The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Marketing for Startups

social media marketing

You leave lots of opportunities on the table by simply not tapping into all the potential audiences on social media platforms. In fact, over 45% of the population is on at least one social media channel.  Whether it is building brand awareness or getting more leads, social media is equipped with all the tools that you need to kickstart your brand new business.

However, it is easier said than done. While many businesses are making a fortune by effectively leveraging these platforms, poor social media strategy can drain your pockets yet yield minimal results.

Here’s a groundbreaking guide to social media marketing for startups you need, to stand above your competitors and speed up the process of growth.

Why Should You Start Social Media Marketing?

One thing about social media marketing is for sure that it can get your skies high. Unlike any other method, it gives you the opportunity to explore around. Go the extra mile and create uniqueness within your content. Here are some of the reasons why you should start social media marketing:

Brand Awareness

Regardless of how effective your business is, it will never be able to reach the right audience unless they know you exist. This is where brand awareness comes in. The key here is to EVERYWHERE and what’s a better way to do that than social media? You can spread your business across countless channels and ensure you leave no stone unturned to touch on all your potential customers.

As if this wasn’t already enough, Audi Canada saw a whopping 8.5 point lift in ad recall after running a single Facebook ad campaign in 2018, how amazing is that!

Low price, high profits

This is one of the major reasons why startups always begin with social media profiles to generate brand awareness before the launch. When it comes to running a start-up, you certainly need to put your 100% into improving your product/services and building a reputation rather than breaking your bank in ads.

This is why social media marketing is the best option for you. The cost-effectiveness can ensure you amp up your services while your regular efforts generate the ever needed traffic to your website. Sure, Social Media ads aren’t completely free but when we compare them to other conventional ads you will notice a significant difference to make your business efficient from the start.

Difference between paid and organic social media marketing

I’m sure these points are already ringing in your ears. But what’s the difference between organic and paid reach, and most importantly, which one is more effective, I hear you ask?

Organic Side Social Media Marketing

Organic social media marketing refers to marketing that involves no money. When you simply post something on Instagram and the comments, reach and likes you get are all organic. Although organic is a slow way of getting traffic it is more sustainable and engaging than paid.

The Paid Side

Paid social media marketing is anything that involves paid ads, sponsorships and money to boost your reach for advertising. The best part about the paid side so that you get to have control over the demographics and behaviours you specifically want to target.  However, it isn’t as engaging as organic.

6 Ways to Use Social Media Marketing for Startups

1.    Properly set up your social media profiles

So you have read this everywhere, but what exactly does it mean to properly set up your social media profiles?

When I say that I don’t just mean simply adding your logo, description and brand name. You need to make sure all the platforms are on business pages and are uniform. Before you decide the handle for your social media profile, make sure it is available on all social media platforms to make it easier for people to browse your brand.

Always try to stay consistent with your bios, links, and graphics to maintain branding.

2.    Look at your competitor’s profiles

Got successful competitors? Use it in your favour! Compile a list of all your competitors using competitive analysis tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to help you begin your hunt. Later, make notes of their branding, engagement rate, scheduling bios, and everything you can get your hands on.

3.    Use Social Media Marketing Tools

There are countless ways you can make use of social media marketing tools that can be a lifesaver if you are looking to maintain consistency and high professionalism in all the social media platforms. It also ensures that you keep up with the analytics and optimise your performance through that.

4.    Begin scheduling your posts

The key to having a successful marketing campaign is to maintain consistency and never miss out on special dates. Therefore, make your posts in advance with all the branding graphics and other important dates like Black Friday or other awareness days, set it up as scheduled posts and you are good to go.

Remember no one wants to follow pages that post once a month nor brands that bulk post 10 posts every week. Therefore, keep your posts in moderation and keep your audience engaged by posting on a daily basis. 

5.    Analyse the Stats

Although I’ve touched on this topic before, it needed more emphasis. As a general rule of thumb, you will never be able to find the #1 secret recipe to skyrocket your business on social media unless you try out experiments yourself. This is where stats come in handy.

After your research, go through different strategies, both organic and paid and work out its effectiveness by measuring stats. You can also try recording each of the performances to help you identify patterns and come up with your customized secret method.

6.    Optimize your posts for the next social media strategy

The best way to make the most out of your campaign is to keep trying new methods. Bear in mind, with every new experiment you are going to learn at least one technique to apply to your next post. For instance, if there are specific catchy headlines gaining high pins on Pinterest, try to optimise all the rest of your posts around that.

Or perhaps if you run a B2B business and specific self-development articles are getting more engagement, you can opt for writing more of those articles and redirect your strategies. 

This also helps to keep you flexible and keep up with customer demands. 

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