Social media has taken over the marketing world one channel at a time. It’s no secret that a key ingredient in a successful marketing strategy is leveraging platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. According to Buffer Blog contributor Brian Peters, almost one-third of the entire planet’s population is active on social media.
This gigantic pool of users has attracted a lot of different players and as such marketers for businesses both big and small have to creatively compete for the attention of even a small portion of these users.
While using social media may seem like a walk in the park, there are actually a lot of pain points marketers have to overcome to execute a truly successful campaign.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common social media pain points and their solutions.
Authentic connections:
Authenticity is not easy to master yet it is increasingly necessary to attract consumers. According to AdWeek, 91 percent of modern customers want the businesses they follow on social media to exude authenticity in their posts.
Why? Well, because authenticity creates a more believable relationship between audiences and a business. In fact, the source reported that authentic social media marketing inspires trust and can even boost sales. Over 60 percent of users reported they would buy from an authentic brand over a business with branding that is perceived as dishonest.
This obsession with authenticity creates a new challenge for marketers. They must craft content that connects to consumers on a more personal and human level. You need to make your material sound authentic without coming off as forced. So, how do you tackle this challenge?
Peters suggested starting by closely monitoring your social media sites and responding to every comment. Authenticity can be created by showing your customer base that you are paying attention. Craft thoughtful responses to every review or question that comes through your timeline, try asking your audience questions and linking them to sites you find useful. This kind of open conversation will allow more authentic relationships to form between your brand and consumers.
Creating a plan:
Simply Measured recently conducted a survey of nearly 600 marketers. The goal of the research was to better understand the top social media challenges faced by marketers. Of the respondents, 48 percent cited developing a social media strategy as one of their biggest pain points.
Yet having a solid road map of what you want to do with your social media marketing is crucial to success. Sure, anyone can say they want to excel on social platforms but to do it you need to address the steps you will take to get there. This may seem like a big undertaking but, according to Peters, it doesn’t have to be. In fact, he boiled the process down to three key questions:
- Why are you on social?
- How are you going to excel at it?
- What are your measurements?
These three questions nail down the basics, from objectives to key steps and measurement. By answering them your team can lay a solid foundation that will help guide your social media journey.
Of course, these plans need to be re-evaluated frequently. Social media is a notoriously fast-changing landscape and you should make sure your plans change with the latest updates and trends.
Measuring ROI:
While creating an effective social media plan creates a certain list of challenges, it was not the number one pain point of marketers identified in the Simply Measured study. That spot was saved for measuring marketing ROI – with 60 percent of respondents citing it as a major challenge. Marketing can be tricky when it comes to nailing down solid numbers in terms of return.
While metrics such as likes, shares and comments are important in terms of engagement they aren’t solid indicators of actual monetary conversions. This can create challenges when it comes to justifying or revamping marketing budgets.
The key to solving this challenge is leveraging your data through various marketing tech tools. Today there are tools like Google Analytics that can help businesses of all sizes understand which social media marketing materials are performing best, when and by whom. ROI for marketing may not always mean concrete numbers but understanding which marketing content leads users to your sales page can help you pinpoint how effective or ineffective your marketing efforts truly are.
Consistent creative content:
It’s no secret that consistency and creativity are key when it comes to social media. There is so much content out there that staying on top of your social media pages and standing out with interesting material is necessary for survival. However, hitting the mark on both can be a difficult task.
When it comes to consistency, the major tip ties into having a plan – marketers should have content calendars. Don’t leave consistency to chance. Schedule your materials for publishing on all of the relevant social media channels. Do your research into peak engagement times and make sure you stick to them.
Creativity is a little trickier. One of the simplest ways to ensure your content is engaging is to track trending topics. Stay on top of current events and try to integrate these happenings into your material. Peters suggested adding some content involving openness and transparency. Let your audience have a behind-the-scenes look into your business. What goes on where your customers can’t see? Modern consumers love seeing the person (or people) behind the social media platform. Show them and watch engagement potential soar.
Visuals are also a great way to ensure creative and enticing content. According to an infographic created by Peters, content accompanied by images get 94 percent more total views. In fact, visual content is 40 times more likely to be shared on social media. Pair a consistent calendar with these quick tips for creative and relevant content and your social media platforms will almost certainly see a peak in interactions.
