How to Successfully Implement Your Social Media Marketing

1. What is Social Media Marketing?
2. What is the purpose of social media marketing?
3. The most important social media marketing platforms in Germany
4. Why is social media marketing so important?
5. Goals in Social Media Marketing
6. What should be considered in social media marketing?
7. 8 Steps to a Social Media Marketing Strategy
8. Social Media Marketing and B2B
9. Influencer in social media marketing
10. Why social media marketing is only worthwhile if you stick to it

The use of social media has become almost indispensable in our daily lives: Communicating with friends on Facebook, quickly posting a story on Instagram, searching for a new recipe on Pinterest, and spending lunch breaks on TikTok. Even though it has often been claimed that the internet and networking via social media are nothing more than a passing hype, hardly anything has developed as dynamically and established itself worldwide as a integral part of many marketing and PR departments of large companies like social media marketing.

Our guest author Kim Natalie Schomberg explains in this article why social media marketing is so important and how you can strategically use it for your target group.

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social Media Marketing (SMM) is a part of Online Marketing in which social networks such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook or Pinterest are used for marketing purposes and tactical as well as strategic measures for the communication of company messages are achieved. The interactive possibilities and platforms of Web 2.0 enable the dissemination of digital media content - technologically, in terms of content and design.

Social media marketing thrives on exchange, interaction and the willingness of customers to use the respective channels. As early as 2016, the number of users of social media worldwide was 2.28 billion - and rising. In Germany alone, there are over 38 million people who regularly use social media.

What is the purpose of social media marketing?

In social media marketing (SMM), the main focus is on understanding your own target group and finding the right platforms from the existing offer for the goal setting of your own company.

In order to effectively and efficiently integrate social media into your own communication strategy, you should first consider your own circumstances individually: Which target group should be reached on social media and how is this best achieved? Marketing on a social network becomes relevant for a company only when its own target group is present there - even the most elaborately developed social media strategy is doomed to fail if who needs to be reached is not reached.

From the publication of content to the interaction with users and building contacts to the evaluation of campaigns and measures: successful social media marketing is a full-time job. It not only offers an opportunity to generate new customers and potential leads through links and touchpoints, but can also help to strengthen customer loyalty, increase reach within existing target groups, maintain the company's brand image and sustainably increase brand loyalty.

Social media marketing can aim to increase brand awareness, provide support and improve complaint management for the company. In the long term, it can also stimulate sales and initiate product innovations through direct feedback from the community. In addition, it allows for effective and particularly cost-efficient implementation, evaluation and optimization of advertising campaigns.

The most important social media marketing platforms in Germany

Especially in recent years, the number of social media marketing channels and users has grown steadily. While Facebook was long the most relevant social network worldwide, it now increasingly competes with platforms such as Instagram or TikTok.

According to TikTok's ad manager, the platform's user numbers in Germany in 2021 are over 15 million people, and download numbers exceeded those of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Pinterest in the first quarter. Currently, LinkedIn in particular is recording great success in the B2B context.

The most important social media platforms for companies in social media marketing include:

• Instagram
• TikTok
• LinkedIn (and XING)
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Pinterest

The most important and popular social networks worldwide: user numbers in July 2022 in millions (source: Statista).

Depending on the target group and the intended orientation of the social media marketing strategy, you can use different channels individually and incorporate them into your company's social media presence. In addition, the various platforms offer a lot of advertising potential and very different user behavior.

Why is social media marketing so important?

Social media marketing is a kind of reaction to changed communication conditions. The search and buying behavior of consumers has changed significantly in recent years and is subject to constant change. Media use is selective, the information behavior of users is increasingly reduced - it is consumed specifically and selectively, on what they want to be informed about.

As a company, it is therefore important to adapt to these changes and place oneself exactly where the target group is active. The company's Internet presence has long since not been limited to websites and online shops - social networks are becoming part of the company's portfolio.

Goals in Social Media Marketing

The goals in social media marketing can be as diverse as the social networks themselves and can vary depending on the company and platform. In social media marketing, it can often be enough in the beginning if you first set the regularity of your own posts and contributions as a goal, before dealing with complicated KPIs and key figures.

Generally, SMM is primarily used to strengthen customer loyalty and convey a positive company image. The approach of promoting products and thereby increasing sales usually takes a back seat only indirectly.

The goals in social media marketing can be as follows:

• Increase in reach & follower numbers
• Increased brand awareness
• Generation of new target groups
• Increase in sales / Conversions
• Collection of feedback
• Increase in customer loyalty and customer satisfaction
• Lowering advertising expenses
• Employer branding on social media
• Generation of cooperation partners
• Placement of new products and services

What should be considered in social media marketing?

“One fits all?” Unfortunately, no. A post for Facebook should, contrary to the convenience of copy & paste, not be published thoughtlessly on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok or LinkedIn. Different social media platforms not only reach different target and age groups, but also distinguish themselves in terms of language and content from each other - what works on Instagram can flop on LinkedIn and the video that shines on TikTok with 1 million views can go under on Facebook.

It is important to deal with the available networks beforehand and to weigh up which platform makes sense to integrate into one's own strategy. Which target group is on the move on which network? How should the content be prepared for which platform?

Depending on the platform and project, it makes sense to use social media software and tools at this point. Here, information from various social networks can be bundled, managed, analysed and monitored.

Especially in the creation and management of posts and contributions, the communication with the community, the monitoring of published content and the integration of various social networks, social media tools offer numerous automations that lead to significant efficiency advantages.

These are the five most common social media software and tools:

Hootsuite

Later

Canva Pro

Facelift

Emplifi

You can find a complete listing and evaluation of different social media software and tools on our OMR Reviews platform. In addition, we introduce you in our OMR Reviews Software Guide Social Media all social media tools in detail.

In addition to the adequate processing of content relevant to users, the management of your own community plays a major role in being able to fully exploit the opportunities and potential of social media marketing. The fact that constant interaction cannot be operated without effort is self-evident.

A survey conducted by Bitkom in 2017 found that 36% of all surveyed companies that stated they did not use social media in their company said that the use of social media was associated with too much personnel effort.

Yet, the active, consistent and regular exchange and interaction between the company and the consumer presents a special opportunity in social media marketing - only through active exchange does a company become tangible for users: They have the feeling of being part of the company and being able to have their say.

8 Steps to a Social Media Marketing Strategy

Less is more - especially at the beginning, it is worthwhile not to aim too high and to take it slow. Especially for companies that are trying to get a foothold in social media marketing for the first time, the amount of new information can be overwhelming.

It is important to regularly remind yourself that many things cannot happen overnight - building a loyal community requires not only a suitable strategy but also time and patience.

When working out a social media strategy, you should initially deal with the answer to some important questions:

• What means and resources are available?
• What goals should be achieved through social media marketing?
• How should the company interact and communicate on social networks?
• How should the brand be represented?
• What does the current and future target group look like - which users are already being reached, which users should be reached in the future?
• On which channels is the target group active, how does it interact there and when is it particularly active?
• Which channels are suitable for reaching targeted goals and what do the targeting options look like?
• How and by which key figures should successes be finally evaluated?

1. The target group

Compared to classical marketing instruments, social media marketing is a completely new way of communicating with your own target group. Here, the added value generated via the own social media posts is particularly in the focus.

Pictures, videos, blog posts, podcasts - in social media marketing, (almost) everything revolves around regularly published content. However, if the target group is not reached with the own contents, the presence on all conceivable social media platforms does not help further. For this reason, it is particularly important to identify which type of content is most likely to be consumed by your own target group and which contents offer them a special added value.

2. Community Management

Telephone hotlines were yesterday - for customers, there is hardly an easier way to get in touch with the companies of their choice than via social networks. Various concerns, open questions, critical feedback? The response times could not be faster than via social media. For a successful appearance in social media marketing, continuous interaction with followers and fans is therefore necessary.

What happens with bad community management?

The free expression of opinion of users in social networks can especially in case of negative feedback become a setback. As a company, it should be considered beforehand how to deal with negative criticism in community management. The professional handling of negative feedback can be easily rated positively with good management through authenticity and honesty.

As a company, it is important to show publicly that the feedback of the users is taken seriously and that concern is taken for the concern as well as a corresponding solution proposal. Particularly timely response and transparent communication are the be-all and end-all in dealing with feedback, regardless of the type.

Through active exchange with the community, a company becomes tangible for users: they have the feeling of being part of it and being able to have a say. An exchange between the target group and the company on an equal footing also offers the chance to positively influence the company's own image - by giving users a certain insight behind the façade, they automatically build a different, closer bond with the company and feel a sense of belonging.

3. choice of channels

The choice of suitable channels for the own social media strategy should be made based on which contents the target group consumes primarily on which channel. Do video contents rank higher than lengthy texts? Do pictures play a more important role than blog posts?

Depending on how the answers to these questions turn out, you should take a close look at which channel supports the form of content that appeals most to your target group. The choice of the seemingly right platform can only make sense if these points are included in the decision-making process.

4. Content

If implemented correctly, good content can take on several roles. On the one hand, it makes the company's products more tangible for customers by providing them with sufficient information about them, on the other hand, it gives the company its own face: Who is behind a brand, a product or a service? How can consumers identify with the company and why?

Even though content is not everything that has to be taken into account for a successful social media marketing strategy, it should not be underestimated in its importance. Only those who create and publish targeted content will be able to achieve lasting success on social networks.

5. The editorial plan

A good editorial plan is the basis of successful communication. It serves for overview, organization and target group-oriented preparation of contents and should not be missing in any social media marketing strategy. Whether text, image or video - in order to be able to continuously supply your own target group with content, a well-thought-out planning is especially important. Continuity can only be ensured where content is no longer published spontaneously and intuitively, but structured and target group specific.

A well-maintained social media editorial plan helps to maintain the developed strategy and carry it out as planned.

6. The right timing

Next to the contents recorded in the plan, the right timing also plays a major role. When is your own target group reached best on social media, when is the publication of content accordingly less sensible?

It is worthwhile to deal with these questions beforehand and structure the timing of your own contributions based on the answers to these considerations.

7. The goal

Although it is often difficult to formulate pinpoint goals in social media marketing, the implementation of a strategy is nevertheless facilitated by at least a rough framework. Although, for example, the establishment of a brand image or the increase in a company's level of awareness are rather sparsely measurable key figures, they are nevertheless defining in the development of a social media strategy.

The more one becomes aware that social media marketing can hardly become the leading sales tool, the more efficiently other areas can be squeezed that can nevertheless benefit sales.

8. The success measurement

Of course, formulating objectives in social media marketing not only helps in the development and implementation of a strategy, but also makes the follow-up success measurement of the performed social media marketing measures easier.

What can be considered a success in terms of one's own activities must be examined and assessed individually. From the reach, likes, comments, views and shares to website traffic, sales and leads - the list of possibilities is long.

Depending on the focus of the company and its strategy, different social media activities can be purposeful. Nonetheless, a continued monitoring of progress is particularly important. Only in this way can changes and adjustments be understood and evaluated sensibly.

Social Media Marketing and B2B

Social media marketing for companies? Yes, please! Also in the area of business-to-business collaboration, social media are no longer a rarity. On the contrary: targeted cooperations with appropriate partners can also have a positive effect on the company's image within social networks.

Depending on the product, service or brand message, it can be helpful to join forces with other companies of similar orientation: An increase in the company's reach can ideally also bring an increase in the target group and an increase in the number of customers. Consumers who would not have been reached before get the opportunity to get to know the company and be excited.

As mentioned before, one thing is particularly important: Which content is published when and where and how?

Social media marketing also lives in the B2B sector from the content made available and the added value it provides for consumers.

Influencer in social media marketing

Under Influencer Marketing a part of social media marketing is understood, which profits from the influence and the reach of important opinion leaders and multipliers. The goal in influencer marketing is to win prominent people on social networks as brand ambassadors for your own company.

Influencers are people who are particularly influential in social networks and are therefore preferred for certain advertising messages. They can have a tremendous influence on the perception of the brand and are highly regarded as experts or role models in their community - their followers trust and follow their opinions and recommendations.

With the help of influencer marketing, a company not only has the special opportunity to generate targeted content and reach, but also to think in advance which person might suit the brand, thus exactly reaching the desired target group.

In the cooperation with influencers they usually receive exclusive offers from the company, which they can present to their community. These offers can, for example, be special discount codes or free order freebies, which the users can get hold of if they reach a specified minimum order value.

One of the most important points in influencer marketing is not to influence the neutral coverage of influencers as a company under any circumstances and to take care of the points of criticism and to work on corresponding improvements in case of negative feedback.

The greatest chance for influencer marketing lies in maintaining loyalty and trust of influencers and their subscribers in the long term. This trust supports in the long run, for example, the introduction of newly developed products, since the brand has already been associated with positive experiences.

The selection of the right influencers for your own company should not be taken without thought. Number of followers, composition of the target group, interaction rate as well as suitability for the brand and its message - for the decision making many different factors become important, which can be interesting for the result of a cooperation.

Why social media marketing is only worthwhile if you stick to it

Social media marketing only produces worthwhile results if you invest in this marketing discipline medium to long term.

Here initially continuity and a sound strategy count before big numbers and brisk, unconsidered action - only with the development and expansion of the own social media marketing activities should the focus sometimes also be placed on numbers based social media goals.

Even if a profit-oriented company naturally wants to get the maximum out of every area, a thoughtful build-up and expansion that takes its time pays off in social media marketing. Only those who plan, analyze, observe and evaluate carefully have a good chance of successful social media marketing.