Is Social Media Marketing right for my business?
The big question for any small (or not so small!) business
Social media marketing is a great way to reach people and social media advertising can be very targeted, which makes it the ideal way to promote your business. It works brilliantly as part of a broader marketing campaign and can generate website traffic, sales leads, and grow the profile of your small to medium sized business.
But first…strategy
Any marketing activity should first begin with a strategy - what is your goal, who is your target audience, where do they spend time, and how can you best reach them? You may also have different messages for different audiences.
There is no one-size fits all here, the best return on investment will come from taking the time to understand who you are selling to. For example, retirement homes wouldn't have much success with Instagram marketing, as the 60+ audience doesn't spend time there. They are the one audience that is still using Facebook however!
Often people spend a lot of time and money creating a social media profile that is totally off target, aimed at the wrong audience and saying the wrong things. If you don't get it right, you're wasting time and money.
How much will it cost?
Social Media Marketing encompasses several things: creating content (which may need photography, film, copywriting, graphic design) planning and scheduling posts, community management which includes responding to comments and enquiries, gathering leads for sales team, and then running the social media advertising which also includes a creative side - the design of ad artwork - as well as a very technical side in the planning and managing campaigns and reporting and refining these constantly.
Then you'll need to add some budget for ad spend with the relevant media channel eg Meta (Facebook/Instagram). Here, simply put the more you spend, the more people you can reach but of course there are other factors that need to be considered..
Unfortunately there's a misconception that social media is free but the days of organic reach are over and businesses will need to invest in adverts to reach their audience.
Top Tips:
Firstly, define your target audience, where they spend time, and what your key messaging is.
Don't rely on social media alone - it is just one part of a holistic marketing strategy that should also include other marketing activities.
Don't underestimate the time involved, a lot of work goes into running a successful social media marketing campaign, so if you're doing it in-house make sure the person responsible is given the time and resources they need, or if you outsource, invest in a team who knows what they're doing.
Don't let it die! Even if you don't have time to consistently manage your social media account, having posts that are out of date doesn't instill confidence in your brand.
Social media is rapidly changing, it's a very interesting time right now! So always keep evaluating what you're doing and what's working best for your business. And don't be afraid to have some fun!
