If you want to sell a product or service successfully in this day and age, you cannot leave social media out of your marketing strategy. Given how crucial social media has become for today’s brands, social media management and content creation have become some of the most sought-after careers by job seekers. According to Lensa, we can expect social media jobs to double in the next two years due to the rise of new social platforms. These projections highlight the importance of social media in a company’s long-term strategy.

A snapshot of the current rate of social media adoption

According to the most recent data, 5 billion people use the internet, 4.5 billion of whom use some sort of social media or multiple social media platforms. These people spend an average of 147 minutes on social media. These numbers are staggering. Can you imagine a market this size? We can be sure that marketers cannot afford not to reach this significant segment of their target audience through any other avenue.

Not only is it unavoidable for brands to do their marketing without taking social media into account, but it would also be foolish. Social media offers tremendous advertising value – due to the wide-reaching nature of social media, products and services can be picked up and promoted widely. All you need to do is network with a few influencers and join the right communities, and your product or service will capture attention and attract buyers from all over the globe. This is why a great portion of today’s marketing is done online using social media platforms like Lensa.

What platforms are most effective for marketing on social media?

Depending on the audience they want to reach, marketers looking to maximize results can decide which social media platform or which combination of platforms they use for advertising. Typically, the younger generations – Millennials and Gen Z – favor Instagram and TikTok, though many older demographics also engage on these platforms.

Baby Boomers and Gen X-ers are more involved on Facebook and Pinterest, and Facebook has the biggest market share of all social media platforms. There are also globally lesser-known platforms that are country-specific, and it is a good idea to get acquainted with them if your market lies in one of those geographical areas. Some examples include WeChat in China and KakaoTalk in South Korea.

WhatsApp occupies the third spot with 2000 Million monthly active users (MAUs) and it is used globally. Though it is not necessarily considered a social media platform, it offers access to a significant number of potential clients, along with YouTube and Messenger. Finally, while it is considered a microsite, Twitter can serve as an outstanding platform for advertising and reaching your audience.

What kind of images are most effective for marketing on social media?

Since each platform is built around a specific content format, it’s important for brands to be selective with the content they publish. Marketers are much better off creating or generating excellent content across two-three platforms instead of spreading themselves thin and targeting all platforms. The problem with targeting each and every platform is that it’s impossible to produce quality content for each, unless you have a team dedicated to producing specialized content for each platform.

Now let’s talk about what counts as excellent content. The old adage; a picture is worth a thousand words, stands true in the case of advertising on social media. Facebook and Instagram are prime examples of this, and it is not an accident that Facebook limits the number of words used in advertisements.

People are more attracted to an emotionally moving image than they are to a huge block of text. Even if the picture is only indirectly connected to your product or service by some association, if it is the right picture it will attract a wider audience than the one you already have. The unconscious persuasion of pictures is an excellent tool for drawing in your audience.

What is the best way to optimize videos for marketing on social media?

Videos are among the most powerful tools for marketing on social media. Humans have been fascinated by moving images since the dawn of film. With our decreased attention span, shrinking capacity, and time for reading, a video is an excellent way to convey a lot of information – facts or emotions – in the shortest time possible.

At the moment, short-form videos that follow the Reel format on Instagram are especially effective. In fact, TikTok has gotten so popular because people enjoy watching short videos now more than ever.

Contrary to popular belief, these videos do not have to be of outstanding quality. Depending on the target audience, they can look like and have the feel of home videos – roughly cut, hip, and trendy. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are all great platforms for using videos.

How can brands use infographics for marketing on social media?

Progress charts, statistics, formal or informal data, and icons are all appealing to the eyes, and kindle interest in more analytical or inquisitive minds. Again, depending on the demographics of the audience, the infographics can be funny, comical, cartoon-like, highly professional, or anything in between. These infographics will attract more attention if they are placed on platforms that focus on providing information (for example, Twitter, Pinterest, and Quora). This is as opposed to platforms like TikTok, where people quickly scroll through for photos and videos.

Conclusion

With all the recent developments, there are so many cool features that can be utilized when doing marketing on social media these days. Chatbots, appointment schedulers, and surveys are all wonderful tools that you can use to engage your audience, get valuable feedback, project prospective customer numbers, give value, etc.

Quotes, testimonials, blogs, and free or paid ebooks can and should be utilized to build credibility and trust with your prospective customers and provide valuable information to them. The more you give, the more you get.

Regardless of which elements above you use to advertise your product or service, it is vital to remember that your content should always reflect the identity and values of your product or service. If you don’t craft your content to align with your brand identity, then you might find yourself damaging your reputation rather than improving it. Each piece of content must be a true reflection of your brand, and you must create a clearly recognizable aesthetic; that is how you build brand awareness.

It’s also important to keep in mind that timing is crucial. Posting too often can be counterproductive and annoying while posting too rarely can undermine your marketing goals. In order to get the timing right every time, you need to set up a content calendar, stick to it consistently, and provide appropriate, diverse content for your appropriate audience.