Some basics of social media marketing

Is it worth investing in social media for my business?

The first place most people now search for a business is online, so it’s important to make sure your business has a strong presence on the right platforms and the profiles look professional and up-to-date. This will help build your reputation, brand and profile. It is key to remember social media is there to build relationships not to constantly sell to your followers and it can take up to six months to start seeing its true effect.

Can I do it myself or do I need an agency?

It depends – if you have the marketing savvy, content-creating skills and the time to post regularly as part of a campaign, then yes. Most people don’t realise how time-consuming managing social media can be. Content needs to be carefully thought about so it’s relevant to your target audience and a strategy needs to be in place, rather than a scattergun approach, so that your marketing message is consistent. You will need to research and write your content, find and create appropriate images, links, videos, and industry news, as well as schedule this content, engage with your followers and analyse your results to ensure you are maximising your business presence.

Brandspace can help with as much of this as you need. Our social media consultancy services can help you manage and create your own strategies, or we can act as your outsourced marketing team to utilise our resources to promote your business online. If you have people in-house then Brandspace can help by complementing your internal teams – maybe you also need some brand improvement, content creation or our PR knowledge.

If you’re going to promote your business on social media then you do need to do it properly so that you look professional.

What type of results can I expect?

This depends of course on what you want to achieve from social media, but an increase in followers, engagement, website traffic and conversions are key performance indicators we’d be looking to grow month on month. What’s most important is how these metrics are influencing sales in the long term. Fortunately, with social media all this is measurable and we can track and report progress monthly to gauge how it’s working.

Social media plays a huge part in growing a brand. At Brandspace we believe in the power of the brand, the idea of your business that exists in the minds of your audience and when you understand that at its core, social media is simply a place for people to connect and share the things they like … well it takes a considered approach to engage those hearts and inspire interest. Brand building does take time and so this aspect of social media isn’t always immediately measurable, but the rewards are huge when you invest in doing it well because a loved and trusted brand that is held in high esteem, is rewarded with increased sales and loyalty that drives repeat business.

How long before I see results?

If you define results as an increase in followers and engagement, our clients often notice an increase within the first 30 days, then growing month-on-month thereafter. However, it can take six months for this type of marketing to start being effective. It is important to note that social media will not increase sales overnight – the goal is to help you form a relationship with your ‘ideal clients’ so that you are at the forefront of their minds when they require your products or services. If you want to focus on driving conversions in the short-term, you should also consider using our paid social advertising services.

What is the Brandspace process?

• You will receive a free one-hour discovery meeting to discuss your business goals
• You will be signed up to your chosen plan for a minimum term of six months as it takes a several months to start to seeing the effects of the marketing
• You will be assigned a dedicated Social Media Account Manager who will develop a content strategy tailored to your business goals
• Content, images, links etc will be created and delivered inline with your objectives and the plan you choose
• A monthly report and analysis will be created (if included in your chosen plan)

What platforms should I be using?

The internet has 3.5billion active social media users every day (each with an average of 7.6 social media accounts) and you can be sure they’ll be using a lot of the popular platforms seen below. All of these platforms have their own audience and way of serving their users. These are the virtual places people are choosing to hangout and share their content, so targeting your ideal clients on the right social media platform will lead you to success in building your reputation, brand and profile. We can help you determine which platform will give you the best exposure to the right audience.