What is social media communication?
There is no such thing as communication in social networks. At least not from a marketing perspective, because every network has a different style. On Twitter, for example, a casual tone is often enough, with humor too, as here with the British supermarket chain Tesco:
Tesco Marketing and Communications
This tweet manages almost without words and still has a decent reach. Why? Because many people can empathize with the situation (“Well, theoretically I would have something with me…”) and the picture is immediately understandable.
The bottom line, however, is that there are a few golden rules that you should follow when communicating on social networks:
- Stay authentic.
- Be polite, especially when it comes to criticism.
- Make the most shareable.
- Respond to negative voices with favorable phrases.
- Admit mistakes, and use specific wording. So: “Sorry, our post wasn’t okay because…” instead of “Should we have offended someone…”.
When Does Social Media Marketing Make Sense?
Who tells me that all this is worthwhile for my purposes? Well, unfortunately, we can’t see into the future. But we can say from experience that it’s worth it if…
- …social media fits your niche, and your target group stays there.
- …the return on investment (ROI) is positive. (Tip: Check out our Social ROI Calculator!)
As stated above, social media marketing is not the ultimate solution for every business. But it can play a crucial role. Not sure yet? Then it is best to get advice from experts as a first step.
How much does social media marketing cost?
Creating accounts on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc., does not cost anything. However, everything beyond that does not come for free. If you are serious about marketing on social media, you should expect costs for the following factors:
- Tools for research and social media analytics
- content production
- ongoing maintenance of the accounts
- Social Media Advertising via Facebook Ads
- Cooperation with influencers
Depending on which measures are used and to what extent, costs of several thousand euros can arise. Much of this cost is because SMM involves many hours of work. After all, someone has to create, curate, plan, post, maintain, etc., the content.
Social media marketing is not a part-time job that an assistant does for 10 hours a week. Realistically (depending on the company’s size), 40 hours or more per week.
Some social media marketing stats
Time for some hard facts to guide you! Did you know that according to an online study by ARD and ZDF…
- …48 percent of Facebook users in Germany are between 14 and 29 years old?
- …at 46 percent, the 30-49 age group is just behind?
- …in Germany, at 59 percent, it is mainly 14-29-year-olds who use Instagram?
- …more than 70 percent of over 400 companies surveyed currently use LinkedIn?
This is just scratching the surface – there are plenty of surveys and statistics on social media usage. The Industry Report 2019 by Social Media Examiner (PDF) provides an overview if you want to know more. An excerpt from it to conclude: Of over 4,800 social media marketers surveyed, 94 percent stated that they use Facebook…
How to develop a social media marketing strategy
Basics? Check! Then it can now get down to business – how do you set up such a strategy for social media marketing? You need two things for this: marketing goals and knowing which platforms are the best for your purposes!
Social media metrics and goals for marketing
There is neither a scheme for social media marketing nor goals. In most cases, however, it is (among other things) about more reach, image cultivation, and the interest of new customers. And how do you measure these things? For example, with the following key figures:
- like numbers
- conversion rate
- click-through rate
- interaction rates
- Type of interaction (click, like, share, comment, …)
- reach of a post
Ultimately, the measures on social media should lead to you being able to retain existing customers and generate new leads. However, the goal isn’t just “more”—you need concrete numbers instead. Because only with a specific goal in mind can you develop strategies for getting there.
What Is GTmetrix?
Offers a free version that monitors up to three sites and pays plans according to the needs of each company, from 10 USD per month and personalized prices for large companies.
This tool is handy as it will allow you to measure the loading speed of the websites you decide to monitor. In the case of your company or brand site, this will help you analyze if the loading speed is affecting your performance.
You can use it as a plugin in WordPress and increase the power of its tools with a plan adapted to your needs.
