How to Create the Perfect Social Media Marketing Strategy

Social Media Marketing is the strategic utilization of various social media channels and sites to promote a business or service. Although the terms' digital marketing and e-marketing are generally recognized in academia, social media marketing increasingly is gaining momentum for researchers and practitioners alike. The increasing complexity of the web has spawned a multitude of social networking sites. LinkedIn, Twitter, Digg, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Flickr are only a few of the social network channels that millions of users utilize every day. This complexity means that marketers must use multiple strategies to reach their audience and compete with the thousands of others doing the same thing. In this article, we will examine how social media marketing can help a business.

Traditional marketing strategies typically fall under one of two categories: direct marketing via a mailing list or sales promotion via the internet. Direct marketing requires an in depth understanding of the targeted customer base. Internet marketing, on the other hand, relies solely on website optimization and search engine optimization. These tactics require a great deal of research and knowledge of the target audience. Although these tactics provide valuable information to businesses regarding target demographics, they do not drive customers to the website.

Social Media Marketing Strategies relies on gaining followers in order to attract customers. Social networks provide a platform where followers can provide feedback, comments and suggestions on the business's products and services. It is easy to follow and reach potential customers through these platforms. The challenge lies in attracting the attention of these followers and engaging them enough to generate interest in your product or service, and eventually to convert them into customers. A social media marketing strategy that is successful will attract followers, keep them engaged and ultimately encourage them to provide feedback, recommendations.

The importance of analytics in social media marketing should not be underestimated. Google Analytics provides the necessary insight to understand the success of your campaign and identify the areas that require more focus. If you are not familiar with Google Analytics, you can always refer to their website for assistance. In addition to Google Analytics, there are numerous third-party analytics tools that can provide insight into how to utilize keywords and build links to maximize your SEO results.

Another important component of a successful social network strategy is creating a user community. A social media marketing tool that is popular and used by a large number of followers will also draw attention to you. In essence, when users begin communicating with you and begin to see you as a helpful resource they will become followers. The important thing is to make it easy for them to interact and share content with others. This requires the integration of a user community profile page where users can interact with each other and provide updates on the latest products and services.

Finally, you need to determine your target audience and choose the best platform to reach this audience. Many experts recommend that companies utilize Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other platforms to attract followers and subscribers. In addition to reaching a large number of followers, you must target your audience specifically. For instance, if you are a mortgage company and specialize in refinancing, you may not want to advertise in a blog or newsfeed that is focused on home renovations. Instead, focus your efforts on a specific niche audience and generate the appropriate amount of posts relevant to this audience.