What The Heck Is Social Media Marketing?

    Facebook, Hashtag, Tweet, Post, Reach, Twitter, Pin, DM, PM, Re-Tweet, Re-Pin, Share, Algorithm, Content, LinkedIn, Curate, Engage, Value, Share, Comment, Pinterest, Blog and I'm sure there are a 1000's more I could add to the list but really, what do they all mean in this day and age of marketing?  Why are they important words to know when it comes to your business?  What The Heck Is Social Media Marketing?  Well, I'm about to tell you just what it is and why it's a good thing to do for your business.  

    First it helps to understand what Social Media is.  "Social media is a collection of computer-mediated tools (Platforms), that allow people and/or companies to create and share things of interest, via text, pictures and videos in virtual communities and networks across the World Wide Web" Source: Wikipedia / Varris Marketing
Due to this phenomenon, businesses now have a fast, easy and inexpensive way to reach the masses to promote their product or service.  More than 3 billion people access the internet on a daily basis Source: The International Telecommunication Union.  Why wouldn't you want your business to be a part of that?

    You also have to understand that today, social media is more about connecting and engaging with your audience than selling to them.  To be honest, Social Media platforms are not where the sale should be happening, that should take place on your website, storefront or in person.  You want to use your social media platforms to showcase your product or service, you can even talk about the solution your product or service provides.  Marketing your business on social media is meant to Inform, Educate, Entertain and add Value to one's life personally or professionally.  It's the place where you get to learn more about your audience and where your audience gets to learn more about you.  When using social media for your business you have to follow the 80/20 rule and that's where 80% of the content you post, should be about what your audience is interested, what they resonate with and the other 20% is about you and your business.  

    So you may ask, how do I know what my audience is interested in?  My answer to that is, view your social media platform analytics.  This is where you can see what type of content they connect with the most.  Do they like content with images, videos or just plain text?  Your analytics will tell you all of that and more, thus providing you with the info needed to curate content that activates engagement.  

    Another tidbit you want to remember is that you need to test a few of the platforms to really see where you get the best results.  Not all businesses need to be on all platforms.  Test 2-4 over a 3 month period and analyze results.  Stick to the 1 or 2 platforms that really showed promising results.  Later on down the road, to increase
Brand Awareness, you may want to incorporate more platforms.
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​    In conclusion, Social Media Marketing is definitely in my opinion the way to go when promoting your business.  Would I say that you should give up traditional marketing?  No Way, It's a combo deal that should be used together to complete your overall marketing plan.  

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    Thank You for reading my Blog.  Please feel free to comment and share.  Have A Good One. 

Valarie Harris
Founder & President
​Varris Marketing