How Does Social Media Support an Organisations Marketing Strategy?

Social Media Marketing (SMM) is the practice of using social media platforms to connect with customers, build a brand and drive revenue. As social media usage grows globally through the development of mobile devices, businesses have the ability to drive sales from specific customers (Hayes, 2022).

Global information on mobile, internet and social media usage. 

                                                                      

A paid social media campaign leverages external marketing activities on social media channels that support pay per click (PPC) advertising. This offers improved targeting of the audience, delivering the message quicker and increases the frequency an individual is exposed to the message. (Coleman, 2021).

The Five Pillars of Social Media Marketing

For a campaign to be successful it needs to be well planned and creative. The 5 pillars of social media marketing are steps a company should take for a successful SMM campaign (Sengupta, 2022).

 

5 Pillars of Social Media Marketing

 Strategy

A SMM campaign needs to set out SMART goals. One of the advantages of social media advertising is having improved segmentation and targeting of the audience based on shared interests (Coleman, 2021). The right strategy allows for optimised advertising efforts to meet the customer’s needs.

2.     Planning and Publishing

Having a monthly content calendar allows a company to be aware of important dates that drive engagement and create a posting schedule around that.

3.     Listening & Engagement

Social media allows for engagement with the audience. The additional level of targeting paid advertising offers, allows you to isolate the ideal customers and create a tailored marketing message that will resonate with them and create a high level of engagement (digitaldot, N.D.).

4.     Analytics

Social media allows for performance tracking through measuring likes, shares, new followers, etc.

5.     Advertising

Advertising on social media has become essential in any digital marketing strategy, with Hootsuite estimating that $173 billion was spent on it in 2022. The reason for its popularity is that it is more cost effective at targeting competitor’s audience than through using search means. PPC is believed to yield 200% ROI (McCormick, 2023).

Content That Connects With the Audience

The primary aim of SMM is to establish a connection between the brand and audience. Content can influence people to not only make a purchase but also become brand ambassadors and feel part of a community (Godot Media, 2020). With paid advertising the content will gain more exposure, which in turn leads to more followers (digitaldot, N.D.).

Sticky Content refers to the content that customers spend most time consuming. It is engaging and appeals to the user with the aim of them making a purchase or encouraging them to share the content. With an estimated 615 million devices having ad blocker software (Carter, N.D.) and customers being exposed to so many adverts, it is now more important than ever for companies to build brand affinity and keep valuable customers who come back for more.

Viral Marketing aims to produce rapid word of mouth and can appeal to a new, larger audience through greater engagement and a boost in conversation. This can be done on a fairly low budget, as it does not require a big production budget, it all about catching the attention of the internet (Baker, 2022).

Earned media is exposure that comes from customer created content. This includes reviews, shares, reposts or mentions. Customers find it easier to trust a customer review than traditional marketing messages from the company itself. Through the targeting benefits of a SMM advertising campaigns you are more likely to engage with the right customer who will vouch for your brand and act as an ambassador.

Social media marketing is an extremely effective way of building a brand whether it’s a small or large business.  It has the ability to cut through other digital advertising through extreme targeting which ensures the right message gets to the right customers. In turn producing a positive relationship with the audience and ensures a good ROI.

 

References

Baker, K. (2022), The Ultimate Guide to Viral Campaigns, Hubspot (Online). Available at https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/viral-campaigns (Accessed 21/05/23)

Carter, R. (N.D.), Sticking with you: Captivating audiences with sticky content marketing, Fabrik (Online). Available at https://fabrikbrands.com/sticky-content-marketing/ (Accessed 21/05/23)

Coleman, B. (2021), Paid Social Media: Worth The Investment?, Hubspot (Online). Available at https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/paid-social-media (Accessed 16/07/23)

Digitaldot (N.D.), Top benefits of paid social media advertising (Online), digitaldot. Available at https://digitaldot.com/top-benefits-of-paid-social-media-advertising/ (Accessed 15/07/23)

Hayes, A. (2023), Social Media Marketing (SMM): What it is, How it works, Pros and Cons (Online), Investopia. Available at https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/social-media-marketing-smm.asp#:~:text=Social%20media%20marketing%20also%20has%20the%20benefit%20of%20being%20broad,content%20along%20to%20non%2Dcustomers. (Accessed 20/05/23)

Kemp, S. (2022), Digital 2022: July Global Statshot Report, Datareportal (Online). Available at https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2022-july-global-statshot (Accessed 23/05/23)

McCabe, A. (2022), What is Social Media Marketing & What are the Benefits?, Hurree (Online). Available at https://blog.hurree.co/social-media-marketing-benefits (Accessed 25/05/23)

Patel, N. (N.D.), What Is Social Media Marketing?, Neil Patel (Online). Available at https://neilpatel.com/what-is-social-media-marketing/ (Accessed 23/05/23)

Sengupta, A. (2022), What are the 5 Pillars of Social Media Marketing?, Tutorialspoint (Online). Available at https://www.tutorialspoint.com/what-are-the-5-pillars-of-social-media-marketing (Accessed 25/05/23)

Troncoso, D. J. (2022), The Importance of Earned Media in Your Digital Marketing Strategy, Divvy (Online). Available at https://divvyhq.com/content-marketing/the-importance-of-earned-media-in-your-digital-marketing-strategy/#:~:text=Earned%20media%20is%20vital%20in,it%20is%20unbiased%20and%20real. (Accessed 22/05/23)

Van Tolentino, J. (N.D.), Social Media Marketing: Everything You Need to Know!, Muggtech (Online). Available at https://muggtech.com/social-media-marketing/ (Accessed 28/05/23)