How Do I Get Started with Social Media Marketing?

| Updated on March 26, 2024

A lot of business owners aren’t taking advantage of social media, and they’re paying the price. Not using it is like not having a website. Your company could be out there but if no one can find it or see what services/products you offer then nobody will buy anything from you!

It’s also important to note that even bad press on social media counts as exposure for your brand. That means keeping negative comments off these platforms isn’t good enough anymore—you need to engage with people who are posting about issues at hand because this allows them to feel heard by their favorite brands.

Social networks work a lot different than an in-person conversation because we use our keyboards and the potential audience is much larger. Just as you change networking strategies depending on who’s listening to your message, you can adjust what kind of information or content will be shared online.

Here are 10 Steps to Get You Started with Social Media Marketing

You can listen to what people are saying about your business on the Internet, and use this information to help mold future perceptions.

1. Determine Your Social Media Marketing Goals

Determining your goals is a great way to make sure you get the most out of any social media marketing services you might be hiring.

Are you trying to generate direct sales? Are you offering customer service or simply building relationships with customers and boosting loyalty? Your answers greatly affect what type of content you publish online as well as activities that will help achieve those specific aims.

2. Evaluate Your Resources Before You Create a Social Media Marketing Plan. 

Social media marketing is a great way to expand your business, but it can also be difficult and time-consuming. You need to have someone who will write the content, maintain the accounts, and be active on them for it all to succeed. If not, consider learning so that they can do these things too!

3. Get to Know Your Target Audience

When developing content for social media, it is important to know your audience. You must understand where they spend time online; what kind of conversations and content do the target group members get most vocal about? What information would they like you to provide them with? Additionally, remember that when engaging on the internet via social media platforms one should be personable so people actually want to interact with them rather than just receive promotional messages.

4. Post Engaging Content 

Amazing content is key to building an audience that trusts you and can meet their needs. Don’t give up, continuously produce amazing content in the form of conversations with your audience for them to trust your opinions about what they want or need next.

5. Integrate Social Media Marketing Services into Your Efforts

Every effort you make on social media should cross-promote each other and work together seamlessly, online or offline without any disconnects in the campaigns.  

6. Set Up a Posting Schedule for Your Digital Marketing Campaigns

Social media marketing isn’t a set it and forget it type of activity. It is important to schedule specific times for social media activities to effectively market your business on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. For example, you may want to devote 5 minutes at the beginning of each day or right before leaving work so that these tasks don’t get forgotten.

7. To Get Started with Social Media Marketing, Follow the 80-20 Rule 

While it is important to use social media as a space for self-promotion, you should spend only 20% of your time on this and focus the rest 80% on other activities that enhance relationships with others.

8. Quality Over Quantity

There are so many accounts out there, but it doesn’t mean you should be one of them. Engage with others and create quality posts that will help your followers grow into loyal subscribers instead of following 10,000 people who never acknowledge you again.

9. Give Up Control and Let Your Audience Take Over 

When you let your audience guide the conversation on social media platforms, they can develop a strong emotional attachment with you, your brand, and your business.

Remember that apathy or invisibility is worse than negativity in most cases when engaging online so give up some of the control by letting others lead conversations about topics related to what matters for them.

10. Last But Not Least

The most important lesson: As you pursue your social media marketing objectives, keep learning. While the industry is still developing and much of what we know today may change in a few years, it’s important to stay flexible when adapting to new changes.


Angela Tague

Tech Writer ( Contributor )


Related Posts
×