Social Media Marketing for Startups: Its Importance and Best Instruments
With the advent of the pandemic, the game rules have changed. Especially for those who have just started a business and are trying to stay afloat. Instead of traditional marketing instruments, more and more businesses turn to social media. It is a source of information, promotion, and building a strong brand image.Just think of it: there are 2.85 billion Facebook, 2.29 billion YouTube, and 1.38 billion Instagram users at the moment. This makes promoting using social media one of the best ways to advertise your startup. In this guide, we are going to tell you about the benefits of social media marketing and the types of content you should focus on.
Brand recognition
Before we discuss how to increase social media presence, let us highlight a few advantages that you will get. First of all, it’s brand awareness. Every day, social media networks are used by billions of people worldwide which make Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube great platforms for talking about your goods and services.
Direct communication
Another significant benefit is that with the help of social media, brands can interact with their customers without any mediators. Recent studies show that most consumers contact companies on Instagram and other platforms to get a consultation, solve a problem, or share feedback. That is why improving visibility via Twitter or another network will be extremely helpful for bonding with the audience.
Low traffic cost
Usually, startups have limited resources and need to spend every dollar wisely. While advertising on TV or billboards can be expensive, you don’t have to invest much in building social media presence and engaging with the customers. When choosing organic growth, you won’t spend anything at all. However, for the best results, you might still need a designer and social media marketing (SMM) specialist.
Simple content production
To reach the audience and generate content through social media, you don’t have to be a degree-holding scriptwriter or videographer. Just develop a social media marketing strategy and stick to the plan. Below we will share the best ways to create memorable content.
Live Video
Live streaming is extremely popular not only among individuals but startups as well. It allows interacting with the customers directly, collecting reviews, and engaging them in a discussion. This content type helps to build trust because people see who you are, without edited videos and retouched photos.
Snap Stories
Every day, Snapchat users watch billions of videos which makes it a great platform for promoting your product. Share your story, services, and news through small video clips. You can even alter an existing file with the help of Apple Final Cut or similar products and get the best size, audio, graphics, and colors.
Video Content
Videos already surpass images in terms of IP traffic and user engagement. You can create tutorials, reviews, record the production process, and film interviews with team members. And with the help of iMovie for PC, you take the quality of content to a completely new level thanks to 100+ fonts, a slideshow creation mode, and other perks.
Influence Marketing
Reaching out to the influencers in your niche is one of the best marketing decisions you can make. It helps to increase brand awareness and reach a broader audience. Millions of people follow the lead of their favorite bloggers, so why not use this? To speed up and optimize the process, join an influencer marketing platform and find the person who meets all your criteria.
Virtual Reality
Apart from influencer marketing, get familiar with the VR and AR instruments. Do you remember the hype around Pokémon Go? It gave all of us a chance to experience a full immersion into the game. These tools are great for startups as well, especially if you come up with quality content.
User-Generated Content
Feedback is important. It also allows brands to create content without any effort. To use this instrument, simply encourage customers to share their reviews and experience, post photos and videos of your goods and services. Everyone wants to be heard and taken into account, and this marketing instrument won’t cost you a cent.
Final thoughts
Social media gives startups a great opportunity to reach the target audience through an influencer marketing platform, video content, and other instruments. Without spending much, you can increase brand awareness, understand the preferences and behaviors of your customers, and research the competitors. However, this doesn’t mean that you should neglect more traditional marketing instruments like A/B testing or offline advertising. Only a compilation of all these methods can lead to long-lasting results.