With 2020 well underway, it’s worth noting that social media platforms are just as relevant as they were before when it comes to lead and revenue generation. According to Social Media Today, 71% of consumers who have had a positive experience with a brand on social media are more likely to recommend it to their social circles, with 73% of marketers stating that social media marketing has been somewhat to very efficient for their businesses.
Whether you run a small startup, an e-commerce platform or a retail storefront, social media can indeed bring new customers and much-needed brand awareness to your business in 2020. However, creating the perfect marketing mix for your social media pages can be tricky without the right know-how, which is why we are here today. Let’s take a look at several important guidelines and practical tips which can help you elevate your social media advertising concept for 2020 and help increase your exposure and revenue.
Why Social Advertising Matters in 2020
Before we take a closer look at how you can utilize social media platforms for your brand awareness and lead generation, it’s worth exploring the benefits of doing so in the first place. Jessica Brook, Head of Public Relations at Studyker spoke on the matter briefly: “When it comes to online exposure, your best bet is to go where the audiences already are. In case of social media, integrating your brand into existing social ecosystems and raising public image and awareness of your company is a logical move in today’s digital age. Avoiding social media marketing altogether will quickly result in your competition taking over whatever market you’ve carved out for yourself already, making its active utilization a must.”
Social media platforms represent a unique communication channel, especially in 2020 where everyone has some form of access to the web and already uses Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or all of the above. With that in mind, some of the most beneficial reasons for social media to find their place in your marketing strategy include:
- Direct control of your brand’s public image
- Facilitating brand loyalty and advocacy
- Increased website traffic and sales
- More frequent B2B networking opportunities
- High ROI due to the cost-efficient nature of social media
Social Media Advertising Concepts for 2020
Set Concrete Milestones & Goals
Even though 2020 is underway, it’s never too late to set long-term goals for your brand’s social media exposure. What is the state of social media marketing for your brand as of right now? Do you intend to attract local or international stakeholders? Do you have the capacity to hire a content creator and a social media manager?
You can use goal-setting methodologies such as SMART or mind-mapping among others to objectivize your milestones and goals more precisely. That way, any action, tool or campaign you approach will be utilized to a greater extent thanks to tangible goals to back them up.
Platform-Based Content Approach
No two social media platforms are alike when it comes to creating and managing content. Twitter, for example, is perfect for short calls to action and outbound links to your website or blog.
Instagram, on the other hand, is a visual-first platform with great potential for storytelling and hashtag utilization. Facebook is a combination of both, allowing you to create special follower groups, post various types of content and talk to your audiences daily.
Depending on which platforms you choose to focus on, your content style should reflect those efforts adequately. Don’t create a single piece of content and try to push it to all channels at once without any retrofitting or formatting to make it more impactful. Tools such as Evernote and Hemingway offer great versatility when it comes to writing and editing content for social media – make sure to use them wisely in 2020 and beyond.
Less Sales, More Interactivity
The end-goal of your social media activity will always be sales and lead generation – that is a given. However, your audiences don’t need to hear that constantly, or in fact, at all when it comes to social media marketing. In the age of hyper-speed content mills creating posts, videos and visuals for social media by the minute, people simply want to see something genuine.
With that in mind, your approach to content creation should be less about direct sales and more about brand representation, storytelling, social proof and interaction with the audience. Include calls to action, questions and discussion invitations in your social media posts on a regular basis. Respond to discussions, suggestions and feedback whenever someone reaches out to your page directly or leaves a comment on your post. Social media marketing is a two-way street. Make sure to do your part and the people across the globe who follow your pages will return that in spades.
Live Events & Giveaways
Speaking of interactivity, live social media events are a great way to bolster your brand awareness in short bursts. You can organize live events around Q&A sessions, interviews with industry representatives or influencers, or simply to discuss your business’ plans for future development.
Likewise, giveaways, quizzes and polls are also popular on social media due to their low-cost, high-return performance. Small gifts such as discount coupons, codes for e-commerce platforms or streaming services, or even branded toys and memorabilia all work wonders on social media. Get creative and look for ways in which you can introduce live events to your business model to ensure much higher traffic and lead generation for your website and brand in 2020.
Incentivize a Long-Term Following
Building brand loyalty is an ongoing project with no real end-game other than recurring purchases and word of mouth from satisfied consumers. That being said, your social media campaigns should always play the long game and introduce multi-week events, multi-part blog posts as well as frequent updates and teasers for the future.
As we’ve previously mentioned, talking to your followers on public posts and comments sections already does wonders for your brand’s public perception due to many companies simply not bothering with that aspect of social media marketing. Give your followers a reason to get back in touch with your social media pages on a regular basis and your revenue generation rates will reflect those efforts.
Social Media Advertising Mistakes to Avoid
Now that we have a better idea of how to utilize social media more efficiently in 2020, let’s take a look at several notable mistakes to keep in mind. These mistakes will effectively negate any positive progress you’ve made with your new social media advertisement concept for the future, so make sure to avoid and mitigate them at all costs.
Marketing your Brand without a Strategy
You should never post content on social media channels without a reason to do so. Every post, content piece or update should always be planned in advance and serve a concrete campaign. That way, you will not only have an easier time organizing your production and publishing activities but also create a sense of organization and professionalism around your brand.
Frequent Publishing and Reposting
Social media posts should be published with good taste and never to simply spam as much content as possible. Too many social media posts, not to mention copied and reposted old content, will have a negative effect on your brand’s public perception. Schedule your posts for strictly regulated publishing, whether that be once a day or three times a week to allow your followers to anticipate new content drops more easily.
Inadequate Handling of Negative Feedback
Given the vast array of potential customers from around the world, negative feedback is not a matter of “if”, rather “when”. That being said, it’s always the best solution to handle negative feedback in a civil and respectful manner, even if the other party is wrong – from their perspective, they are right.
Make sure not to burn any bridges and create negative PR for your brand on social media – politely apologize for whatever situation the customer has found themselves in and look for ways to amend their bad experience as effectively as possible.
Social Media Marketing Stagnation
Lastly, the worst thing that can happen to your social media pages is stagnation. It’s always good practice to run surveys with your followers, collect performance data and look at what works and doesn’t work in your strategy.
Try to innovate with different content types, visual standards, topics and various kinds of audience interactivity. Keep things fresh for your followers and they will stick around and improve your bottom line in doing so.
In Conclusion
Social media platforms are not a revolutionary addition to the online advertising scene but they are nonetheless a very important factor to consider. Make it your mission for 2020 to increase social media presence and brand awareness for your business. Whether you work with local consumers or an international audience, social media platforms can help you perform better both in terms of revenue gains and lead generation going forward.
Nicole D. Garrison is a content strategist, writer, and contributor at a number of platforms for marketing specialists such as Write Scout. She is a dedicated and experienced author who pays particular attention to quality research. In her free time, Nicole is a passionate runner and a curious beekeeper. Moreover, she runs her own blog LiveInspiredMagazine.
The post A Brand New Concept for Advertising on Social Media in 2020 appeared first on SiteProNews.
