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Social Media 101 for Not-for-Profits and Businesses

Social Media 101 for Not-for-Profits and Businesses

With over 3 billion internet users worldwide and over 2 billion of them with active social media accounts, it’s clear that having a social media presence for your business should be a part of your marketing planning.

Marketing has changed significantly in the past decade. Companies, regardless of size, have turned to social media to gain valuable customer insight to provide their customers with rich experiences and build relationships.

Social media has also allowed businesses to find out what their competitors are doing leading them to make strategic business decisions to keep up with the competition. And perhaps most importantly, social media has enabled businesses to increase brand awareness, website traffic, and search ranking which leads to higher conversions and more sales.

Here is a guide to get you started on social media:

Choose a Platform Based on Your Target Audience

With so many social media platforms, you may think that the best strategy is to create an account across all of them. This isn’t advisable nor is it necessary. Instead, it’s better to build a strong presence on one or two. You should prioritize your efforts on channels with the largest reach exposing your business to new users.

Who is your target market? Who was your product or service designed for? For example:

Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube are huge with teenagers and millennials. About 32% of Internet users use Instagram.

Facebook is still the largest social network with 79% of Internet users as members. Young adults are still the majority of users. However, older adult users are increasing in numbers with 62% of online adults ages 65 and older not use Facebook.

LinkedIn is the platform for business types and is an excellent place for B2B marketing.

Twitter is the social platform for influencers and bloggers. Roughly 24% of online adults use Twitter with a reported 29% of those users being highly educated with college degrees.

Choose a Platform Best for Your Business

If your target audience is too broad and choosing just one or two social media platforms is difficult, consider which network is best for your business and suits your personality:

Facebook and Twitter are ideal for businesses that create a lot of unique content that can be shared via a link. For example, if you have a blog on your company website, you can use Facebook or Twitter to lead your social media followers to your site using a status or Tweet that includes an external link.

Instagram is excellent for businesses who have a lot of visual content such as captivating branded photography or professional product shots. Instagram is ideal for your business if your marketing strategy involves a lot of visual storytelling.

Snapchat and YouTube are best for businesses who have access to professional-level production equipment and are highly entertaining in front of the camera. This network is ideal for businesses who really know how to put on a show.

Create a Social Media Strategy

Once you’ve chosen your social media platform, design a plan for posting content which should include the type of content and a schedule. Consistency is key when building your online presence.

Repurpose content you may already have or start creating new content. Create posts that are relevant to your business, posts that address your customer’s problems or share industry-related news that will interest your followers.

Your strategy should include constant networking. Actively follow experts, influencers, brands, and publications relevant to your industry. Retweet articles, comment on blogs, share their updates, link to their content, and like their posts. All this activity puts you on the radar of influencers, industry experts, and users as a leader who is involved in the industry.

Your social media efforts are an essential part of your overall digital marketing strategy. Exceedion specializes in Indianapolis Social Media Marketing strategies and management to expand your reach, attract your targeted audience, and generate quality leads for your business. Our social media engagement experts can help you grow your business today.

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