mortar store.

How much does it cost to run a social media advertising campaign?

At the same time, social media marketing can be great value for money – even better than Google AdWords.

No matter your budget – whether you’re a sole trader looking to promote your own small business, or a professional working for a large company – you can spend as little or as much as you want on a social media marketing campaign.

Whether your chosen platform is Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pintrest or any other social media site, you can control what your weekly spend is.

What are the 4 Ps of social media marketing?

The four Ps are: product, price, promotion and place.

It goes without saying that before you embark on your exciting social media marketing strategy, you will need to have a product (tangible or otherwise) and a price at which to sell it.

After you’ve determined your product and your price, you will need to promote it. Part of the promotion process will encompass your social media marketing strategy. Via your chosen channels, you will seek to promote the product to relevant audiences, and turn your followers into paying customers.

Place refers to not only where you will be advertising your product, but also when. When we’re talking about a social media strategy, the time of day you post is just as important as choosing the right platform.

This differs between platforms and demographics, so it’s important to do your research beforehand to maximise your reach.

Where can I learn more about social media marketing?

Open Colleges has teamed up with industry leaders Social Media College (SMC) to bring you the Social Media Strategy Short Course. This short online course is designed to give you the skills and knowledge to excel at social media marketing, whether you’re looking to promote your own small business, or if you work within part of a marketing team for a larger company.

If you’re ready to level up your social media marketing skills, then click here.