"A Guide on How to Not Suck At Social Media Campaign Marketing!"

Ways to be Influential with Social Media

1. Be Original

Just remember that any attempts at differentiation should cast your company in a positive light. If you want to reach the types of people who will buy your product or service then it will be necessary to conduct some research. Find out which of the social networks they use on a regular basis. Then devise marketing campaigns that will be of genuine interest.

2. Engage With the Target Market

And make sure that you tread the fine line of communicating in the customer’s language without being patronising.

3. Have Realistic Expectations

If you buy or build a race car, would you expect to win the Indi 500? Probably not. Unfortunately the same goes for the creation of online marketing campaigns. You’ll have to build up experience of what works and what doesn’t. And don’t be surprised if your company video doesn’t go viral overnight. But it does come and sometimes very unexpected. Timing and topics of interest change, so be flexible.

4. Use Platforms Other Than Twitter & Facebook

Research has shows that Facebook has over 1 billion active monthly users, while Twitter has a mere 200 million. So it’s definitely worth creating integrated campaigns to target both networks. However, this doesn’t mean that you should ignore other forms of social media, such as Youtube or Google +. As did the now famous Korean creator of Gagnam style would definitely attest to. If your clients love Pinterest, build a campaign around Pinterest.

5. Promote Your Products or Services Fairly

Social media wasn’t invented for the purpose of brand advertising. Rather, it was an online tool to enable people to connect and share content they like personally. So it’s fairly easy to understand why the users don’t like to be bombarded with targeted advertisements.

Outreach should be gradual and not overly promotional. Be natural, so your message falls into place comfortably. Knowing what your audience is sensitive to, and looking for -- in likes and dislikes, is valuable.