How to Make the Most Out of Social Media in 2023

If you're using social media to its fullest potential, you can take advantage of a great opportunity. Social media is no longer a debatable necessity for businesses that want to stay visible and modern- 88% of marketers say that Social Media has helped them increase exposure. Not only does it have the ability to help with reach, but 77% of us its users also note an uptick in traffic after implementing various forms of helpful content onto platforms such as Instagram or LinkedIn.

Getting started can be tricky, especially when deciding which social platform(s) to use. There are many, and choosing the right one (or ones) for your business strategy can feel impossible. That's why it's helpful to start by considering only the most popular platforms widely used.

What social media platforms work best for my business?

Understanding your priorities is the first step to finding the best social media for your business. For example, is reach more critical than a lead generation? How does brand awareness factor in?

Once you've decided to focus on social media marketing, you must consider which platform will most effectively reach your target audience. For example, platforms like Instagram or TikTok may be best if your brand is focused on visuals. On the other hand, if you're trying to get a real-time audience, Twitter might work well for you. Or if your target audience is diverse and spread across different networks, YouTube and LinkedIn could be suitable options. Keep reading to learn more about some popular social media networks!

How to Choose Wisely

Social media platforms are a dime-a-dozen, each with its purpose,s such as connecting people through shared interests or hobbies. No one person can be active in all of them, so choose the ones that will help you achieve your goals. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Tik Tok, and LinkedIn are the top active users of all social media sites.

Define Your Social Media Goals

Before you start using social media for your business, it's vital that you have clear goals set. This will help guide your platforms, content, and target audience. Keep reading to learn about some benefits most businesses see from utilizing social media:

• Delight your customers by giving them multiple avenues to reach out with complaints, questions, and concerns. See what other companies are doing successfully in social customer service to get some inspiration.
• You can improve your target market by seeking individuals similar to your most profitable customers.
• You can find potential customers on social media who would most likely invest in your products or services. 
• Make your business known to more people and increase how often your brand is seen.
• If you want to learn more about your audience and customers, including what they need and want, as well as their buying habits, then this guide is for you. Increasing traffic to your site and boosting sales can be difficult, but it becomes much more manageable with the proper knowledge.

Determine What Channels Your Audience Uses

Social media marketing aims to connect you with individuals most likely to show an interest in your product or service. Therefore, selecting a platform where your target consumer does not exist would not be beneficial.

Opportunities like 'Field of Dreams, where people are imagined to come just because you've built something, do not exist when it comes to social media platforms. Instead, a better strategy would be to see which platforms your target audience already uses and connect with them on those networks instead.

When beginning this process, one of the essential steps is to study your audience and identify a buyer persona. By doing this, you will know your target customer and which platforms they use based on gender, demographics, interests, etc.

If you want to know where your target audience is hanging out online, one of the easiest ways is through a customer survey. By asking questions like what social media platforms they use, which websites they visit for information, and who their favorite influencers are, you can get a pretty good idea of where to focus your marketing efforts.

Social media sites are another excellent way to learn more about your target market. For example, with paid advertising, you can give Facebook specific information about whom you want as customers. They will then provide an estimate of how many people fit that description. Additionally, analytics tools can help show you not only who makes up your audience but also what their interests and behaviors are.

Examine the Type of Content You Create

Remember what content you want to create and post before selecting which social media platforms will best promote your brand. Different types of content are more successful on specific social media sites.

Different social media platforms are geared toward different types of content. For example, Instagram is primarily visual, so there are better places to share text-heavy content than whitepapers. The kind of content you create should be based on your industry, brand, and target audience. 

How to use various social media platforms for successful content:

• Blog posts - Audience engagement on business blogs can be just as beneficial as personal ones. This also works for the newsletters on LinkedIn.
• Podcasts - Work with respected professionals in your field to expand the reach of social media posts by using hashtags.
• Testimonials - Your customers are integral to your brand's success, so use their feedback to improve and promote your business.
• User-generated content is the best because it's created by your audience and clients, not you. Getting inspiration from some great UGC campaigns can help get you started.
• Webinars and live streams - Live video is great for audience engagement and learning more about your buyers, mainly through a Q&A session at the end.
• Ebooks - This type of long-form content is precious to potential customers and can be great for generating leads.
• Whitepapers - The perfect content to show your industry expertise and generate leads through downloads.
• Videos - If you want to expand your social media reach, videos are the way to go. Creating something that goes viral can have a much larger distance than other types of content. To get started, here are nine ideas for social media videos.
• Photographs - Posting photos of your company, employees, or even funny moments can help engage customers and draw in website traffic.
• Audio - is the latest trend. Apps like Clubhouse and LinkedIn have had a push into audio. If you don't like to be on camera, but like to talk live and educate or interview someone, Audio is the way to go.

Pair Your Goals, Audience, and Content with the Right Platform

After you've decided on your social media goals, target audience, and what content will work best, compare the different platforms to see which is right for you. Here's a helpful guide that includes the top media based on user size as well as what each forum works best for and who its typical users are:

• Facebook is the leading social media platform, with MAUs (monthly active users) of over 2.89 billion, and it continues to grow. Facebook usage is highest in India and America. Additionally, this site's lead generation through ads is highly effective because audiences can be very specifically targeted. In addition to staying top-of-mind, Facebook is great for relationship building, humanizing your business, and turning fans into customers. A variety of content performs well here, but make sure it's the type that gives prospects a peek behind the curtain - think user-generated posts or interest-based community groups. Video is ubiquitous, with Live Streaming doing notably well amongst users--46% more popular in 2022 and predicted to keep increasing. While social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have vast numbers of users, there's excellent potential for reach; remember, that means there's much other content fighting for attention. Could you make sure yours shines by being high-quality and original?
• As the second-most visited website after Google, YouTube has extraordinary potential for reaching your target market. The video platform boasts over 2.2 billion MAU (Monthly Active Users) and is watched by 74% of American adults. The most important aspect of a successful YouTube channel is high-quality videos. It's interesting to note that videos including the word 'beginner' have doubled in popularity recently, so this could be an excellent way to get views. If you're an expert in your field, why not share your knowledge with those starting? You could host a tutorial or demonstration to show the value of what you do. Viewers on YouTube are highly engaged, making it an excellent channel for paid advertising. Reports indicate that 70% of viewers purchase after seeing an ad. Therefore, establishing and growing your YouTube channel can be crucial to success.
• With 2 billion active users on Instagram, 600 million people regularly use Instagram Stories-, and 400 million use Reels; that's a lot of potential customers! Like Facebook, live video has also become popular on the app, which makes perfect sense given the current pandemic. In addition, Instagram Shops' recent introduction allows brands to make money on the platform by enabling purchases within the app rather than having customers be redirected to a website or landing page. Customers can click on a Shopping tab (similar to the Explore tab) to make buying easy. Consumers are more critical of the brands they align with, so businesses must demonstrate which causes matter to them. This allows customers to identify with your company deeper, strengthened by a shared belief system. Use Instagram to share these values across social media to grow your customer base! Zuckerberg also intends to amalgamate messaging across all Facebook apps, such as Whatsapp and Instagram. This means that, soon enough, your target market will be able to talk easily through different social media platforms. Consider how this could affect customer service operations.
• Linkedin is the perfect platform to build relationships with other professionals. With 822 million members, Linkedin is an essential tool for Business-to-Business (B2B) marketing and networking. A three-to-one ratio of informational to promotional posts works best when posting content. You can focus on educating your audience on topics related to your industry and even ask questions that invite engagement. This will help build credibility within your circle, which can be leveraged in the future.
• Additionally, curating content from thought leaders - such as reposting their content - will boost visibility amongst them and their followers. Linkedin Groups are great for connecting with professionals who share similar interests or objectives; however, there is a high level of moderation in these groups, so it is essential to follow the rules. But in turn, this creates an environment of trust that can be leveraged when looking for potential customers. LinkedIn Newsletters is their latest venture, and you can do this on your page and your business page. This allows you to use Long-Form-Content and get into the nitty-gritty of a subject.

What to do for 2023

2023 is just around the corner, and with it come incredible opportunities for businesses to take their social media marketing to the next level. Social media has become an essential part of any business's overall marketing strategy, and staying on top of trends and strategies can help you stay ahead of your competition. Here are some of the things you should consider doing in 2023 to make sure your business's social media presence stays strong:

1. Prioritize Social Ads: Social ads have been steadily growing in popularity over the past few years, and they offer an effective way to target potential customers while also driving sales. Could you make sure to allocate a portion of your budget toward social ads so that you can promote your business effectively?

2. Utilize Social Influencers: Social influencers are an excellent way to build brand awareness and reach a wider audience. Find influencers representing your target market and collaborate with them on content or campaigns their followers will see.

3. Keep Content Relevant & Timely: Social media is about staying current and relevant, so make sure you post timely content that ties into current events or trends. This will help keep your followers engaged and keep them in the loop about what's new with your business.

4. Track Social Analytics: Social analytics can be an excellent tool for understanding how well your social media presence is doing. Could you track essential metrics like impressions, engagement, and website visits so you can monitor your progress and adjust your strategies accordingly?

2023 is set to be an exciting year for social media marketing, so make sure to take advantage of all the opportunities it has to offer! With the right strategies in place, you'll be able to build a successful presence on social media that will help boost your business's success. Good luck!

If you want to 5x, 10x, or even 20x your Social Media, message me today!

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