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 SMM Panel What is social media marketing? Social media marketing (SMM) is a form of internet marketing that uses social media apps as a marketing tool. These social media platforms enable brands to connect with their audience to: · build a brand; · increase sales; · drive traffic to a website; and · Build a community of followers to share and engage with content. Producing relevant content that users will share with their own networks helps brands increase their exposure. It also extends their reach toward fans, potential customers and even potential employees when used as a recruitment tool. Social media enables organizations to create relationships with their audience. It gives end users a platform to ask questions, voice complaints and generally be heard. It also gives brands the opportunity to respond, adapt and adjust business processes or products. Some popular social media apps include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and Snapchat. Each platform has elements that makes it attractive to use. And when a company uses several in combination to deliver a multichannel message, consumers can see those messages on their preferred channels. 5 pillars of social media marketing There are five pillars of social media marketing that will lead to a successful program. Determine goals. Using social media marketing should align closely with business and other marketing program goals. Some goals that businesses can use to measure success include increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic and leads, and increasing revenue. · Select social media platforms. There are many social platforms available, but it doesn't make sense for businesses to use them all. Organizations need to know their audience and choose the platform(s) that best fit their demographic. · Content mix. Each social platform has a unique flavor for distributing content -- including video, imagery, links and direct messaging. So brands need to identify which content their marketing persona is most likely to engage with. 2. Planning and publishing After establishing a strategy, it is time to begin publishing. This can be as simple as posting a new blog post, sharing information about an upcoming event or posting a new product video. But being consistent is the key to an effective SMM program. To build an audience, organizations should post frequently to their page. Posting relevant content consistently will keep the audience coming back for more. 3. Listening and engagement Businesses that create activity on social platforms can see growth in interaction and conversations about the brand and products. Users will comment on and share posts, tag the company in their own posts, and even begin communicating through the instant messaging functionalities. These types of interactions are ideal because there are notifications in place to alert social media managers. This enables them to practice good customer service, which in turns boosts the customer experience. 4. Analytics and reporting As more content is published and the audience expands, it is a good idea to continuously measure performance. Questions to ask include the following: · Which posts are getting the most engagement? · Where are a brand's followers from? The success of any marketing program is dependent on its data and analytics outputs. A marketing team can use this information to make more informed decisions on future campaigns and take advantage of what works. 5. Advertising Much of social media marketing is free -- with the exception of resource time and specialized tools. Building an audience and publishing content on free social media sites is a great way to achieve marketing goals, but as the program grows, so does the budget. Paid marketing features can be very valuable to organizations. They can target their advertisements at audiences based on many factors, including demographic information, retargeting and behaviors. Advantages and disadvantages of social media marketing While there are advantages to rolling out a social media marketing program, there are disadvantages as well. Advantages of social media marketing Reach a wider audience Improved customer satisfaction Cost-effective tool Increase website traffic Gain better insights Disadvantages of social media marketing Time-consuming process Need qualified resources Have to wait to see ROI Competitor's market research Brand reputation is vulnerable How to create a social media marketing strategy Here are the steps a company needs to take to build an effective social media marketing strategy: 1. Identify social media goals that align to the business goals 2. Research and define the target audience 3. Perform a competitive assessment 4. Create and curate relevant content for the channel 5. Be timely with posts and responses 6. Gain buy-in and support from others in the organization 7. Measure and optimize Businesses that benefit from social media marketing Organizations that roll out an effective social media marketing campaign will see many benefits. Here are some examples of businesses that can benefit from social media marketing programs: Small businesses and startups Direct sales companies Real estate