Developing an online marketing plan can be confusing at best. How can you gain results from social media platforms? Where is the best place to spend your time? Is one site better than the other? Should you try using a site with billions of followers, or would you be better off with a niche platform related to your field?
It’s not easy staying on top of current trends and connecting with your target audience in meaningful ways. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, all the rules can change.
Social media, in particular, can be a tricky place to advertise and grow your business. Get it right, and you can be rewarded with high ROI. Get it wrong, and you might be canceled.
Organic and Paid Social Media
Before you look at achieving results with the social media of your choice, it’s important to understand how to interact and post on the different platforms.
Organic social media refers to the free content on a site. When you add content – posts, stories, photos, videos, etc. – it’s a way of letting your followers see inside your brand. When you post organically, only certain people will see what you post:
This is why it’s essential to grow your social media account over time. With a handful of followers, your reach can be small. When you attract more viewers and use hashtags correctly, you can improve your exposure exponentially.
Paid social media refers to paid content you place on a site. If you pay to advertise on any social media platforms, you ensure your content reaches the demographics you select. You can use paid social media content to:
While organic growth takes time, paid content can target new audiences immediately. That’s why it’s a good idea to have both organic and paid social media strategies in place. They work hand in hand to grow your exposure and increase your ROI.
Social Media Advertising
You can’t ignore the numbers on the top social media accounts. Facebook has 2.89 billion active monthly users, Instagram has around 1 billion, and Twitter is about 330 million.
Each platform offers its users something unique. Your first starting point is determining which platform is the best place to reach out to your target audience. People spend time on each social media site for different reasons. If you can give the audience what it demands, you’ll have a better chance of growing your business.
Facebook, for example, allows you to reach out to several types of audiences.
You can build ads in one area or try all three. The more you learn, the more refined you can grow your ad campaign, and the more success you’ll find with your results.
It’s easy to get sucked in with the numbers. When you see Facebook reaches billions of people each month, it seems like a good place to advertise.
This content was originally published here.