In present society a vast majority of successful business are utilizing and using social media as one of their top strategies for marketing their product or service. For anyone unaware to what extent social media has impacted our world here are some statistics to paint a better picture:

1. 80 billion global social media users as 2017 (1 million new active mobile social users added everyday (meaning 37% global penetration!!!!)
2. 95% of online adults aged 18-34 are most likely to follow a brand by social networking
3. Visual content 40 more times likely to be shared via social media than any other avenue

These statistics only scratch the surface of the true potential social media has in terms of directly connecting businesses with customers and converting likewise. Through this post I hope to outline some groundwork principles that can help any entrepreneur utilize social media marketing.

When considering other types of advertising such as television commercials, radio ads, or even print ads, your results completely depending upon your analysis of presenting to the right audience. If you fail to know your target audience, your attempt to draw conversions will fail. SO, rule number one when tackling any social media traction is to know your target market and be prepared to build your social media accounts and content addressed to that target market.

A great way to look at your social media platforms is an extension of your customer service. All of your pages should be designed in a way that seeks to benefit and serve your customers. The content developed should be created with the customer in mind, and through involving your customer as much as possible you’ll have unique opportunities to hear first-hand feedback about what your business is doing right and wrong. More customers will voice their opinions over social media than any other platform of communication, and this can be the best incite to driving product or service innovation.

Running advertisements is a great way to start spreading your brand for not an extreme amount of money. When running ads there are tools such as automation that can run promotional offers, etc. nearly 24/7. However, while advertisements are a great tool, they can’t be overused or they will lose their effectiveness. Work on creating new ads that cater to specific events or promotions that create urgency for your customers. Running the same old ads all the time will be a turn off to your audience and will negatively impact your business.

Engaging with your audience should be an obvious step, but some businesses make great posts but fail to correspond after. If you’re not taking the time to respond to posts, correspond with customer questions and comments, then you’re missing a prime opportunity to hear the heart of what you need to improve on and what you need to continue doing. A common error related to this topic is spreading yourself too thin. It’s nearly impossible and effective to shotgun yourself out there on many platforms in which all are a half-hearted attempt. If your corporation isn’t large with many employees, pursuing all social media avenues is most likely out of the picture. Look at social media statistics and find out what your audience or target market is actively using and pursue that outlet. Start with a few, build your content, and then consider mastering other platforms.

Lastly, but not least, track and measure everything you do. There will never come a time in which you successfully run a social media marketing campaign without tracking your results and adjusting accordingly. We live in a time where data is extremely accessible, and the metrics are never ending, especially when considering inbound links, brand sentiment, or even lead growth. All this data will help you sort through the legitimacy of your audience and how to better lean your brand towards your buyers.