It only took a few years, but social media has already taken the world by storm. It is estimated that at least 68% of adult Americans now use Facebook, one of the most popular social media platforms. With such a large user base, companies are scrambling to find a way to take advantage of this.  Social media offers the perfect opportunity for businesses to market to potential customers. Some social media strategies can lead to tremendous growth and expansion for companies, while other strategies fail to reach their mark. A company’s social media strategy can make or break their online presence, which is why picking an effective social media strategy is vital. That being said, here are some of the most effective social media strategies that a company can employ.

Find A Focus

One of the most common mistakes social media campaign makers make is that they spread themselves too thin. It is almost impossible to have a large presence on every single social media platform out there, so pick a few to focus on and work on making those pages quality. Try picking the social media platforms that best match your target market and focus your content on those. For example, if your target market consists of young adults then try focusing on Instagram, Snapchat, or Twitter. If you’re trying to reach a creative audience then consider creating content for Pinterest, Youtube, or Tumblr. By doing this you are not only creating quality over quantity, but you are also creating content that your target market would be interested in and putting it on a platform that they actually use.

Monitor Engagements

One of the best features of social media marketing are the statistics that come with it. Social media platforms make it extremely easy to monitor how effective a campaign is. For example, you can easily view how many impressions or engagements a tweet has. And you can easily see how many views and likes your Youtube content generates. This also applies to paid or promoted social media posts. Paid online advertising is very effective and is a way to ensure that consumers see your content. Thankfully, social media platforms make it just as easy for you to see your paid advertising statistics. This means it is extremely easy to see if your paid social media campaign is really paying off. Thanks to social media, it is extremely easy to set goals for your digital marketing campaigns and frequently check to see if you’re actually reaching those goals.

Engage Consumers

Social media is a game changer as it allows consumers and businesses to communicate in a two-way communication model. If a business uses this feature correctly, it can be a major boon to profits. Consumers can provide input and feedback on social media and it is important for businesses to take advantage of this feedback and work to fix their product and service. Social media can also be a great way to involve your consumers. A company can do giveaways on their social media platforms. These giveaways can give away free products or may even reward followers with a limited edition product that they couldn’t get anywhere else. These type of engagements build brand loyalty.  They make the consumer feel involved with the company, making customer engagement vital to any social media campaign.

Use Influencers

One of the most interesting trends in social media marketing is the use of influencers to sell a product. An influencer can be defined as someone on social media that has a large and dedicated following. Influencers are typically an established celebrity in an industry and reached their fame through the use of social media. However, businesses can take advantage of these large followings and have influencers advertise their project. While at first glance this may seem ineffective and a waste of money, this couldn’t be further from the truth. On Youtube, 4 in 10 millennial users believe that their favorite influencers understand them better than their own friends.

This type of trust makes it extremely easy for businesses to tap into these markets and sell their products. This is why finding an influencer in your industry and paying them to advertise your business could potentially be one of the most effective social media strategies out there.    

Social media strategies and their tactics are critical to startup success. They drive customers and revenues, and they provide important indicators for adjusting business plans and new opportunities.