Let’s talk about what social media marketing can and can’t do for your business.

In most cases marketing through a social media platform is a complement to other forms of marketing. When a client comes to us with a limited budget, social media is usually our first recommendation for paid marketing. Facebook is the largest social media platform with the best targeting capabilities, meaning you can get in front of your potential audience easily, and you can determine the budget you want to spend on advertising on the platform.

Instagram is owned by Facebook and can be included in your ad sets.

Creating content and posting it, without ad spend behind it, doesn’t guarantee that anyone will organically see it. Even if your social media page has 1,000 likes, only a fraction of those followers may see any given post because of social media algorithms. Using ad spend to “boost” or advertise outside of those followers can bring in new customers, and spread your reach further. Facebook (and Instagram) are what we like to call “pay to play” platforms — if you want more people to see your message, you have to be willing to spend some money in order to do that. However, you can do that with almost any budget.

And here’s something else to consider, gaining followers doesn’t always equal sales.

A big misconception is that social media is easy and doesn’t take a lot of time or effort. In truth, there is a lot of planning and research that goes into developing original content. After developing content it’s incredibly important to engage and communicate with your followers, as well as follow them and other businesses as appropriate. Staying active with their content as well as your own gets your page in front of more people every time you hit the like button or drop a line on how you connected with the post.

Please hear me when I say this – be client focused. Interactions with followers on social media is comparable to interacting with them in person at your business, however you have a lot of potential clients also paying attention. What you write online can build or teardown your reputation.

Things to consider when hiring a Social Media Manager Internally

• It’s important to look for candidates who understand your line of work or are driven to learn more about your industry
• Look for someone that understands the difference between personal and professional social media posting. It’s important to know that you both agree on the definition of professional.
• Make sure they have time to do the work. There is a lot involved in developing your brand in an online space, bringing your voice to life and getting it out to the masses, writing content, taking photos, engaging in conversation, and keeping clients coming back.

Advertising on Social Media is a great way to draw attention to your business. It is very scalable, you can spend $5 on a single boost or $5,000 on a complex set of ads that require management and optimization.

How Can Social Media Help Your Business

• When developing a plan to build your brand, take a look at how your clients and potential clients see what you are offering. Is your messaging understandable and engaging?
• When planning out your advertising, spend time filling out the platforms’ forms so they know who your targeted audience is.
• Look at the accounts of like-minded businesses, both in your industry and outside of your industry, and find what draws you in and keeps you engaged in their page.
• Get personal but keep it professional. Your clients and customers will want to feel like they are getting to know you.

If hiring an internal social media manager isn’t right for your business, whether due to time, skill, or budget, another option is to hire a marketing firm. Of course we feel like this is an excellent idea, wink wink, but we also understand that there isn’t always a budget for it. Our main point of advice here is to stay away from social media management agencies that promise that they can save your business through marketing on social media. Social marketing can do a lot of good, but it isn’t a magic pill.

At Arrow Marketing, Media & Consulting we recommend you take your funds and put them towards the best form of marketing for your industry. We have spent our professional lives learning how and when to take a business into one particular direction or another with their marketing plan. We have a skilled social media marketing team on staff as well as a full spectrum of connections with television and radio stations to help you build a plan that will suit your company and its needs best.

We would love to work with you if you have any questions or thoughts on what we can achieve together please reach out.

Call us at 405-213-4268 or email us directly at info@arrowmmc.com. You can also use our convenient online contact form here and browse our full suite of digital marketing services here. We are here to help!