4 Ways to Get the Most Out of Social Media

The days of speaking about social media outreach as if it were merely a trend are long gone. Usage among seniors has increased from 35 to 56 percent since 2012. And let’s not forget about an entire generation of digital natives who are growing up and will soon be earning salaries. With more than 70 percent of American adults on Facebook today, it’s clear that social media is no fad. As more people have gone social, business has followed. More than 50 million companies now have Facebook pages — 10 million more than there were less than a year ago — allowing for 2.5 billion consumer-based comments being made on business pages per month. That’s a lot of engagement. However, while some companies are seeing great returns on their social media endeavors, others are failing to maximize the true potential of their campaigns. As a result, much time is wasted and potential ROI gets lost in a sea of meaningless data. Get the Most Out of Social Media Various SMM professionals are espousing countless tactics, but here are four key things you can do that will supercharge your social media efforts: 1. Find a Great Tool — But Only One! There are a lot of great social media tools out there, but a huge part of the inefficiencies associated with social media marketing involves trying to use too many at once. Many companies use a publishing tool, a campaign tool, an analytics tool, and a listening tool, but for most, this is overkill and a waste of precious time. Pick one good tool that fits your specific needs instead of four that provide only pieces of the solution you seek, and you’ll save a lot of effort. 2. Boost Your Content A lot of businesses complain that social media, especially Facebook, has become too dependent on “pay to play” marketing, but they don’t realize how low the cost of getting into the game is. For as little as one dollar per day, your business content can reach tens of thousands of potential customers. You should boost two types of content. First, employ your most engaging material to attract new fans and followers, and then focus on content that will drive those followers toward conversion. Not only will you connect with more potential customers, but you’ll also see higher click-through rates. 3. Include Calls to Action Posting simply for the sake of posting isn’t going to do your business any good. You need to identify what you want to achieve, and then include a call to action that is aligned with those goals. “Click here” and “Learn more” are two staples, but these days, you want to be as unique and engaging with your call to action as possible. Make sure you test them, knowing that your fans might not click on the same things you would. Don’t make assumptions when you can have data. With higher click-through rates, you’ll see more leads captured. 4. Make (and Test) Solid Landing Pages A high-quality landing page is essential for maximizing the ROI on your sales funnel. You don’t want to simply send people to your homepage, so make sure you have landing pages set up for click-through capabilities. Using the same terminology and branding as you did on your social content will help achieve greater continuity, as well as build trust with potential customers. As with your calls to action, you need to be testing your landing pages for the greatest effect. Great tools like WordPress plugins, Raven, Google Analytics A/B testing, Marketo, and others out there can help you test pages for efficiency and effectiveness. A solid landing page gathers more leads, and can even drive conversions. Like any other marketing channel, social media takes time to execute. It’s a channel that can produce hugely varying effects when it comes to reach and engagement, so it’s essential for your social efforts to be minimized while the impact is maximized. I’ve seen companies that post daily, but reach fewer than 20 people per post, which is a total waste of time. I’ve also seen those same companies use the tips I’ve listed above to reach 8,000 or more with a single post. A dozen or more posts like that, and your brand will reach more than 100,000 potential customers. If you’re not taking steps to maximize the impact of your social media campaign, you could easily (and incorrectly) conclude that it doesn’t produce enough ROI for your business. Luckily, that’s not the case — you just have to learn how to leverage it properly.

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4 Ways to Get the Most Out of Social Media

Afif Khoury

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Afif Khoury