Social media marketing is an affordable, nimble way to demonstrate what your business does and how well you do it. It gives you the chance to flex your expertise and to be the go-to info source for friends and followers. If you do that well, they are inclined to alert their friends and followers, in turn, which grows your audience as your tips, tricks and posts get shared.
Social media is where your followers and prospects go for answers, news and entertainment. They consult social media to shop, research and problem-solve.
According to Pew Research Center, this how social media use breaks out by age group on Facebook and Instagram:
Age Range Use Facebook Use Instagram
18-28 years old 79% 67%
30-49 years old 79% 47%
50-64 years old 68% 23%
65+ 46% 8%
Pew Research further explains that 51% of all Facebook users check the platform several times daily, while 23% check it at least once daily. In the same way, Pew Research finds that 42% of Instagram users check their accounts multiple times over the course of a day, while 21% check it about once daily.
Your clients and prospects are on social media. If you haven’t created your social media presence there and cultivated your strategy, it’s a savvy move to do so.
Erika Klein, President and Founder of Social Butterfly Social Media Management Services, shares the basics on how to get a social media marketing campaign off the ground.
Why social?
EHM: Why do you think social media marketing is powerful? What do you think your clients find most meaningful about employing a social media marketing strategy to promote their businesses?
EK: Social media marketing allows you to reach, connect and interact with your audience in a way that you can’t achieve through your website, email marketing, print marketing, etc. Businesses have the opportunity to be a positive, consistent presence in the social feeds of people, companies and organizations that can help grow their businesses.
EHM: What do you think is the most common misconception about social media marketing?
EK: Social media marketing is a marathon not a sprint. It is so much more than just getting the phone to ring. It is about building relationships and being a consistent presence. That way, when someone needs your services or products, they will think of your business.
Getting started-common client concerns
EHM: What’s the best way for a client to get started in their social media marketing efforts?
EK: Every business should have a Facebook business page. Start with Facebook and then grow to include Instagram, LinkedIn and perhaps Twitter. Start on Facebook by consistently posting 3 times per week. Post content that you think your audience would find interesting and engage with. Be unique. Provide value with everything that you post. Grow your fan base organically at first by inviting your Facebook family and friends to like your page. Then run targeted page promotions to grow your fan base locally.
EHM: What’s the most common question you get? What do you frequently find yourself explaining to clients?
EK: I answer a lot of questions about Facebook Ads. These questions often involve the results that Facebook Ads generate. For instance, if there is a button within a Facebook Ad, Facebook tracks the number of times that button was clicked while the ad was running, but they do not track any actions taken after that button was clicked or who clicked that button.
EHM: What’s the most common worry that clients have about social media marketing?
EK: I think most business owners are worried about the reputation of their business online. They are concerned about negative reviews, comments, messages, etc.
Social media marketing goals
EHM: Do you have specific goals that you encourage your clients to pursue?
EK: I encourage all Social Butterfly clients to send us regularly (or post on their own) content that is specific to their business and area. This can include photos from events, employee spotlights, local news, events attended or hosted, short videos, reviews and testimonials. We always say, “send us what you have, and we’ll find a place to use it!”. Our goal for 2019 is to have all Social Butterfly clients on Instagram.
EHM: What is the goal of social media marketing? What does it help clients achieve?
EK: Our goal at Social Butterfly is to help small business owners create a digital footprint through social media that not only helps grow their business but also connect and engage with their customers and clients in a way that is not possible through traditional marketing efforts. We want to take the job of social media marketing off their plate so they can do what they do best – run their business. We become the eyes and ears of their social presence – growing their audiences, monitoring for all activity and sharing engaging, useful content on a consistent basis.
Reporting
EHM: How do you demonstrate impact to clients? How does reporting work?
EK: We pride ourselves on being consultants for our clients. We truly want our clients to maximize the social media services they receive from us. Each month we analyze the results from the previous month services performed and we share those results with our clients in a social report. We also will give our feedback on where we think we can make improvements for the next month of services and what we need from our clients to achieve those results. We try to make each relationship a partnership so that clients can see that Social Butterfly has their back and best interests at heart.