Welcome to my blog. I am a full time online marketer with my own online boutique. I am hoping to share my knowledge and expertise with other entrepreneurs who are looking to develop their own businesses or simply want to learn more about marketing. I will cover a variety of topics from growing your social media following, to gaining website traffic, to marketing for lifestyle brands. Don’t worry, this blog is not about becoming a social media “expert”. I would simply say that after mastering the basics, you will be able to apply what you learn to any industry or niche you choose.
The Basics Of Social Media Marketing
I will begin by explaining the basics of social media marketing. If you are new to this term, don’t worry, you are not alone. Most business owners and marketers are still not fully aware of what social media is and how they can use it to their advantage.
As a consumer of online media, you are probably familiar with the different social media platforms and how they work. Perhaps you use Twitter or Tumblr to connect with other people with shared interests, or you might use LinkedIn to network with professionals.
These are all social media platforms. They all allow you to connect with people in a digital environment and share content.
A social media platform is a website that allows users to connect with other users and engage with content posted by others. Typically these platforms are free, but some require a fee to connect with other users. The popularity of a social media platform is measured by its user count and the amount of content posted on it per day. The more popular a platform is, the more opportunities there are for you to grow your audience.
Here is a basic guide to help you understand what are the different types of content that you can post on your social media platforms and how they perform:
Instagram Stories
Instagram is the biggest social media platform and has the most active users. It is a place where users can share images and videos with their followers. It is a rapidly growing platform with over a billion active monthly users. Most people use this platform to share moments from their daily lives, typically using colorful, happy, and upbeat images. The key to making money on Instagram is to find a niche, build a following, and then use that to generate income through affiliate marketing.
Twitter is another wildly popular social media platform with over a billion active monthly users. It can be used for many different purposes and has a large number of well-known personalities who use it regularly. Twitter is most famous for its short-form status updates or “tweets”. These are the kinds of posts that people go crazy over on TikTok, another popular social media platform.
The appeal of these platforms is that you can reach a large audience very quickly. If you have a niche market you can target, you can use these platforms to rapidly grow your business. Another great option is to use a tool like Tweetdeck to manage all of your social media. With Tweetdeck you can schedule tweets in advance and measure the success of your efforts. You can also see which content performs best and then re-purpose that content for future campaigns.
LinkedIn is a professional networking site that lets users connect with each other and potential customers to grow their businesses. It has become a bit of a catch-all for social media. People use it to stay connected with their networks and stay informed about the latest trends and news.
This is a great place to find job seekers and those in need of a business referral. You can also use LinkedIn to further your education by connecting with professors and subject matter experts in your niche. You get the best of both worlds on LinkedIn: high-quality content and a place to connect with potential customers and key influencers.
YouTube
YouTube is the largest video platform in the world, with over a billion active monthly users. It was founded in 2006 and has become a haven for video bloggers and content creators. It is a bit of a catch-all for social media as well, as it is owned by Google which is a massive company with a variety of properties.
If you have a niche market or are interested in creating niche content, YouTube is a great place to start. You can make money through affiliate marketing, selling and displaying ads, or through sponsorships for content that is relevant to your target audience. As with most other social media platforms, the appeal of YouTube is that it is easy to use and it is a place where anyone can post content and gain an audience.
Snapchat
Snapchat is another incredibly popular messaging and video-sharing app with over a billion active monthly users. It is the fastest-growing social media platform and its popularity shows no signs of slowing down.
What makes Snapchat so special is that it is designed to be shared between friends. It is completely anonymous, which means that your content disappears after a set time period. This feature makes it ideal for sharing sexy snaps with your friends or just your friends who you think are funny or interesting.
Facebook is the world’s biggest and most popular social media platform with nearly a billion active monthly users. It was established in 2006 and similar to other platforms, used to be free but now has a fee to connect with others and use the platform’s features. Despite the fact that it is a bit of a catch-all for social media marketing, Facebook is actually a fantastic place to market your business.
You can engage with your target audience through paid and organic posts on Facebook. You can use your personal Facebook account to post about your business, or you can use a business Facebook account to engage with your audience. The key to doing this is to like and comment on relevant posts to further establish your expertise and build credibility.
Reddit is a place where users can submit content and links to articles and news stories. This content is voted on by other users, and as a result, the most popular content rises to the top. It is a place where anyone can have an opinion, and many people use it to share content that is important to them. However, just because something is popular on Reddit does not mean that it is good.
The key to making money on Reddit is to find a relevant niche, build a community, and then use that to monetize your content through affiliate marketing or product reviews.
Vine
Vine is a little-known social media platform that was created in 2012 and recently hit one billion views on its videos. It is completely owned by Twitter, so it is essentially a place where users can share short-form videos that are often comedic in nature. It is a bit of a self-explanatory platform, as videos are the main focus.
Because of its user base, anyone can have an opinion and post a video about anything. However, if you want to make money from a video, you need to do two things: 1) become a partner with a clothing brand or store; and 2) use affiliate marketing to create shopping guides that help people buy what you are promoting.
Instagram Stories
Instagram is the biggest social media platform and has the most active users. It is a place where users can share images and videos with their followers. It is a rapidly growing platform with over a billion active monthly users. Most people use this platform to share moments from their daily lives, typically using colorful, happy, and upbeat images. The key to making money on Instagram is to find a niche, build a following, and then use that to generate income through affiliate marketing.
Pinterest is another fast-growing social media platform with over a billion monthly active users. It was established in 2010 and allows users to “pin” images and videos to their own boards, where they can organize and share content that is most relevant to them. Pinterest is owned by Google, which also owns YouTube and Twitter. This means that there is a lot of potential for revenue generation through advertising and affiliate marketing on this platform.
It is a place where people can engage with content through sharing and liking. To generate money, you need to find a relevant niche, build a community, and then use that to market your products.
In conclusion, every business owner and marketer must have a presence on social media. These platforms can be used to further your business, educate your audience, and find new customers. Don’t forget to connect with me on LinkedIn if you’d like to keep up to date with my blog posts and courses!