Social Media Marketing in a Nutshell 

Social media marketing is a very broad umbrella term that covers all sorts of things. It is divided into both organic, or free visibility, and paid advertising on social media. This article introduces the most common social media marketing channels, both free and paid.  In order to fully understand social media marketing though, the first step is understanding the content needed for both organic visibility and paid advertising.

The most common types of content in social media marketing

• Pictures
• Articles
• Video

As for the best content, it is very clear that the company’s own images and videos work far better than stock solutions. Of course, not everyone has the ability to produce their own material, and in this case, stock images will do.  If a company is able to produce textual content relevant to its target group, this is also well worth posting to social media, even without a visual.

Social Media Marketing Basics

Social media marketing plays a huge role in today’s marketing field, so everyone should at least understand a few basic concepts. As initially stated, social media marketing includes both the company’s organic visibility on social media and paid advertising on the same channels.

Social media marketing aims to both find new customers and strengthen existing customer relationships. This is best accomplished with diverse content that serves the target audience. Below is a brief overview of the differences between organic visibility and paid advertising on some of the most common social media channels.

Social Media Marketing - Organic Visibility

Organic visibility is free visibility, which is the visibility of social content produced by the company itself, without advertising. This content can be product images, an article written by an expert, or even just a sensational video of a company event. Quality content such as this is critical in the overall success of marketing efforts.  When done well, they communicate the company’s story, products, services and to the ideal client, and build credibility. 

It’s also important to note that content shouldn’t be only sales content. According to most experts, up to 80% of a company’s content should be non-sales material and only 20% sales. 

Paid advertising on social media

Paid advertising is when the visibility of a company’s content is enhanced by paying for purposefully-built advertisements. Paid advertising in social media marketing is an excellent tool because of its precise targeting capabilities, among other things. 

Where organic visibility is mostly directed towards users already following the company, paid advertising is a brilliant tactic to reach new followers and potential customers. It is in this pursuit of new customers that there are enormous benefits through specific targeting opportunities. 

We are often asked what social media paid advertising costs. This article goes into great detail about paid ads on Facebook: Facebook pricing for ads

Social media marketing on the most popular channels

When it comes to social media marketing, my opinion is that the most popular by far is Facebook. After Facebook, I believe that Instagram is a close second, followed by LinkedIn. It’s no surprise that these are also the main focus of paid advertising. 

However, in addition to paid advertising, it’s noteworthy that these also have a good potential to gain organic visibility. While gaining organic visibility requires work, it is possible with strong, interesting content. The self-posted commercial flyers alone do not spread organically at all. In an ideal situation, a company produces high-quality organic content relevant to the target audience.  This will stir initial visibility of the company’s message, which can then be reinforced further with paid advertising.

Social media marketing in other channels

In addition to the three channels mentioned above, there are countless other channels suitable for social media marketing, including: 

• Twitter
• Snapchat
• Periscope
• TikTok

Recent statistics show that the number of  TikTok users is drastically on the rise at the moment and is especially popular among young people. I have to admit that I myself will sometimes “hang out” on TikTok, even though I may have slightly outgrown my teenage years.  LinkedIn, on the other hand, is a platform with a strong focus on business and professional content.

In addition to these, some experts also consider WhatsApp and Messenger as social media channels. In my opinion, however, the two serve more as instant messengers.

Social Media Marketing Summary

I hope this article has given you the basic information you need to take the next steps in developing your own marketing. Because social media marketing plays such a big role in today’s marketing strategies, it is especially important to understand its basic principles in order to make better decisions about which direction you want to take your own marketing.

I believe social media marketing is so important that I can’t think of a reason to opt-out. Every day, numerous companies are shifting more and more emphasis in marketing to social media. Which channels and how to communicate is strategically perhaps the most important decision. When thinking about channels and messages, you should consult professionals, unless you are 100% sure what and in which channel you should do social media marketing.

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