Optimise Your Success With Social Media Marketing (SMM) Experts
Digital marketing or e-marketing, more widely known as social media marketing (SMM) maximises the buying power and reach of the social media platforms through which users create networks, exchange information and conduct much of their business. The use of SMM establishes and reinforces a company's brand identity, promotes its products, describes its services, and boosts sales, all through driving traffic to its website. As such, SMM has become an essential marketing tool for businesses of all sizes, much as printed advertisements were pre-digitisation. In today’s digitally driven world, social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Reddit, and TikTok (amongst others) offer unique opportunities to connect with a specific (target) audience, build brand awareness, and drive sales. At the start of 2023, there were 4.76 billion social media users globally – over 59% of the world's population, and numbers are steadily increasing. With billions of users, it makes sense to take advantage of the marketing opportunities now available globally.
What is Involved in Social Media Marketing?
Social media marketing encompasses various activities, such as creating appealing content, running paid advertisements, interacting with followers – some of whom will become customers – and analysing performance statistics. The definitive goal is to build a strong online presence, foster customer relationships, and achieve measurable business objectives. As such, the introduction of social media marketing has introduced a myriad of benefits to business owners and individual sellers. Social media platforms provide a powerful means of reaching and engaging with a large audience, either locally or globally, which can help increase brand awareness and recognition and boost profitability.
Engaging with customers through social media channels can assist in building stronger relationships and fostering customer loyalty and is a less expensive option than traditional advertising methods, which is more appealing for smaller or start-up businesses. Sharing links to your website or blog on social media can help drive more traffic to your website and increase the likelihood of conversions (buying customers). Social media also provides a way to obtain feedback from customers in real-time, allowing for instant interaction and simplicity in communication.
Whilst marketing through social media allows for a broad “net” of potential customers, it is usually targeted towards a specific audience. Social media assists businesses in reaching a wider audience and increasing engagement through shares, likes, comments, and other forms of interaction, none of which were previously available through traditional marketing techniques. Nonetheless, it is worth remembering that many “feet-on-the-ground” shoppers may not have access to digital media or simply prefer to shop physically where they can choose specific products individually, which is why aiming marketing efforts at specific targeted audiences is so important.
Why are Social Media Marketing Experts Important?
Since both private and business users are so active on social media, it makes sense that those wishing to reach as many in their target audience as possible will use this form of marketing/advertising.
Building a strong social media presence takes time and effort, and business owners must consistently engage and create content, which is why they use the services of social media marketing experts.
SMM is, necessarily, high maintenance and requires expertise in getting it right and keeping the end goal in sight at all times. It therefore makes sense to call in the experts in this field.
SMM experts offer the following services:
- Aligning SMM goals with specific business objectives/profitability
- Identifying the details of the target audience in terms of age, income, interests, and industry, and directing marketing efforts to attract them
- Analysing competitors’ activities and evolving trends, including their successes and failures
- Analysing and adapting the SMM efforts for the specific business, based on previous successes and failures
- Scheduling and maintaining regular content delivery and offers, creating “sticky” content that attracts and captures customers immediately, resulting in purchases and shares on social media platforms. Customer-generated product reviews and recommendations are another valuable form of brand exposure without the need for paid advertising. Viral marketing strategies are extremely effective at triggering the rapid dissemination of word-of-mouth product information, spreading the marketing message well beyond the reach of the original target audience and thus drawing in new demographics
- Keeping track of progress and ensuring that campaigns remain on target and are achieving their goals. Identifying potential customers is much more refined on SMM than on traditional marketing channels, ensuring that companies focus their marketing resources on their exact target audiences.
- Tracking customer value and trends, either directly via purchases or indirectly through product referrals and adapting social media content accordingly
- Tracking and adapting to different social media platforms' constantly evolving algorithms and policies, thereby maintaining successful marketing campaigns
- Monitoring customer feedback and responding accordingly to both negative and positive feedback. SMM provides a forum for customers to voice their complaints and grievances publicly, and this can damage a business’s reputation and market share if not handled properly and efficiently
How to find the right SMM expert
Since their focus is geared toward online marketing, it makes sense that using a search site such as Uptasker may be your best bet in finding the right SMM expert. If they can advertise themselves successfully, imagine what they can do for you! Uptasker lists specialists in many different categories per geographical location, which is a definite timesaving and convenience bonus, particularly for initial one-on-one consultations. Always check online ratings and customer reviews to put your mind at rest regarding service, timelines and reliability, and check their portfolios of previous work, particularly on major projects, which can be accessed through Uptasker’s “one-click” links to supplier’s websites, if available. You also have the facility to request a supplier to contact you directly or to ask for and compare quotes from different suppliers.
