Make Your mark

Social Media Marketing is one of the best ways to grow your e-commerce business.

It’s a cost-effective (note we didn’t say free!) way to increase brand awareness with your target audience and lead people to the point of purchase.

Which is why so many brands are using it get a leg up and create sales opportunities.

The first step is to be seen. Which is easier said than done in a world where millions of people and brands are trying to get people’s attention each and every day. You’re going to need to do something that gets people attention to make your mark.

Here are 7 ways to stand out on social media:

1. Nail Your Brand Story

One of the best ways to get clear on your brand story. Working out your ‘why’ is a process, but once you’re clear on what it is, you’ll start to communicate with conviction and you’ll start to attract the right followers to your social channels.

Your brand story needs to be a compelling and emotive synopsis of the passion and purpose that lies behind everything you do. If it doesn’t excite you, it won’t excite others. Go back to the start when everything was exciting, and rekindle that fire that made it happen in the first place. You’ll find that’s where the gold lies.

2. Keep your visual identity consistent

Working out a theme that set you apart from your competitors is a great way to stand out. Once you’ve worked out a colour palette and a visual identity that conveys your story (see above), the next step is to stick to it. Staying true to your visual identity will, over time, give you cut through as your audience starts to recall your brand.

3. Use Video

Working with video (and prioritising it over stills) has a whole range of benefits, perhaps the biggest being the organic impressions and reach you will get on nearly all platforms. You have a range of different video options to choose from, including Live, short stories, animations, and more produced forms which are great for social advertising. Whatever you create, just make sure it speaks your authentic story and it’s entertaining. People won’t stick around for boring content!

4. Pick your Platforms

Some of the major social media platforms are now supersaturated, meaning it is harder than ever to be heard. If you look outside the square, there are others that offer great functionalities and niche audiences. LinkedIn, Pinterest and TikTok for example are still relatively untapped!

If you are going to use Facebook and Instagram, look for ways to use some of their peer-to-peer content placements like Groups and Messenger.

5. Use Social Advertising

We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again. Social Media is Pay To Play. You have to have a budget behind your content to get the optimal return on your time investment. What that will look like depends on the social media platforms you’re working with. Some are more expensive than others, and some have more sophisticated ad types that others.

Where should you start? At the top of this list with your ‘Why’ and then work back from there. Getting clear on your target audience and the story that will compel them to purchase is fundamental to any successful social advertising campaign.

6. Consider Influencer Marketing.

Before you cringe, consider this: around 61% of SMBs say that influencer marketing is effective. We use this strategy ALL the time with our clients and we have seen the results first hand. You can read about it here.

One of the reasons influencer marketing has been given a bad name is because of poor management. When the terms of engagement aren’t clear things go off the rails. Just play smart, and you’ll reap the rewards!

7. Do Your Homework

Repeat after us: Analyse. Create. Report. It’s an iterative cycle that starts with data. And ends with data. And starts with data. And ends with data… (you get the picture!). Social Media is numbers. Everything you do can be quantified. If the numbers aren’t showing improvement, something isn’t working.

Don’t expect to get it right the first time, it takes time to find the sweet spot. And when you do, it will change! So never get too comfortable. Always keep a close eye on the results. And be prepared to constantly adapt.

WHERE TO START?

What we’ve outlined here are just some of the things we work through at the start of any new client campaign as part of our #GetTonguesWagging strategy session. If you’re keen to learn more, just get in touch! We’d love to get to know your business better, and discuss the possibility of partnering to help you grow!