Social Media Marketing: Best Beginners Guide 2023

What is Social media Marketing

Social media marketing is the process of promoting a product, service or brand through various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. It involves creating and sharing content, as well as engaging with followers and customers to increase brand awareness and drive sales. Social media marketing can also include paid advertising on social media platforms. The goal is to reach a wider audience and engage with potential and existing customers in order to drive more traffic and sales to a website or business.

How is Social Media Marketing useful for business?

Social media marketing can be very useful for businesses for a variety of reasons:

1. Increased brand awareness: Social media platforms have a large user base and by creating and sharing content on these platforms, businesses can reach a wider audience and increase brand awareness.
2. Improved customer engagement: Social media platforms provide businesses with an opportunity to engage with their customers in real-time. This can help businesses understand their customers better and provide them with personalized experiences.
3. Cost-effective: Compared to traditional marketing methods, social media marketing is relatively inexpensive. This makes it a cost-effective way for businesses of all sizes to reach their target audience.
4. Better customer insights: Social media platforms provide businesses with valuable data and analytics on their audience, which can help businesses understand their target market better and make informed marketing decisions.
5. Increased website traffic: By sharing content on social media and engaging with customers, businesses can drive more traffic to their website, which can lead to increased sales and revenue.
6. Lead generation: Social media marketing can be used to generate leads for a business. This can be done by creating lead magnets and using social media ads to promote them.
7. Reputation management: Social media platforms are a great way for businesses to monitor and manage their online reputation. Businesses can respond to customer complaints and queries in real-time, which can help improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Social Media Marketing Statistics

Source: StatCounter Global Stats – Social Media Market Share

Some social media marketing statistics include:

1. As of 2022, there are over 4.7 billion active internet users, and over 3.8 billion of them are active social media users.
2. The most popular social media platforms are Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter, with Facebook having over 2.7 billion monthly active users.
3. Social media users spend an average of 2 hours and 24 minutes per day on social media platforms.
4. Around 80% of all Internet users have a social media profile.
5. The number of social media users is projected to reach almost 4.41 billion by 2025.
6. In 2021, businesses are expected to spend over $89 billion on social media advertising.
7. 69% of US adults use at least one social media platform.
8. The most popular social media platforms among US adults are Facebook (69%), YouTube (73%), Instagram (37%), and Twitter (27%).
9. 72% of adult internet users in the United States are on Facebook.
10. Social media users are more likely to buy from a brand that they follow or engage with on social media.
11. 60% of Instagram users discover new products on the platform.
12. Almost 80% of all time spent on mobile devices is spent on apps, and social media apps account for much of that time.

These numbers are constantly changing and it’s always important to be updated with the current statistics.

Basic of Social media marketing strategy

A basic social media marketing strategy typically includes the following steps:

1. Define your target audience: Understand who your target audience is and where they are most active on social media.
2. Set clear goals: Determine what you want to achieve with your social media marketing efforts, such as increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, or generating leads.
3. Create a content calendar: Plan and schedule your content in advance to ensure consistency and relevance.
4. Develop a content mix: Create a mix of content types, such as text, images, videos, and infographics, to keep your audience engaged and interested.
5. Optimize your profiles: Make sure your social media profiles are fully filled out, optimized for search, and include a call-to-action.
6. Engage with your audience: Respond to comments, messages, and direct messages in a timely manner.
7. Measure and analyze your results: Use tools such as Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, and Twitter Analytics to measure the success of your social media marketing efforts and make data-driven decisions.
8. Use paid advertising: Use paid advertising to reach a wider audience and drive more traffic to your website.
9. Continuously improve: Continuously monitor your results and make changes to your strategy as needed.
10. Integrate with other marketing channels: Integrate your social media marketing efforts with other channels such as email marketing, content marketing, and SEO to create a cohesive and effective marketing strategy.

What is  Social Media marketing Calendar

A social media marketing calendar is a tool that helps businesses plan, schedule, and organize their social media content in advance. It is used to ensure consistency and relevance in the content that is being shared on social media platforms. The calendar typically includes the following information:

1. Posting schedule: The calendar should include the date and time that each post will be published on various social media platforms.
2. Content mix: The calendar should include the different types of content that will be shared such as text, images, videos, and infographics.
3. Campaigns and promotions: The calendar should include any upcoming campaigns, promotions, and events that the business will be running.
4. Holidays and special events: The calendar should include any holidays or special events that are relevant to the business and its target audience.
5. Analytics and reporting: The calendar should include a section for tracking and analyzing the performance of each post, such as likes, shares, and comments, and use it to improve future strategies.

A social media marketing calendar can be created in various ways, such as an excel sheet, Google sheet or various social media calendar tools. It helps businesses to stay organized and on track with their social media efforts, and ensure that they are consistently providing valuable and relevant content to their audience.

Social Media Marketing Terms

Here are some common social media marketing terms:

1. Algorithm: A set of rules used by social media platforms to determine which content is shown to users.
2. Engagement: The level of interaction between a business and its followers on social media, including likes, comments, and shares.
3. Hashtag: A word or phrase preceded by the # symbol, used to categorize and find content on social media platforms.
4. Influencer: A person with a large following on social media who is considered an authority in a particular industry or niche.
5. Organic reach: The number of people who see a piece of content without paid promotion.
6. Paid promotion: The use of paid advertising to reach a wider audience on social media.
7. Platform: A specific social media site or app, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
8. Reach: The total number of people who see a piece of content on social media, including organic reach and paid promotion.
9. Social listening: The process of monitoring and analyzing conversations and mentions of a brand on social media.
10. Engagement rate: The ratio of engagement (likes, comments, shares) on a post to the reach (impressions) of the post.
11. ROI: Return on Investment, the ratio of the net profit to the cost of investment.
12. KPI: Key Performance Indicator, a metric that helps businesses measure the success of their social media marketing efforts.
13. CTA: Call-to-Action, a button or link that encourages social media users to take a specific action, such as visiting a website or making a purchase.

These are just a few examples of terms that are commonly used in social media marketing, there are many other terms and concepts that are important to understand.

Popular Social Media marketing Platforms

There are several popular social media platforms that businesses can use for their social media marketing efforts. Some of the most popular include:

1. Facebook: With over 2.7 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the largest social media platform. It is a great platform for businesses of all sizes to connect with their target audience and increase brand awareness.
2. Instagram: With over 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram is a highly visual platform that is great for businesses in the fashion, beauty, and lifestyle sectors.
3. Twitter: With over 330 million monthly active users, Twitter is a great platform for businesses to share real-time updates and engage with their audience in real-time.
4. LinkedIn: With over 740 million monthly active users, LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that is great for B2B businesses and businesses in the professional services sector.
5. YouTube: With over 2 billion monthly active users, YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world. It is great for businesses that want to create and share videos with their audience.
6. TikTok: With over 1 billion monthly active users, TikTok is a short-video sharing platform that is great for businesses that want to create and share creative and engaging content with a younger audience.
7. Pinterest: With over 400 million monthly active users, Pinterest is a visual search engine that is great for businesses in the fashion, home decor, and food sectors.

These are some of the most popular social media platforms, but there are many other platforms available, and the best one for a business will depend on their specific industry and target audience.

Best social media marketing tools

There are many social media marketing tools available, and the best one for a business will depend on its specific needs and goals. Some popular social media marketing tools include:

1. Hootsuite: Hootsuite is a social media management tool that allows businesses to schedule and publish content, as well as track and analyze performance across multiple social media platforms.
2. Sprout Social: Sprout Social is a social media management tool that offers features such as scheduling, analytics, and team collaboration.
3. Buffer: Buffer is a social media management tool that allows businesses to schedule and publish content across multiple social media platforms.
4. Agorapulse: Agorapulse is a social media management tool that offers features such as scheduling, analytics, and team collaboration.
5. CoSchedule: CoSchedule is a social media management tool that allows businesses to schedule and publish content, as well as track and analyze performance across multiple social media platforms.
6. BuzzSumo: BuzzSumo is a social media monitoring tool that allows businesses to track their competitors, find influencers, and analyze content performance.
7. Socialbakers: Socialbakers is a social media management tool that offers features such as scheduling, analytics, and team collaboration, with a special focus on social media advertising.
8. Canva : Canva is a graphic design tool that allows businesses to create visually stunning social media graphics and posts.
9. Google Analytics: Google Analytics is a web analytics service that allows businesses to track and analyze the performance of their website, including social media traffic.

Ultimately, the best social media marketing tool for a business will depend on its specific needs and goals, and it’s always important to try and test different tools before settling on one.

Conclusion on social media marketing

In conclusion, social media marketing is a cost-effective and powerful way for businesses to reach their target audience, increase brand awareness, drive website traffic and generate leads. Every business must have a clear idea and information about its target audience and set specific goals for its social media marketing efforts. Developing a content strategy, creating a content calendar, and using the right tools are some of the most valuable steps in running successful social media campaigns. Additionally, monitoring and analyzing the results and making data-driven decisions can help businesses continuously improve their social media marketing efforts.