WHAT ARE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING OBJECTIVES?

According to EdX Online Education, Wikipedia and Buffer platforms, Social media Marketing is defined as follows...

"The use of social media platforms and websites to promote a product or service." Wikipedia

"The use of social media platforms to connect with your audience to build your brand, increase sales, and drive website traffic. This involves publishing great content on your social media profiles, listening to and engaging your followers, analyzing your results, and running social media advertisements. Buffer

"Social Media Marketing is the use of social interaction to provide value to companies and brands. Its about understanding how various digital technologies facilitate interactions between consumers and other consumers and between consumers and companies. Technology is constantly innovating." - EdX Strategic Marketing Course

Social Media Platforms were initially established for social engagement purpose. Overtime the purpose, use and value of social media platforms has changed, due to its functionally being made more accessible also to Business Owners and Creative Entrepreneurs. This has meant most brands access the platforms to promote their products and services through paid and Free Advertising; which is more cost effective than traditional means of advertising.

Perceptions of Social Media Platforms such as Instagram by most Business Owners and Professionals has changed overtime. Previously, such platforms were not perceived serious enough or professional enough, for businesses to promote their products and services.

Instagram including Facebook has enhanced it's platform to include marketing features for Creative Entrepreneurs and Business owners to use, in order to build and develop brand awareness to its billion users. During the current Coronavirus Pandemic, Instagram added new features, intended for users to use to help promote Local Small Businesses. Titkok has also added similar features on it platforms to help promote charitable causes and fundraising initiatives.

It can be challenging for newcomers and existing users to know how to effectively and efficient establish themselves on Social Media Platforms. For instance, you might have been used to traditional norms of marketing and sales, which are not applicable on Social Media Marketing Platforms. You may feel overwhelmed, daunted and give up on all your marketing efforts. This is due to the belief that you might be failing, without realising that Social Media Marketing objectives work differently due to cultural shift of the mindsets of consumers that use the platforms.

Some users also experience this false perception that is it easy to achieve instantaneous success rewards on Social Media Marketing platforms; in the form of recognition and financial. This perception has increased more with the rise of macro and micro influencers, who work in partnership with reputable business and reputable brands.

The truth of the matter, is that establishing oneself as a Brand Personality via Social Media takes time, more so at it sole premise is about developing authentic social interaction and engagement. Social engagement being the main priority over sells (which is secondary). As without developing authentic social relationships and engagement, which truly connect with your audience, it is nearly impossible to benefit from sells or promotions and to reap any long term rewards.

Today’s consumers base their perception of a brand on the meaningful moments they have with it. Importantly, those moments don’t just happen at the checkout page, or on the service line. Social media has emerged as a crucial touchpoint in building customer relationships. - Sprout Social

According to Edx Strategic Marketing Course, your marketing objectives could include some of the following outcomes;

Increase brand awareness.
Identify who your ideal audience/clients are
To gain more business partnership opportunities.
Connect with more people within your Niche Market.
Inform others about your products or services?
Gather more information about your audience for research purposes
To contribute to a greater cause and add more social value
Increase customer leads through your Landing Pages/Websites?
Increase financially opportunities.

NOW IT BEST OPPORTUNITY TO START TO FOCUS ON:

1. Increase Personal Brand Awareness, through regular content creation, proactive sharing and engagement on Social Media.
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2. Better understand who your ideal clients/customers including what their changing needs are according to the current financial, lifestyle and economic challenges your audience and prospective clients are being impact by. Also what their future outlook and needs are most likely to be looking forward.

According to Sprout Social the following below is what consumers want from brands;

91% of people believe in social’s power to connect communities.

78% of consumers want brands to help people connect through social.

76% of respondents were more likely to buy from a brand they felt connected to on social media than a competitor.

32% of customers expect a response within 30 minutes online

70% of customers go on Social Media to raise an issue about your product or services, to provide you the opportunity to fix. They want a timely response.

79% of customers say that they want brands to show that they “understand and care” about them before they buy anything.

They connect more with brands that are humanistic and personalise their connect for them specifically; with your own brand voice and personality.

3. The opportunity to enhance and refine your social value offer through Digital Means. ⠀
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4. You have the time now to proactively participate in meaningful and valuable conversations within your Online Niche Communities. Offer value based on key your knowledge and skills; attraction marketing and knowledge authority techniques.

Being active participants in online communities without your Niche Market can add enormous value for you as a brand. This is especially when you listen in the background, offer educational information, you gain brand knowledge authority recognition. Offer information without taking. Some Business Owners and Entrepreneurs who belong to these group are quick offer links to their products and services, this time of action no longer works. Only offer when people ask for the information. ⠀
5. To start creating innovative solutions based on feedback you are seeing and receiving through Social Listening. Where there are challenges there are opportunities to offer more social value. This does also have to be in the form of asking or requesting for someone who you don't know to buy your product.

You focus on knowing who you consumers are
Their personality characteristics (their values and beliefs).
What excites or challenges them
What sort of solutions they are look for.

Now more than ever could be the best time for you to re-evaluate your Social Media Marketing Objective, so that you are ready to kickstart your Entrepreneurship and/or Business Venture when the economy is back to being fully operational. This is especially if you have had to hold off offering services. Taking a stop gap can also enable you to consider how to pivot your social value offer to online digital services. ⠀

You allow for the opportunity for people to see you more often and to know what you stand for in terms of your values, visions and beliefs.

You might be motivated to focus on how fantastic your product and services are. Unfortunately, you will lose your audience when you start to focus on your product and service features. You will benefit more in the long run when

To end, Instant Success and Sells Results should not be the ultimate Social Media Marketing Objective even though it may fulfil your immediate satisfaction and financial needs. The social value offer and lasting positive impact you have on the mindsets of your audience/customers is the ultimate fulfilling success and longer lasting solution.

People will remember you for what you did for them and how you communicated with. They are less likely to remember you for your selling and advertising efforts, especially if you didn't authentically connect with their needs. They will love your product and offer after you have invested time in them. They will see your value offer. The key here is time and patience.

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