Social media marketing has become an integral part of digital marketing today. Social media plays a key role when it comes to increasing brand awareness and expanding the customer base. Moreover, luckily for business owners today, there exists a massive range of social media platforms to choose from.
Research by Fortune has found that 97 percent of Fortune 500 companies use social media marketing. It mentions how it allows businesses to have a targeted reach, encourages brand community growth, and is increasingly cost-effective.
With the above in mind, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t ditch your conventional social media marketing methods and go up a notch this year. This article will discuss what you should stop, start, and continue to do in 2021 with social media marketing.
Strategies that are no longer effective
You need to eliminate ineffective past strategies to make room for more efficient ones. Not only will this help you focus on what’s relevant, but you’ll also have a structured, realistic marketing plan. For instance, if you’ve been using the same email marketing strategy for years now, it might be time to make some changes!
If you’re confused about which strategies to potentially discard from your marketing plan, consider our list below:
Unoriginal correspondence
To make the most out of your social media marketing, you must avoid unoriginal correspondence. You need to make sure it’s organic and has an authentic feel to it. Posting unauthentic content will put off your customer and not differentiate your brand from others.
Your correspondence with customers on social media needs to be engaging, so make sure you don’t sound repetitive or use the same hashtags over and over again. Own up who you are and what you stand for as a brand, and reach out to your customers personally on your social media platforms. For example, respond to their direct messages (DMs), etc.
People appreciate something unique, so don’t be afraid to adopt an out-of-the-box approach. Moreover, if you’re sharing content from external sources on your pages, make sure you incorporate your own company’s content to create a balance.
Acquiring followers by following everyone
Following everyone on social media to gain the maximum number of followers may seem like a tempting ordeal, but it’s certainly not a wise one. It’s important for business owners not to attach their brand’s worth to the number of followers on their social media pages. Instead of merely focusing on the number of followers, ask yourself who is following you.
In 2021, consider going beyond vanity metrics and focus on having followers that appreciate your brand. Think about acquiring followers organically by effective social media marketing. For instance, consider including links to quality guest posts on your social media platforms. Instead of having them follow you back just because you followed them, focus on having them follow you because your content speaks to them on a personal level.
3 strategies you should start implementing
If you’re looking to add a unique touch to your social media game, there are several strategies you can implement. Not only will they enhance your brand image, but they’ll help you increase your ROI (return on investment) as well once customer purchases start flowing in!
Here are three strategies you should consider implementing:
Virtual and augmented reality
Incorporating virtual and augmented reality (AR) has become an increasingly popular social media strategy. Take Snapchat as an example. The app first started this trend, with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Tik Tok following its lead. They all have their unique lenses, stunning filters, and effects.
Virtual and augmented reality has become a distinctive source of branding and entertainment for many brand owners. Research by Emarketer found that in the year 2020, a massive 43.7 million people were predicted to use social channels with augmented reality.
Virtual and AR is on the rise, and the graph below demonstrates US social network AR users between 2018-2022:
Source: eMarketer
Moreover, social platforms that offer users virtual and augmented reality are also beneficial for businesses next year as they can be used for cause-related awareness.
Ephemeral content
Ephemeral content can prove to be an effective social media strategy. It incites a feeling of FOMO (fear of missing out) and can lead to increased customer engagement. For instance, stories on Facebook or Instagram that only last 24 hours can make people want to view them before disappearing.
Ephemeral content makes viewers excited about your content. Some types of ephemeral content include, but are not limited to, announcing products, tutorials, offering customers flash sales and discounts, etc.
Get as creative as you can, but make sure the content is aligned with your overall brand image. To get your social media team onboard with your ideas, you can use a webinar.
Social commerce
Social commerce is a term used to explain buying on social media platforms. It offers customers a more personalized experience and merges in eCommerce with social media. Moreover, it also increases brand awareness as satisfied customers are likely to share your products on their pages or give positive reviews.
Social media is where content goes viral, and social commerce is your way to get there. An example of social commerce can be Facebook business retail stores.
Social commerce won’t only give you consistent audience growth this year, but it will also lead to higher search engine rankings.
Consider the image below:
Source: dignitasdigital
Furthermore, to understand your customers’ buying journey better, consider developing a digital marketing funnel.
You should also execute these strategies in 2021
If you’re looking for new strategies to execute this year, we’ve got you covered. Below we will examine some strategies that can boost your social media game and help you gain a solid standing in the market you operate in.
Personalization
Personalization refers to targeting specific content to customers who will find it most useful. It’s tailored to individual customers and is not generic, making customers value it more.
Some advantages of personalized content for social media include increased social media engagement. Research has found that around 56 percent of people experience an increase in customer engagement as a result of personalized marketing.
Not only will you gain a loyal customer base, but you’ll also be able to generate more leads, which will boost conversion rates. Your ROI (return on investment) will also increase as a result. It’s a win-win situation!
Video marketing
Many people prefer seeing a video to reading text- and this is where video marketing will help you this year. Short, interactive videos with appealing visual elements are hugely appreciated by customers and can make your content stand out.
Research from Forbes states that a massive 90 percent of customers believe that video influences their buying decisions.
Consider the image below:
Source: Videoworks
Need we say more?
Conclusion
As an entrepreneur, you need to measure your social media marketing strategies every year and see how you can improve them. With competition on the rise today, it’s pivotal for companies to keep up with the latest trends so that they don’t fall behind.
Whether it’s AR, ephemeral content, or video marketing you choose, for instance, you have to ensure the content you put out via these channels is true to your brand. Don’t be afraid to let go of any social media marketing strategies that ceased to work for you and change them if need be.
