text: Marketing looks very different today than it did twenty, ten, and even five years ago due to the rapid spike in popularity of social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and more. Many brands are using this to their advantage and reaching new customers through social media platforms, but it’s not as simple as putting an ad up on a random platform and expecting people to flock to your business. Like with outdoor advertising, TV and radio ads, and email marketing, you need to use social media marketing strategically so you don’t waste your money and get no new customers.
  Here are five very important practices to keep in mind and to live every day in the pursuit of successful social media marketing:
  1: Know your audience
  As a business owner, you probably already know who your target audience is in terms of your product offerings. But you always want that number to grow, and if social media marketing is one of the ways you’re trying to do that, then you need to understand who your current and potential audience is when trying to engage with them online. You need to figure out where they spend their time online, where they shop, what sites they browse, and what types of content and styles they are interested in. If you understand your online audience as well as your current market, then you can cater your social media to fit their needs best and wants, leading to more engagement and, potentially, more customers.
  2: Choose the right platform
  Knowing your target audience and choosing which social media platforms to use go hand-in-hand because in order to reach consumers, you need to know where a majority of them can be found online. Audience research and demographic data about your audience could help you figure out where they spend their time and where you are most likely to engage with them effectively. A customer persona or profile of current customers can also help you to figure out where your audience spends time online, along with their online behavior, what sites they’re drawn to, and how they engage on those platforms.
  3: Use social listening
  Social listening is a method you can use to improve your social media marketing because it involves the collection of data regarding mentions of your brand online, customer feedback on your business and products, and any other conversations surrounding your business in general. It basically uses the power of technology to track and identify when your brand name, products, keywords associated with your business, and more are used online to help you determine where you’re doing well and how you could improve your social media marketing overall. You can use the feedback from conversations about your business to improve specific issues your customers may be having, or you can simply keep an eye on trends and content that your target audience seems to be following.
  4: Plan your posts in advance
  On the business side of things, you know how busy you are on any given day to keep everything in order, so it’s important to make social media marketing as efficient and simple as possible for you. You can do this by drafting and polishing your posts in advance and choosing a specific time to post them. This allows you to create a bunch of social media posts in bulk whenever you have time, then pace out the posts accordingly to keep up a consistent posting schedule. You can create a calendar to share with your team, figure out how often you will be posting, and schedule your posts to make the process easier. Returning to the importance of customers, you can also use your posting schedule to figure out when the best time for engagement would occur.
  5: Remember that social media is customer service
  One of the most important aspects of social media marketing is acknowledging and remembering that social media is ultimately a form of customer service. It’s a way for you and your customers to communicate with each other, for them to provide feedback, and for them to get help from you in a fast and efficient way. Always respond to comments and questions that your audience posts online relating to your business, and make a habit of responding in a timely manner to show them that social media is an effective way to reach you. Specifically, ask your audience for feedback and ways to improve your business and make their experience better. Overall, it’s important to consistently engage with your audience online to show them that you care and that you are able to be effective online.
  Amaresan, Swetha. “What Is Social Listening & Why Is It Important?” Hub Spot, 7 Oct. 2022, What Is Social Listening & Why Is It Important? [+Expert Tips on How to Implement a Strategy] (hubspot.com).
  Martin, Michelle. “21 Social Media Best Practices to Follow in 2023.” Hootsuite, 15 June 2022, 21 Social Media Best Practices to Follow in 2023 (hootsuite.com).
  Smith, Aubree. “23 social media best practices to succeed in 2023.” Sprout Social, 19 Jan. 2023, 23 Social Media Best Practices for Success in 2023 | Sprout Social.
  Unadkat, Jash. “8 best practices to ace your social media marketing.” Sprinklr, 5 June 2023, 8 best practices to ace your social media marketing | Sprinklr.