Social Media Marketing is not an easy task for most businesses, especially because they don’t understand how it works, why it works, and what exactly they are getting out of it.  Here are 3, back to basic tips to help you understand social media marketing a little better.
1) Make a commitment to social media.
Like any other form of marketing, social media for businesses can be a real challenge. It’s hard to grow an audience, create great content, and increase engagement. All too often we see brands giving up on social media after just a few months. We’ve found that it takes eight months to one year to really get the hang of social. Not only to get a consistent content stream going, but to figure out what your audience resonates with and what they don’t.
2) Decide which platforms are right for you.
Don’t make assumptions about where your audience spends their time online. Your instinct might tell you that you should skip Facebook and focus on Instagram and Snapchat if you’re targeting millennials, but the data shows that 82 percent of millennials still use Facebook.
3) Know your audience
Before you can seek out your audience, you must identify them. What age groups do you reach? What’s their average income? Do they have common values? These and other questions will help you see a clear picture of who your ideal customers are. You have to take a look at the different social media channels and find out where your target audience is spending the most amount of time. Let’s look at the major channels and understand what we can do to meet the eyes of your audience. It is a good idea to survey your real customers and find out which social networks they prefer. As part of your survey, ask your current customers the following questions: What is your favorite social media site? Do you regularly read blogs? What people do you follow on social?
FINAL TIPS
VISUAL CONTENT IS SEEN MORE!
If your content doesn’t look good, no one will stop scrolling to read what you have to say.
Even if you’re not selling beautiful cakes, it’s important to use great imagery in your social posts to increase engagement. But don’t copy and paste what others are doing- have your own social media footprint.
Above all, be sure that your social posts offer value. If all you do is pitch and sell, there’s very little motivation for people to follow you.   Trying to trick people out of their money is the fastest way to go out of business. Social Media Marketing is about building relationships. It’s NOT just about making money. Getting clients is a perk. The Real Deal is connecting.  Also, Don’t follow me to lure me into following you and then unfollow me. You’re not building an influence by tricking people into following you. What you are doing is making a bad first impression about you and your business.
Be human. Be honest. Provide great content.