Social media is important to people. Which, by extension, means that social media is important to marketers. Over 90% of B2B marketers in North America are using social media in their marketing efforts right now, but are they extracting as much value from their social media presence as they could be?
While anyone can make a social media account by simply downloading an app on their phone, designing and implementing a successful social media strategy requires a bit more effort. The brands who see the most social media marketing success are the brands who have done their research, outlined their buyer personas, and prioritized their target audience. Social media should speak to your audience in ways that are meaningful to them, so the better you understand who your audience is, the more effective your social media presence will be.
However, with so many people, personalities, and companies all striving for their own slice social media marketing success across every platform, standing out from the crowd is harder than ever. If everyone is shouting, no one is going to be able to hear your voice, regardless of how valuable your words may be.
As a result, you won't find social media marketing success by simply doing what everyone else is doing, or even by doing what you may have grown accustomed to doing. To really thrive, you need to find a niche that aligns with your brand and target audience and become an expert in it.
A good social media marketing strategy should guide prospects to your brand's content, earn you highly-qualified leads, and then convert them into committed customers. Along the way, it should also be helping you build the kind of relationships with your target audience that will act as the foundation for all your future social media marketing successes.
Whether you're already in the trenches of social media marketing or are still teetering on the edge, debating whether it's a jump worth taking, then you've come to the right place. With the extensive information and analysis below, you'll understand why social media is one of the most important tools in your marketing toolkit and how you can put it to good use.