Introduction Social Media Marketing

The rise of digital transformation where businesses prefer a sound virtual presence has made customer relationship management more feasible than ever. However, with the constant increase in market competition, many businesses fail. 

That’s where the expertise of a social media marketer comes in to help businesses grow online. Being a social media marketer with more than a decade years of experience, I would suggest you opt for social media practices for your businesses. Social Media Marketing is one of the effective digital marketing methods that provide businesses with potential customers, business opportunities, industrial connections, etc. 

In this article, I have summed up my experience and learnings that answer your question “What is social media marketing and how is it an effective practice?”

What is Social Media Marketing in Digital Marketing?

Digital Marketing is a broader concept in which marketers perform multiple practices, including search engine optimization, social media marketing, paid marketing (PPC), content marketing, email marketing, etc. Simply put, digital marketing means an online mode of marketing done for businesses to achieve specific business goals and objectives. 

The concept of social media marketing begins when social media platforms are used to promote businesses. The easiest answer to the “what is social media marketing” question is that social media marketing is the strategic use of social platforms to connect with your target audience, build brand awareness, and achieve desired goals through optimized content.  

As a social media marketer, I can say that the execution of such marketing strategies depends on multiple factors. You can learn all about them via social media marketing courses  

What is Social Media Marketing?

“What is social media marketing" is a common question among businesses, as they seek to understand how to use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to connect with customers and grow their brand.

Social media marketing serves as a structured blueprint for leveraging social platforms to achieve business objectives, emphasizing engagement with communities, viewers, and potential buyers, offering marketers a comprehensive approach to building brand awareness. Drawing from years of experience, I recommend staying abreast with the following factors I have listed below:

1. Your Audience- 

I always consult my mentees about understanding their client’s businesses, especially audience demographics. It is one of the most important factors to consider before creating a social media strategy/ calendar. 

For instance, it is important to know the social media platform to target for an eCommerce store and platforms that work better for service-based products. Additionally, it provides marketers with relevant information about audience preferences. 

2. Brand Identity-

Another major question that strikes freshers/ interns is “What is a social media engagement strategy?” But to understand the answer first, I recommend beginners to know the brand identity of their clients. It can include, the specific message clients want to convey to their audience, audience reaction when they see relatable posts on social media, etc. Considering such factors, a social media marketing strategy is formed. 

3. Content Strategy

It becomes important to understand the content strategy along with what is digital and social media marketing. A content strategy is a crucial aspect of social media marketing where teamwork results in enhancing the brand’s social awareness. 

If you are a social media strategist, you would need content writers, to write copy that fits better with your client’s business niche, graphic designers, to create appealing designs, and coordination between all for a smooth execution of content strategy.

4. Data/ Analytics

While strategizing, I prefer data-driven social media practices. However, many individuals have doubts and are majorly stuck at finding the best time to post on social media platforms. 

Many freshers ask me “What is a social media engagement” and ask to know ways to improve it.  A strategic timing to post content is one of those that results in improved audience engagement. 

5. Analyze Activity-

It is important to understand the real statistics related to your business niche. ensure to know social media statistics, to form sound social media marketing strategies. Many users tend to spend more than 2.5 years on social platforms, and finding the right audience that caters to your business is important. It additionally becomes important to integrate better practices with social media marketing plans. Let’s understand it. 

Social Media Marketing Strategies

As a social media marketer, I create a strategic social plan to implement marketing strategies that go effectively with brand niches. It not only helps with executing social strategies but also effectively explains your question “What is social media marketing” with practical and real examples. 

Nonetheless, it is effective to have a social media plan to measure the performance of social media strategies and accordingly update them. I usually prefer using the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) model to carry out social media strategies effectively. It makes it easier to ensure your practices go as planned. 

Here are a few points that help you create a social media plan effectively-

1. Specific 

According to your brand niche, it is important to have realistic goals and objectives for a specific period. For instance, it is advisable to have a goal like increasing social media engagement by 15% by this quarter rather than “let’s improve followers by next week.”

2. Measurable-

When training newcomers, the second most frequently asked questions, after "What is SMM in digital marketing," often revolve around analyzing the performance of social media strategies and ensuring their effectiveness over time.

My general answer is to use social media analytical tools to measure the performance, analyze website traffic & audience engagement, and most viral posts to date. This gives a detailed insight into what needs to be done and what’s not.

3. Achievable Goals-

It is important to set realistic goals according to your brand’s online presence and existing community. For instance, if you have an early-age startup then set realistic goals as per your industry, rather than aiming to have similar results as well-established companies of your industry get on their social media platform. 

4. Relevant

Always ensure that your social media plan/ strategy is relevant to your industry and caters to your objectives. Therefore, it is advisable to be relevant when you create social media content and use real-life examples to demonstrate “What is social media marketing” to you and how you help your audiences with it.”

5. Time-Bound

To achieve social media goals and objectives you must set specific deadlines and plan your social media calendar/ strategy accordingly. It becomes helpful in updating strategies timely and results better in the long term. 

Benefits of Social Media Marketing

Being a social media marketer, I can say that social media has the power to uplift your branding and provide you with endless growing opportunities, regardless if you are a business owner or an individual with an active income source.  

Now that you have addressed the answer to “What is social media marketing strategy?”, it is important to know how it impacts your personal growth and business performance-

Improved Brand Awareness

One of the foremost significance of social media marketing is to improve brand awareness. It depicts endless opportunities that lie ahead when individuals use strategic practices for social platforms, considering factors like niche, audience demographics, etc. 

Increase Customer Relationship

Social media platforms are one of the best mediums to engage with a targeted audience and build healthy customer relationships. The right and strategic social practices often result in audiences making user-generated content. It makes the brand trustworthy and gains customer loyalty which results in improved relationships with them.

Brand Personality

Marketers often wonder about "What is social media advertising?" and how to effectively showcase their brand personality on social media platforms. The key lies in leveraging the potential of these platforms to highlight customer testimonials, brand vision, case studies, and more, all of which contribute to building a strong brand personality online.

Audience Engagement

Brands need to attract user attention with sound social media strategies along with creating audience engagement. For instance, many brands post content on social media without any specific strategy which leads to lower engagement and no traffic generation. Therefore, it is advisable to know what goes best with your industry and accordingly create social media content. 

Wrapping Up

When you search for “what is social media marketing” you're likely to encounter a vast amount of information, tips, and strategies. It can be overwhelming to sift through all of it and figure out what applies to your specific situation. 

That's why it's crucial to take a step back and first understand your brand's niche – what sets your business apart and who your target audience is. By knowing your industry well and identifying your target audience, you can tailor your social media strategies to resonate with the right people. 

Also, if you're thinking of making social media marketing your career, upGrad is a great place to start. They offer top-notch online courses designed by industry experts and partnered with prestigious universities, giving you the skills you need to succeed in this field, no matter where you are in your career journey.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is meant by social media marketing?

Social Media Marketing is a process where social platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc., are used to promote brands, and their service offerings, engage audiences, build community, etc.

2. What are the 5 ways of social media marketing?

Social media marketers perform multiple methods and the answer could vary. The top 5 ways, I follow, being a social media manager are- 

• Organic Social Media Marketing
• Paid Social Media Marketing
• Influencer Marketing through social platforms
• Collaboration with brands on social media
• Content Marketing as per brand’s niche.

3. Is social media marketing easy?

It depends on the skills, knowledge, and experience of individuals. For instance, a social media marketer could perform it effectively, whereas a beginner may find it challenging.

4. How do I start marketing on social media?

Create content that resonates with your personality, if you don't own or work with any brand. In addition, work on specific domains, like marketing or tech industry, and accordingly perform social media strategies.

5. What is SMM and types?

“What is SMM in digital marketing?” is the major question that freshers usually ask. It is a practice where social platforms are leveraged to grow a brand’s social awareness, engage target audiences, etc.

6. Why is SMM necessary?

SMM, short for Social Media Marketing, is important because of the significance that it holds as it increases the value of social media engagement necessary for sales. If performed effectively, it brings results that help brands grow and gain possible opportunities.