% of US with social media account '08-'1678% of the US population has a social media profile – up from 24% when Barack Obama first sat in the Oval Office.  Compare that to only 56% of the population that pays for cable TV.   We live in a social media world.

As a marketer, you need to fish where the fish are. You have to be online. This article is meant to help you.

Where Do People Spend Their Time on Social Media?
There are countless social media outlets that you can focus on, but you should only pick a few (or one) that you can successfully manage.
Percent of social media site visits in the US in August 2016

Market share by social media - Aug '16

Some Fun Social Media Facts:

  • 32% of the WORLD’S population use social media.
  • 72% of all online US adults visit Facebook at least once a month
  • 91% of retail brands use 2 or more social media channels
  • There are 40 million active small business Facebook pages
  • Social networks earned an estimated $8.3 billion from advertising in 2015

If you are paying part of that $8.3 billion, here are 11 Marketing Tips to Maximize Your Investment

1) Always Start with Where You Want to End Up
Make sure your social media objectives match your overall marketing objectives. Is it really just “likes” that you’re after or do you want to drive web traffic or calls?

2) One-Click Call to Action
You can lose prospects by sending them to your Home page. The more we ask our audience to do the more likely they are to bail on us. Think of it like corralling a sugar-riddled toddler with ADD surrounded by shiny toys. We need to get them immediately where we want them to be. Use the Facebook “Call Now” button and talk to them directly if it fits your objective.

3) Keep it Consistent
When your target clicks on your ad, they shouldn’t be taken to a page that looks totally different.

It is branding 101 … all touchpoints should provide a consistent experience.

4) A Little Whittling Will Make a Sharper Tool
Segmentation is vital in any marketing. Whittle down your target. The more narrow and exact your target, the lower your cost and the higher your engagement rate. Just keep in mind, that you still need people to see your message, so use some restraint.

Since we share every aspect of our lives on Facebook, targeting can go well beyond basic location, age and income. You can narrow by crazy-specific demographics, interests and behaviors.

5) Life Stage Marketing
If you’re using Facebook, you can target by “Life Event.” For banks and credit unions, this is a particularly strong method of segmentation.

Read more about Life Stages: “Target People When Their World is Upside Down

6) Do Not Design a Print Ad
Keep it short. If you’re old school (I prefer to think of it as “vintage”), think of online marketing more as billboard than print ad. And keep the message actionable.

7) Create A Lot of Messages
Online advertising makes us think in a whole new way. Facebook moves at light speed, Twitter moves much faster. This is not the arena to create one great ad and let it ride. You need to monitor your promotions and be ready to freshen up the message on a regular basis.

8) #Relationships
Create short, specific, actionable hashtags to build social communities. Use the same tag across multiple channels. For example: #MyFirstCar.

9) Twitter is Like a Free Focus Group
Do you have two headlines and can’t decide? Ask your Twitter followers. Are you hitting writer’s block with your content marketing? Ask your followers what they want to know about or float a few ideas past them to see how they perform.  Social media is about interacting, not just selling. Have some fun and allow your followers to provide input. They’ll love it.

10) Let PPC Make your Social Stronger
If you’re using both PPC advertising and social media, allow your natural PPC analytics to tell you which messages are resonating with your target. Then carry those messages over to your paid social media.

11) Remarket
This may take some outside help. Essentially, you want to identify people who come to your website. When they hit specific pages (or any page) on your site, they are “cookied” allowing you to become a grade-A cyber stalker.

Remarketing allows you to spend resources on higher-impact targets because they’ve already visited you. You’re spending money to build relationships rather than one-off introductions.

In addition to being a strategic consultant, MarketMatch also has nationally and internationally requested speakers. Contact us to bring our marketing ideas to your institution or next conference.

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