How Much Do You Know About Social Media Marketing?
If you’re reading this article, you likely feel one of two ways. Either you’re new to Tyler social media and you’re interested in finding out how to use it for your business, or you’ve worked with another social media agency and you’re frustrated. You didn’t get what you expected and you’re not sure if it’s just social media Tyler or if that agency misrepresented their abilities.
This article takes a hard look at practices that lead to failure or success. We’ll look at what makes one social media Tyler campaign a huge triumph and the other a waste of time and money. Read on to discover the difference between effective, revenue-generating social media marketing and Tyler social media efforts doomed to fail.
What Exactly is Social Media Marketing?
Social Media Marketing is an ongoing process that brings your business traffic using social media channels. It could involve sharing brief updates on Twitter, posting live video or comments on Facebook, or using engaging images to inspire your Instagram audience. Social media Tyler also includes activity on Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube and any other channel you choose for interaction.
Does Social Media Marketing Actually Generate ROI?
It depends. Almost all brands are using social media, but not everyone is seeing the results they hope for. Tyler social media is different than in other markets. Some brands quickly develop a huge following of users who devour everything they post. Consumers share content with their friends because they feel so strongly about it and buy product regularly. They can’t get enough.
Other brands go all in, creating messages to promote products and services almost around the clock. They pour money into ads thinking if you post it, they will come. They throw everything they can think of at social media, hoping something will stick.
One by one, their user’s unfriend, unfollow and unsubscribe. They conclude social media marketing or at least Tyler social media doesn’t work.
Related Article: Facebook Pixel Implementation Guide
Why Tyler Social Media Matters
Social media is the most rapidly expanding trend ever.
It’s growing even faster than the Internet. In 1991, the World Wide Web officially opened to the public, and in 1995 it became accessible to commercial traffic in the U.S. By 2005, in just 10 years it attracted a billion users.
Let’s compare that to the growth of social media. Mark Zuckerberg made Facebook accessible to anyone older than 13 with an email address in September of 2006. Facebook alone had more than 2 billion users by the end of 2017. Social media marketing targets a wide audience because of these statistics:
- One in every four humans and 62 percent of North Americans have a Facebook account. Social media Tyler reflects similar percentages.
- Three-quarters of male Internet users have Facebook, along with 83 percent of female users.
- 81 percent of millennials check Twitter at least once daily.
- Snapchat reaches 41 percent of individuals between 18 to 34 every single day, and everyday users watch 10 billion videos
Related Article: How Your Blog and Social Media Management Work Together
Eighty percent of the time people are on social media, they’re accessing it using a mobile device. That’s what makes social media marketing so effective. Some of them are online right this minute, and if you’re not present on their channel, you’re missing out.
They’re out in Tyler looking for their next meal, next purchase, next vehicle. Social media marketing catches them when they’ve already entered the sales funnel and are ready to commit.
The numbers are staggering. More than half of Facebook users access it multiple times a day, and other channels show a similar voracity for interaction. While there are several reasons Facebook shouldn’t replace your website, social media marketing is a crucial aspect of your online presence.
It’s About Social Proof
You know what happens in East Texas when there’s a new restaurant. If people have had a positive experience with the franchise elsewhere, as soon as the doors open the place is packed.
When you drive by weeks later and notice there’s still no room to park, you conclude they must have good food and decide to try it in the near future. Business creates more business.
If you see empty spaces you decide there must be something wrong and cross it off your list of potential dining choices. Failure begets more failure.
That’s social proof. It powerfully influences people to pay attention. Think about the last time you scrolled through your Tyler social media account. Posts with a high number of likes, shares and comments piqued your curiosity and made you want to know more.
Word of Mouth Has Changed
Referrals are the best way to get new customers, no matter what business you’re in. An old adage says dissatisfied customers tell 13 people how unhappy they are and happy clients tell two. That concept still true, but social media has extended peoples’ ability to communicate their perceptions exponentially.
Reviews used to happen face to face. For example, let’s say Sue and George fell in love. Each of them has a considerable amount of money, and children from previous relationships. They feel like they want a prenuptial agreement and to work on their wills, but neither of them knows someone in locally who can help.
Sue calls a friend she remembers went through a difficult family situation and receives glowing recommendations for a local firm. George makes some phone calls to check references and the couple selects an attorney.
If they have a good experience, when someone later asks for a referral, they offer it. If they’re dissatisfied, they can only complain to people they know.
The whole process takes a long time and moves slowly. Sue and George may never be asked about their experience, so referral activity may stop with them.
Social Media Management Done Right
Tyler Social Media Transforms Decision Making
Social media is more than social proof on steroids, it’s a whole new animal. Consumer buying habits are changing drastically, and it’s happened almost overnight. Tyler social media influences buying every day.
Now before Sue and George even realize they need an attorney, they see social media interactions and form impressions. They search online for local representation, check reviews, and use them to narrow down their list.
They comb social media pages to read about actual experiences from previous clients. They might write a “looking for recommendations” post on their own page, allowing friends to chime in.
Last year a survey showed 88 percent of consumers feel online reviews have as much weight as personal recommendations. In 2017 consumers read more reviews than in previous years, with the majority reading at least six before being willing to commit. Social media Tyler reflects the same trends.
When consumers see friends, associates and influencers interact with your brand, it acts as social proof. If your brand is poorly represented or absent on social media, the lack of interaction is like that empty restaurant parking lot. Consumers think you must be doing something wrong.
Whether your business has a social media marketing strategy or not, social proof affects your business growth. The organizations that grow by leaps and bounds will be the ones who invest in every aspect of their online presence, often by hiring a professional social media agency.
Related Article: Why You Need a Social Media Management Strategy
4 Types of Social Proof
Social media has made possible these types of social proof:
- Expert social proof – Your business might create content like articles, whitepapers, blog posts or downloadable material that shows your in-depth knowledge of your industry and share them using social media.
- Celebrity/influencer endorsements – When someone famous or with a wide audience interacts with your brand on social media, it motivates conversions.
- Social proof offered by users – As people see video or photos of others using your brand, they want to be a part of the trend.
- Data that reflects popularity – When your social media post has a high number of likes, shares, views or comments, each one acts as a vote in your favor.
An effective social media agency knows how to synergize conversations between users and brands to leverage social proof and turn it into revenue.
Related Article: How To Use Social Media Marketing For Word of Mouth Referrals
Other Benefits of Social Media Tyler Done Right
Social proof influences profits, but that isn’t the only reason your business needs a strategy carefully implemented by the right social media agency. Spade Design’s clients report these additional benefits:
- Improved brand awareness
- Dramatically increased inbound site traffic
- Higher search engine rankings
- Increased conversion rates
- Happier customers
Social media is one of the most cost-effective ways to reach clients who would otherwise never hear of your brand. Every post acts as a gateway to your website, an invitation to see what you have to offer.
People are naturally curious. When they click through to your page, if what they find is engaging, bounce rates drop and on-page time increases. Your site climbs with search engines.
When you rank on the first page with Google and Bing, you experience more traffic online and in person. As you interact with customers on social media they receive the information and access that makes them feel valued. They like, comment and share, offering further social proof.
Sounds great, you say, but it can’t possibly be that easy. You’re absolutely correct – successful Tyler social media requires extensive background knowledge and a tireless commitment, and the wrong approach can do more harm than good.
Related Article: How To Use Facebook’s Text Animations – Facebook Text Delight
Why Bad Social Media Marketing is Worse than None at All
East Texas has several firms that list social media agency as one of their roles. If they don’t have proven experience successfully managing the social media Tyler accounts of their clients, your investment might not just waste money, it could harm your reputation.
Social media itself is new and continually evolving. It’s easy to find an agency that has been producing effective business cards, brochures, TV commercials and billboards for decades.
They may have recently added social media marketing to their lists because their clients recognize the potential, but calling themselves a social media agency doesn’t mean they have experience managing successful campaigns.
Social media marketing requires constant adjustment. Facebook’s most recent algorithm change derailed campaigns for companies across the United States as the channel started prioritizing “meaningful social interactions,” promoting conversations over public content from businesses. Success requires a social media agency that stays on top of trends and is ready to go back to the drawing board any time your business’s campaign requires modification.
There are also freelancers willing to work for extremely low prices. Anyone with an Internet connection can claim the ability to manage your campaign, but they may not have the tools necessary to implement a robust strategy or the understanding of what makes social media marketing a success.
A bad social media agency or freelancers might crank out impersonal content for your social media accounts, post just for the sake of keywords, share material inappropriate for your brand or fail to optimize profiles and pages. Why pay a social media agency to harm your online reputation?
Related Article: How to Create a Social Media Posting Schedule
How to Lose More Than Money
At its core, social media is about building relationships. Efforts that focus on accomplishing any other goal alienate the very people you’re trying to attract.
The wrong type of communication doesn’t just cost sales, it hands your potential clients to your competitor. Here’s how to ruin relationships:
- Use slang improperly. If your brand is cutting-edge and your tone is youthful and lighthearted, slang might be appropriate, but if you’re using words you heard your teenager say in an attempt to be relevant, users will roll their eyes just like she would.
- Lack personality. People want to see your company as more than just a logo. You can still be professional and tell your brand’s story. Proving your expertise doesn’t mean you have to communicate like a machine. If images aren’t charismatic users will keep scrolling and if the content isn’t targeted at user personas, it won’t be read by anyone.
- Use humor incorrectly. Funny is hard to define. If you hire the wrong professional to manage your social media accounts, they could spark outrage if their attempt at humor conveys even a hint of discrimination or disrespect. If you force humor or insult your audience, you alienate users. Making light of tragic current events could do irreparable damage to your reputation.
- Don’t reply to customers. When the goal is building relationships, engagement is essential. Ignoring questions and comments is bad customer service.
You’ve seen companies that post only promotional materials. Before long, you tune them out. If they start to clutter up your feed, you seek ways to remove them from view. The money they pour into advertising doesn’t just go to waste, it sets your teeth on edge every time you see their logo.
Avoid this by offering users value to build relationships. Before you start launch a campaign, have a plan to measure success. Get with an expert to identify the right metrics so you can quantify engagement and provide more of what resonates with your audience.
Common Social Media Marketing Mistakes (And What Real Experts Do Instead)
When people say social media doesn’t work, it’s usually because they’re making one of the following mistakes:
- Not having a strategy – Posting sporadically or just sharing ads isn’t having a plan, it’s shooting blindly. An expert social media agency develops a strategy that involves measurable goals, a dedicated budget, a plan that outlines the steps necessary to meet each goal and regular progress monitoring based on data.
- Failing to identify your target audience – Every aspect of each campaign should start with the user. Success starts with identifying key demographics along with their pain points, needs and goals to develop a persona. Recognize every social media platform is unique and tailor interactions for each individually. If you only have the budget to manage one or two accounts, don’t spread yourself too thin.
- Dealing with negative feedback the wrong way – Some brands panic when they see criticism and respond defensively or by making excuses. Experts use negative feedback to start conversations and show customers you take them seriously. Negative comments highlight areas for potential improvement.
- Posting spam or only promotional materials – If everything you post is about your products, your charity work and your events, that doesn’t build relationships. Offer high-quality content that shows users you care about what they care about.
- Posting just to post or posting infrequently – It’s always about quality, not quantity. It’s better to only occasionally post content of high value to your audience than to constantly show up in their feed with unrelated memes and puppy pictures. Find out what interests your audience and create a posting schedule that helps you systematically offer meaningful interaction.
A bad social media agency or freelancer makes mistakes because they don’t know how to create, execute and modify marketing strategies. There’s so much competition, so much noise online you don’t just need a good agency, you need a great one.
Related Article: How Your Blog and Social Media Management Work Together
Evaluating A Tyler Social Media Agency – How to Find the Right One
Many East Texas entrepreneurs are too busy running their business to implement social media campaigns, monitor key performance indicators and constantly adjust for greater engagement, so they look for help.
You don’t just want a social media agency with the analytics to communicate results. Effective social media Tyler is about finding the agency that provides the right fit. Just like successful campaigns start with understanding the user, you want the professional creating that campaign to start by understanding your company.
They Can Speak With Your Brand’s Voice
If you run a coffee shop downtown that serves as a gathering place for young professionals and has a trendy, energetic vibe, that tone should be reflected in social media marketing. One team might be technically capable of producing appropriate social media marketing content, but not be able to capture the feel of your brand.
If you’re a cardiologist or therapist, your tone is more compassionate and professional. The tone used for the coffee shop could cause you to sound flippant or inexperienced. The right social media agency will have a team capable of articulating your words in a way that represents your brand.
Tyler social media also requires understanding your business objectives. Choose a social media agency that asks as many questions about you as you have about them. Good ones have been in business long enough they don’t have to take on every potential client, they’re more concerned about finding the right fit.
They Have a Plan for Measuring Success
There’s so much more to evaluating social media marketing success than counting likes and shares. Metrics to watch include:
- Reach – How widespread was your Tyler social media campaign?
- Growth – How many new individuals chose to follow you?
- Engagement – Did your amount of views, likes, comments etc. go up?
- Site traffic – How much more website traffic did you receive because of your social media marketing campaign?
- Leads – How many new leads came from each platform?
Social media Tyler takes time to yield results, but an experienced social media agency has a plan for measuring those results each step of the way.
Related Article: How to Use SMART Goals To Improve Your Marketing
They Have Experience In Your Industry
If you manufacture tires, it doesn’t make sense to hire a company who represents mostly spas and fitness facilities. The more experience a Tyler social media firm has with businesses similar to your own, the better they can understand your needs.
You Communicate Well With Each Other
Go with your gut on this one. When you meet with the social media marketing company you’re considering, do you have a rapport with the person who will be your main point of contact? Do they use language you can understand and respond knowledgeably when you use jargon specific to your industry?
Do they reply within a reasonable timeframe when you call or email? Do you feel like they show both respect and excitement at the possibility of working together?
Ask how the social media agency will keep you updated on goals and progress and find out how frequently you can expect to hear from them.
They Monitor Trends
Tyler social media is about what’s happening right now. That changes by the minute. Experts stay on top of what’s happening in the community, the nation and the world to keep you ahead of the curve.
They know what hashtags are at the top and how to use them to gain Instagram followers. They write tweets that stand out and make you a leader on Pinterest instead of an imitator.
They’re constantly adjusting what you offer based on key performance indicators. They’ll help you create content based on trends, share that content on social media, then use the resulting data to drive future posts. Each action helps you spiral closer to success.
They Know Value Doesn’t Mean Cheap
A social media agency with rock-bottom prices may offer poor quality. The word “value” doesn’t mean inexpensive, it means worth the money. When evaluating Tyler social media, compare the services each social media agency offers. Ask to see case studies or links to current campaigns. Compare their pricing with the results they can prove and project your ROI if you receive that same level of dedication.
Related Article: Evaluate Your Social Media Marketing ROI
Make the Competition Wish They Were You
The quality of your social media marketing strategy is the most important indicator of your success. Poor or nonexistent strategy costs money and relationships. An expert strategy builds your brand.
Spade Design specializes in social media marketing. We help start-ups create lasting success and take existing companies to the next level. We’ll help you transform Tyler social media into a powerful tool with proven marketing strategies that get measurable results. Jump start your online growth when you get in touch today.