69% of consumers globally use social media in order to find inspiration for their next purchase.
This stat is music to marketers’ ears as it says that billions of people are practically begging for social media ads, promotions, and content advertising different products.
So, does that mean that your social media campaign will convert all those eager potential customers right away and get them to pull out their credit cards?
Not so fast.
It’s only logical that you’re impatient for your hard work to start actually paying off, but it’s extremely hard to talk about realistic deadlines because all this depends on different circumstances.
However, what you can do is craft an effective strategy and execute it, and then, there’s a chance that the first results will come after a couple of months or so.
But don’t take this estimate for granted! Below https://jatapp.com/ marketing professionals break down the most important steps in order to your marketing campaign success.
Get to Know Your Audience
This is the first step of every successful marketing strategy.
You have to understand your audience’s needs, challenges, and interests in order to produce the content that will resonate with them. Otherwise, you’re just throwing darts in the dark and talking to random Facebook or Twitter visitors without offering them the genuine value that they can make use of.
The best way to do this is by creating your ideal customer profiles, targeting people who match the description, and start addressing their pain points and challenges in a helpful manner.
This will allow you to craft relatable messages and to use the appropriate lingo, that is, to speak your audience’s language.
Pick the Best Platform for Your Business
Facebook boasts 2.27 billion monthly active users.
This means that you can reach a huge number of people from all around the world, right?
Maybe, but these impressive numbers shouldn’t trick you into rushing to invest all your time and resources in this social channel believing that it will guarantee the biggest ROI.
For example, teens prefer Snapchat and Instagram over Facebook, so, if they’re your target audience you should mostly focus on these two channels.
In other words, you should do your research and identify where your potential customers like to hang out and go there. If you are using platforms like Twitter, you may plan to buy real Twitter followers to boost your profile faster.
Timing Is Everything
Knowing when and how often to post is crucial for the success of your campaign.
All this, again, depends on who your audience is and the nature of your business.
Generally speaking, research studies have shown that the best time to post on Facebook and engage general audiences is Wednesday at noon and 2 p.m. as well as Thursday at 1 and 2 p.m.
Tech brands can benefit from posting on Monday at 11 a.m. and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon.
When it comes to Instagram, brands who sell consumer goods, for example, should post on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. for the best results. And the list goes on.
As for the frequency, the best advice you can get is that it’s the quality that matters, not the quantity. Of course, don’t make huge gaps between posts, and keep your followers updated on a regular basis, but don’t simply post 5 times a day just for the sake of it.
Post and share only the relevant content which your audience will find useful and interesting.
To learn more details about the frequency of posting on social media, check out this useful guide.
Everybody has had a boss or a client who insisted on flooding social media channels with countless posts falsely believing that such an approach would generate more traffic and sales, and whose main concern was to monitor when you clocked in and how much work you did.
To prevent potential issues over how many billable hours I work daily or weekly, I use a timesheet calculator to track time and have everything in black and white.
Invest in Your Content
Superb content is a surefire way of driving traffic and generating tons of likes and shares on social media.
You can’t just post any random photo or message and expect your audience to engage. You should take your social media seriously and invest in consistently good content.
Here are some examples of what you can use:
- User-generated content. This is the best way to engage your audience, build loyalty, and show them that you care. You can share your customers’ success stories or invite them to send you their photos which you’ll post on your Facebook or Instagram.
- Facebook Live, which is all the rage at the moment, and for good reason. This way your audience will be able to interact with you in real-time which will boost engagement. It’s also great for increasing your organic reach. The fact that once the live stream is over, it’s not possible to replay it, generates FOMO and adds scarcity to your marketing efforts.
- VR content, as it’s extremely popular at the moment, mainly because it’s interactive and immersive, and people feel much more involved in your narrative.
- Although webinars are hosted on designated platforms, you can record and share them on YouTube and other social media channels. This is an excellent way of providing value to your audience and offering them actionable advice.
Final Words
If all these requirements are met, and if you make sure that you’ve done your best to be useful and helpful, there’s a chance to see some positive results of your social media efforts after approximately 6 months. But, bear in mind that a social media strategy is a long-term endeavor and you shouldn’t give it up even if it takes more than a couple of months to start enjoying the fruits of your labor.