Social Media Marketing: Getting it Right and Building an Audience

Social media marketing can make or break a business. It’s a powerful tool for marketing, building a brand and maximizing advertising reach. Businesses can no longer rely on print media, newsletters or advertising via radio or television. Instead, social media offers a prime way to connect with potential customers and project a company’s unique voice.

The Bachelor of Science in Strategic Communication with Social Media Management Certification online program from Arkansas State University can prepare students for the role of social media manager. Be it in person or digital, ensuring that a company’s voice is consistent is an important part of strategic communication today.

What Is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing uses social media platforms for advertising a company’s goods and services. This type of marketing allows a company to interact and communicate with potential and current customers while promoting its brand, voice, culture and mission. Since social media platforms typically provide users’ geographical location, age and interests, companies can pinpoint their advertising and messages to specific demographics. Companies can specialize the type of content they use; plan the publication of photos, videos and text; monitor what people are saying about their brand or products; analyze the engagement of social media posts; purchase advertising and use data analytics tools to track the success of their social media posts.

6 Ways to Get Social Media Marketing Right

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn and TikTok oversaturate users’ feeds with content from established companies and up-and-coming businesses. However, there are a few ways to get social media marketing right in order to rise above the noise. Here are six ways to build an online audience and maximize brand reach:

1. Research your audience. With the right message on the right platform, a business can quickly reach its target audience. When you consider that different social media platforms engage and appeal to different audiences, you can narrow down each platform’s social media marketing strategy. Keep in mind to focus on platforms where your core audience is active. Many companies use a social media dashboard to know what audience is following them and how often they interact with a post.
2. Set goals. Decide what you want from social media marketing. Is it brand awareness? Increasing community engagement? Building a following? It’s important to keep a social media strategy simple to achieve goals.
3. Boost relationships. Interacting, communicating and engaging with people online is one of the best ways to establish a relationship with social media followers. Building a community, creating brand loyalty and nurturing relationships with other influencers in the same field can boost a company’s recognition.
4. Switch it up. If you find that you typically post photographs, try posting a video. If you rely on memes, try a GIF. Take advantage of all the social media content options such as reels, live videos or stories.
5. Stay in the know. Being aware of social media trends can make a business look current and reach more potential consumers. Understanding why people use social media and realizing what they’re looking for can help give a business an advantage.
6. Work smarter. Social media management programs allow a social media manager to log into different platforms from a single dashboard. Using the right tools can help you schedule posts and analyze how well you’re capturing and interacting with followers. Keeping track of what works and what doesn’t will indicate if your social media marketing strategy is working.

If you’re interested in building a brand’s unique voice and social media marketing strategy, an online bachelor’s degree program focused on social media can help make that a reality. With a solid understanding of strategic communication, planning and management fundamentals, students can tackle the world of online marketing and anticipate trends in real-time.

 Learn more about Arkansas State University’s online B.S. in Strategic Communication with Social Media Management Certification program.