When social media first entered the scene, it was used primarily for pleasure and convenience. Old friends who hadn't talked in years were able to reconnect, family members living in different states could share pictures and people all over the world were able to communicate instantly. Soon, however, businesses noticed the power of social media and began to harness it for themselves. With a single tweet or Facebook update, these marketers were able to reach more people than they were able to reach using other methods, such as texting services or email marketing.
Unfortunately, social media is not the same as it was when businesses first began to use it. In order to get the most out of social media, businesses must adapt to its changing landscape.
Why Did Social Media Change?
In the beginning, it was easy for businesses to gain visibility on social media, especially Facebook. Facebook launched the business Facebook page and advertising banners, and marketers were able to reach their target audiences easy. However, many Facebook users soon became annoyed with the influx of marketing material on Facebook. In order to please users and improve profitability, Facebook created an algorithm that jumbled the newsfeed, placing the most "important" material toward the top. This new algorithm made it much more difficult for businesses to reach audiences on Facebook. Twitter followed suit and Instagram is sure to do the same.
What Can You Do?
Social media has changed, but businesses can still use these platforms to their advantage. Businesses must simply adapt to the new algorithms. To continue using social media effectively, follow these tips.
Don't try to change your strategy overnight. - Avoid looking for an immediate solution to the social media problem. Instead, make gradual changes to your strategy.
Consider digital marketing automation. - A digital marketing platform allows you to use social media more efficiently. Consider investing in this type of platform to reduce expenses and improve performance.
If profitable, pay for social media traffic. - It is still possible to pay for traffic on social media platforms. If you are able to measure the cost of leads and sales generated through social media, consider investing in traffic.
Use other types of marketing in addition to social media. - Even when social media produced better results with less effort, using it on its own was never the best choice. Instead, marketers should create a comprehensive inbound marketing campaign that combines a variety of strategies, including email marketing, a mass texting service and search engine marketing.
Reuse your best content. - If you had already posted effective content on social media websites that have recently undergone algorithm changes, consider reusing this content on other sites, such as Slideshare or Linkedin.
Convert social media traffic. - Take steps to convert your existing social media traffic into email subscribers.
Monitor the effectiveness of social media marketing. - Use tracking and analytics to monitor your success on social media. Focus your resources on the campaigns that produce the best results.
Author Biography
Sophorn Chhay
Sophorn is the marketing guy at Trumpia, the most complete SMS software with mass sms messaging, smart targeting and automation. Jumpstart your business by grabbing your free copy of his powerful Mobile Marketing Success Kit. Watch Trumpia’s 5-Minute Demo on how to execute an effective mobile marketing strategy.