How do you use your social media campaigns?
Do you use them to engage with customers?
Do you use them to drive traffic to your website?
Whatever you use your social channels for, there is always room for improvement, but there are certain traps you should certainly avoid.
Choose the Right Campaign & Build it properly
Campaigns vary hugely – depending on your end goal, you will find that every campaign is different, if you’re trying to drive traffic or encourage reviews then the tactics need to vary.
Different campaigns deliver different results, before you begin you need to have a clear idea of what you hope to accomplish. With those goals fresh in your mind, research and choose the type of campaigns that works well for you, and then you can decide how to build it.
There are quite a few companies that offer campaign-building software, some of these are free but others cost hundreds of pounds a month. The lower the cost, the lower the risk should the campaign fail.
Campaigns that look great on mobile are absolutely vital nowadays. Increasing amounts of people access the internet almost exclusively from mobile devices, so responsive campaigns are a necessity.
Get the Megaphone Out
Statistics show that 75% of campaign success is down to promotion. There are a good few ways to promote your campaign, and most of these won’t cost and arm and a leg, because they’re already existing resources, such as your website or blog.
Design your campaign with sharing capabilities built in and add incentives for people to share, for example if you’re running a free trial on your product and you’re attempting to get subscribers, then why not offer a few extra days on their subscription time?
Perhaps you’re running this campaign specifically from Facebook, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t want your followers on Twitter or LinkedIn to know about it. Make it easy to share and spread the word!
Offer an Incentive not a Prize
One of the biggest mistakes some companies make is offering expensive prizes by way of an incentive, things like iPads and holidays, the whole thing tends to turn into a bit of a raffle. Offer an incentive that is line with the brand, so for example if you’re attempting to get people to sign up to a magazine subscription then offer a month free if they sign up for twelve months.
The campaign will be loads more effective by showing off your products, services and advice. Sure an iPad will get some attention, but it won’t necessarily show your social media friends what it is you actually do.
Facebook Advertising
Certainly an expensive option, but it’s a great way to further your reach and zone in on the targets you’d ideally like to target.
You can create advertising that encourage likes, traffic to the website or ones that promote your latest campaigns and track and budget them meticulously. So long as you’re targeting the right audience you’re bound to see some kind of impression.
Social Media is an excellent way to further your brand to people who might not otherwise come across you. Certain brands business models revolve entirely on social media – so companies targeting a younger audience will go straight to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to promote the products.
