Social Media Marketing (SMM)

Marketing can come in all shapes and sizes, and there are a variety of techniques and strategies used to implement marketing campaigns all over the Internet. Social media marketing is the specific use of social media platforms as an outlet for marketing a product, service, or entity.

Social media marketing has evolved significantly over the past few years, and continues to be an increasingly powerful tool for businesses and organizations. Since social media has evolved into a major platform of communication all over the world, with over 80% of the global population signed up for a social media account, it is a great way for businesses to reach out to stakeholders of all kinds.

The Reach of Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing can reach a variety of audiences including current customers, prospective customers, employees, bloggers, politicians, and more. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have become the most popular areas of communication, for businesses and the general public alike.

Social media marketing is meant to reach stakeholders instantaneously, offering a way to advertise on a free platform with the promise of great returns. When companies get a handle on the overall culture and communication pattern of social media platforms, it can be converted to send a powerful message that will increase revenue and gain potential customers.

Social media marketing incorporates a lot of SEO efforts to keep results relevant. Many social media sites, such as Facebook, implement the same search engine tactics and plans that are used on major sites like Google. That way, companies are assured that they are still reaching out to relevant audience members, rather than to a random assortment of people who may be uninterested.

The Laws of Social Media Marketing

Susan Gunelius of Entrepreneur.com has created the 10 laws of social media marketing that can satisfy customers and bring in great results. A couple of the laws are listed below for further understanding of this marketing tactic:

• Patience is a virtue. With any form of marketing, success is not guaranteed overnight. You need to commit to a long-term campaign that will bring results, just slowly over time.
• Quality is better than quantity. While it may be tempting to publish as many ads as possible over social media platforms, it is better to have one consistent campaign that produces loyal customers.
• Social media marketing involves customer interaction. One of the beautiful things about using this platform to advertise is that customers can reach out to the businesses directly and speak about any questions or concerns.
• It is essential to be accessible. A company who promotes themselves through social media should always be available to their customers. It would be frustrating if customers found one of your social media advertisements and then tried to reach out, but couldn’t. Your online presence speaks volumes.

It is easy to follow these laws of social media marketing in order to achieve a successful campaign. With patience and an understanding of your audience, you can make social media marketing a powerful tool for your business.