5 Social Media Marketing Tips for Beginners

 

Although social media has been around for a while now, many are still just getting around to exploring it. Especially for business owners, many are just now realizing the importance social media has on the growth and success of their company.

Even though I am a part of the younger more “tech savvy” generation I admit social media marketing and just social media in general can be quite confusing. It can be overwhelming to me and so I can only imagine how overwhelming it may be to others with even less experience. 

There are so many tools and different social media platforms it can be hard to know where to start. Here are some helpful tips to get you started with one of the most valuable tools for growing your business and having successful marketing. Whether you are a beginner or more experienced I’m certain you will find these tips helpful.

 

1.          Create and follow SMART goals.

What are SMART goals? At first glance you may think “well of course I wouldn’t choose any goals that are dumb”, but the acronym SMART stands for: specific, measurable, attainable, and realistic, as well as time specific. Without goals you have nothing you are working towards and nothing to measure your growth or success. But you can’t just have any goals just thrown together, it’s important to take out the time to come up with goals that are specific for an important purpose. It’s important to reach out for more, but also to be realistic with what you can achieve too. If you follow the SMART acronym you will be on the path to success.

2.          Get to know your audience and platform.

 You want to make sure you are reaching the appropriate audience with the appropriate platform that they are most likely to be on. The dangers of not doing this is that you could risk wasting your time and energy trying to reach your targeted audience by simply posting on the wrong platform. Really get to know the type of customers you attract and their likes and dislikes that will attract them further to your social media platforms. What content is most relevant to my customers? Is my target audience active on the chosen social media platform?

3.          Make a regular posting schedule.

 I’ve learned this in my experience with social media marketing, it’s all about balance. You don’t want to post too much to the point of overwhelming your followers, but you don’t want to post too little to the point they forget you even exist. The more consistent you are on social media the more consistent your company will be in the eyes of your customers and it will help their trust to build in your company.

4.  Find a consistent social media style!

Consistency is key to most aspects of social media marketing. This is especially important for your style across multiple platforms. You want your followers to be able to identify your company and stand out as unique. Whether is a color scheme, the style of writing, logos, or unique hashtags. All of that will help your social media pages stand out and gain loyal followers.

5.     Have fun and be patient!

Above all, social media marketing has the potential to be very effective and important. However, it also has many possibilities and with such diverse options it is a fun aspect of marketing to engage in. If you don’t take yourself too seriously and have fun with it, your followers will have fun with your page too and that will create a page people won’t just follow but they will engage with. It takes time to build a social media platform, so be patient and keep trying. Eventually you will have success after following a few simple tips.

 

(What are your social media marketing tips? Share with us in the comments below, we would love to hear from everyone’s experiences. Whether you are just getting started or are experienced we want to hear your tips.)