Social Media Strategies for the Noobie Marketing Professional

Twitter found its way into the fashion world in 2013, with the debut of its Twitter dress. It was seen on UK “X Factor” judge, Nicole Scherzinger. Created by CuteCircuit, the dress displayed tweets in messages lit up by 2000 LED lights woven into the clothes. Do you think that this choice in apparel was going too far? Maybe you haven’t been paying attention to how much social media is playing a part in leveraging sales and marketing strategies for companies, on a global level. Samir Balwani, a technology strategist, recommends that companies utilize all social media outlets to their advantage– not just Facebook and Twitter, but YouTube and Pinterest as well. Starting a social media account with one of these networks is only a start. The real magic comes when you begin to use the accounts and apply some marketing strategies as you build your brand name. Noobie marketing strategists and brand ambassadors: this article’s for you.

Say It With Video

In terms of content, there’s a whole world of social media that is mostly untouched by small businesses: video. We’re talking YouTube, Vimeo, and SoundCloud. If you want to buy a car, you’re likely going to click on an ad with a video embedded. Most companies prefer using HD quality filming equipment and professional editors, recording studios, etc. All of these extras are great if you can afford them. Crowdsource material from your fans and customers. Edit this material to produce a fun video that illustrates their customer’s experiences. GeniusRocket is a company that curates crowdsourcing projects and teaches marketing professionals how to apply crowdsourcing concepts. They offer great information on how to mine video from your fan base and create commercials from this shared media, legally and professionally.

A/B Testing

Most companies who update their Facebook pages, usually do the same with their Twitter pages. Too many brand ambassadors connect their Twitter pages to their Facebook fan pages. Every tweet automatically becomes a Facebook fan page post. This saves time, but Twitter and Facebook are two different networks that require two different types of formatting. Twitter works best for short-form announcements and images. On Facebook, a company can post a gallery of pictures and tag fans and other brands in status updates and memories. Balwani suggests marketing strategists should try posting their updates on Facebook and Twitter separately. Then they can see how well audiences respond to updates comparatively on Facebook as opposed to Twitter. Comparing your response rate and conversion rate between the two media outlets can help to inform you. Why is one outlet doing better or worse? What can you do differently to improve your conversion rates?

Set Practical Goals

Most marketing strategists and brand ambassadors want to watch their companies’ brands become an overnight success and get instant gratification with numbers of “likes” and “followers” in the thousands. Jasmine Sandler of Clickz.com suggests that strategists and ambassadors set and define practical goals. These goals can be met over time. You could introduce your product and get media sites and fans to start talking about your products. Generate some buzz after a month and then set higher goals to engage in social interactions that will then drive social traffic to your companies’ site.