As of October 2019, there were 4.48 billion active internet users and 3.73 billion active social media users. With an increase in average time spent by a user on social media, brands are using social media as a prominent digital marketing platform to connect with their target customers. However, social media is a very dynamic platform and it is important for businesses to keep ahead of the trends for drafting an effective social media marketing strategy.
Here are some changing social media marketing strategies that you should implement as a business owner in 2020:
Social Videos: Videos are very popular among social media users because of their self-explanatory and engaging content. It is estimated that by 2021, 80% of internet traffic will be attributed to videos. Thus, it is time to start including videos in your social media posts. Businesses can also make use of features such as ‘Stories’ offered by platforms like Facebook and Instagram. The videos may provide information about your products, deals, upcoming events, event coverage, etc. in an interactive way. Additionally, they are also easy to share across multiple platforms.
Social Media Contests: A few years back, running contests on a social media platform had a sole purpose of increasing followers on the said platform. However, now social media contests are conducted to gain multiple benefits such as connecting with social media users, attracting new followers, turning existing followers in to a community, raising brand remembrance and getting audience feedback. The important point is to include a suitable call-to-action in your social media contest. Following are some common call-to-actions that you may use:
- ‘Follow’ to enter the contest
- ‘Like Our Page’ to enter
- ‘Comment’ to enter
- ‘Tag A Friend’ to enter
- ‘Share & Use Hashtag’
Alternate Platforms: Do not restrict yourself to a single platform. Make use of alternate platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, etc. to widen your reach. Different platforms have different user demographics such as 81% of adults in age group 18-29 use Facebook, 45% of adults who earn above $75,000 use LinkedIn, 72% 13-17 years old use Instagram, etc.
Expand Social Media To Google: 66% of internet users trust search engines. Thus, it is logical to include Google in your social media strategy. With new features, Google is no longer a search engine only. It offers social interaction features such as Google Follow (Google map users can follow a business and see its Google My Business page in a “For you” tab), Google Posts, etc. that can be used by business owners to engage their users.
Local Social Media: If you have multiple locations, a single social media page may be confusing and disengaging. It becomes tough for a user searching for a particular location to find relevant information from a pool of posts related to various locations. So, create local brand social media pages for different locations.
Be Relatable: Stay realistic, relevant and relatable! In order to build a loyal customer base, be transparent and authentic while sharing information. You can share ‘Live Event Coverage’ or ‘Product Launch’ to give users a glimpse of your business.
Be Informative: As social media has become new source of information, be proactive and provide users information about any updates in your field. However, be cautious to share correct and relevant information only.
At VANQ Media, we provide social media marketing services to businesses in Mississauga. Our services include thorough analysis of your requirements, formulation of customized social media marketing strategies, implementation of strategies and result tracking. For more information on social media marketing in Mississauga, visit https://www.vanqmedia.com/
