As the world becomes increasingly reliant on technology, digital marketing continues to grow and is clearly staking a claim as one of the most effective and cost efficient types of marketing available.
Because social media plays an important role in the world of digital marketing, it is important to be familiar with how to best utilize the various platforms and do all you can to represent your company and increase brand awareness. With that in mind, here are some great hacks you can use that will get you on your social media marketing game.
1. Mashing Up Content
If you want to catch users’ attention when posting on social media, supplying engaging content is key. However, coming up with this content may not come so easily to some. If you find yourself struggling to come up with content, try researching articles posted about topics relevant to your industry to find ideas. To avoid copying outright, mash up ideas from two or more sources to create your own original piece.
2. Crowdsourcing
If you are in business, it is likely you often ask yourself, “What do the people want?” The internet makes it easier than ever to ask them directly. Crowdsourcing is a great way to find out customer opinions on products and services and it also serves to make consumers get excited and feel more engaged with your company. And the best thing about crowdsourcing? It’s completely free!
Related: Does Your Social Media Suck? Here’s How to Tell
3. Hashjacking
I’m sure we’ve all heard of hashtagging, but hashjacking? Similar in nature, hashjacking involves using popular hashtags in an attempt to get more people engaging with your posts. While hashjacking can be an effective form of digital marketing, make sure the hashtag you are using is relevant to your content. Otherwise it may not be appreciated by users and could serve to attract an audience that is not really interested in your company.
4. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is another form of digital marketing that is increasing in popularity. Here, a company will find someone who is popular on social media and attempt to persuade them to feature their product or service in a post. If they are successful, this can be a very effective way to increase brand awareness. Companies should do their best to find influencers whose interests are relevant to their business and what they are selling for optimal results.
5. Native Advertising
Native advertising is a type of advertising that matches the form and function of the website it appears on. The goal of this type of advertising is to make customers unaware they are even looking at an advertisement because the feel of the content matches the publisher. This helps the product to sink into their subconscious but doesn’t involve the stigma of a customer feeling as if they are being “sold to.”
6. Newsjacking
Incorporating popular headlines into your content can be another way to get people to become more engaged with your product. Riding the wave of highly engaging news stories and issues can be a great way to capture attention. However, make sure the news you choose is relevant to your business or product. Otherwise, you’ll run the risk of alienating consumers.
7. Real Time Marketing
Social media is great in that it allows us to post about events as they are actually happening or soon after. Companies can take advantage of this ability by creating real time posts and tweets that are relevant to breaking news as it unfolds – and to tie in products or services while they’re at it!
8. Social Media Monitoring
It is important to be on top of what is happening on your social media feeds at all times. This gives you a chance to respond to questions, comments and mentions as soon as are published and help control the conversation. Social media monitoring will make your customers feel more connected and engaged and can even help with damage control in some situations.
9. Social Selling
Interacting with customers and prospects through social media can also be a great way to increase sales. By simply answering questions, providing helpful content and clarifying information, you can educate customers about your products and show that you offer reliable service. Over time, they’re more likely to trust you and this may increase the chances of them buying from you in the future.
Related: Time-Saving Social Media Marketing Techniques
10. Competition Stalking
What are your competitors up to? Where are they seeing engagement. By stalking your competitors and checking their social media feed and profiles regularly, you can not only be informed on what they’re getting up to, but also learn what’s working and (more importantly) what’s not. You never want to be caught off guard by a customer telling YOU what a competitor is doing. You want to be one step ahead of the competition, especially on social media!
11. LinkedIn Publishing
LinkedIn first emerged as a resource for job seekers but is now being recognized as one of the most powerful platforms in B2B marketing. If you use LinkedIn for your business, be sure to check out the LinkedIn publishing tool. LinkedIn Publishing allows you to post long form posts or articles that relate to your professional interests and areas of expertise. Using this tool, you can post engaging content that is likely to reach your target audience.
We all realize that social media is a powerful tool in the world of digital marketing. But these 11 hacks can improve your social media marketing game even more if you can leverage them correctly!
Learn more about these useful hacks to find out how you can make them work for your company by contacting our social media marketing experts here at Ironmark! Good luck raising brand awareness and increasing sales for your business!
