cooking 109

Whether you’re new to social media marketing or just need to confirm you have the basics down, this guide is for you.

Why learn social media marketing skills?

How many people do you think log onto social media daily? If you guessed over XXX, you’re not wrong.  It’s highly likely your target audience is active on social media. Understanding and mastering the internet as a business tool through social media will empower you to leverage engagement and traffic to grow your business or blog.

Social media is key to building awareness and connecting with your audience where they already are through hashtags, groups, and more. It’s also a great channel to build on your other efforts, such as email marketing and blogging.

Whether you’re interested in growing a like-minded community or converting new traffic to sales, social media is the ticket to getting you there faster. If you’re looking to get started with effective results, keep reading below for where to get started.

Social media allows you to take your content and message to where the conversation is already happening. It levels the playing field for business of all sizes (Hubspot quote)

Hubspot quote

Skills necessary for social media marketing

It’s important to acknowledge all that goes into creating a great social media post. From designing eye-catching creative to writing click-worthy headline copy, to monitoring your engagement and traffic, the to-do list might seem endless.

Below are the core skills you need to get started creating awesome content. Identify which areas you’re thriving in compared to areas for improvement. Consider taking courses or watching videos to grow your skillset!

1. Copywriting: Beyond spelling and grammar, really understand what copy engages your audience. Determine what keywords to target for SEO-optimized content. Also ensure you’re answering audience pain points or questions.
2. Creativity: Design beautiful images for social platforms that feel native. Remember that Pinterest intent and visuals are much different than Twitter! Ideate on new content to creat regularly and experiment with new things to further understand your audience.
3. Community building: Put your audience first, respond to comments daily, action on any feedback or issues
4. Analytics: Check-in on performance daily using Google Analytics, in-platform business analytics, and what’s trending. Be sure to separate vanity metrics from what matters for your business. Understand the dates and times your audience engages most. 
5. Be human: Consumers expect brands to respond and engage on social media so be sure to join the conversation. Taking a human-first approach and showcasing your personality will allow you to be more relatable.

In addition to these, you might find the need for soft skills like empathy, patience with growth, and listening to your audience’s needs as well.

Free Social Media Marketing Courses and Certifications

1. LinkedIn course
2. Facebook blueprint
3. HubSpot Social Media Certification by HubSpot
4. A beginner’s guide to social media by Moz
5. X

How do I get started with social media marketing?

Determine your business goals

Take some time to think about what goals you have for your brand. Determine what the purpose of the content you will create is by asking yourself the following:

• Are you more focused on engagement or sales?

• What audience will your content or product most appeal to? 
• What is your target persona (i.e. age, gender, occupations, objections, motivations)? 
• What platforms are your target audiences using the most? 
• What kind of engagement are you looking to drive (likes, clicks, etc)?
• Are you looking to understand how your customers feel about a certain topic?

Create social media profiles

Once you know who you want to reach and where your persona engages, evaluate which social media platform your brand will have a presence on. Take some time to read and watch videos about your business profile and how to leverage analytics, promotion, and post creation on the platform.

Below are some platforms to consider signing up for. If you’re just starting out, focus on one platform before introducing another. However, it’s important to be on 3+ platforms in order to engage your audience at different times. Take note of how many ways you consume content daily! Remember to focus on your end-user here as you’ll need to join the conversation and become proficient in using the tool effectively:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Youtube
• Pinterest
• LinkedIn
• Snapchat
• Tik Tok

Create a social media marketing strategy

Here’s where things get really real. What will your brand presence look like on social media month over month? Invest in planning ahead at least a quarter in order to curate more high-quality content and not need to spontaneously plan at midnight (just me?).

Here’s an action plan to get started:

1. Set your SMART goals: Use your business goals and strategy to inform your social strategy and analytics reports. 
2. Identify your target persona: Use the questions above and apply your research to the content and social posts you create.
3. Build your content calendar: Use Google Sheets or a platform like Airtable that sets you up with a free plan and an easy downloadable social media calendar template. 
4. Execute content strategy: Leverage your skills to create amazing content your audience will thank you for!
5. Monitor performance: Check-in for at least 15 minutes daily. Determine which reports and KPIs you’ll measure weekly and monthly across your dashboards and platforms.

Conclusion

Anyone can jump into the conversation with social media. Its greatest power is leveling out the playing field between multi-million dollar brands and small brands. It is possible to master social media and leverage it for growth, just be sure to stay consistent and stick with it!

What’re you wanting to learn more about? Reply below to help inform future posts!

ijbuhsvgknhljbswgbr,knljasgljk,nadhjknlaljknhhadf