Social media management for dummies

Since the dawn of time, media channels have established themselves as the main means of satisfying people’s desires. Whether it was TV news, newspapers, or cheap reality shows, all of these filled some of the people’s needs. Each of us is looking to be up to date with the latest news, socialize, and discuss the topics reported by the media. The entertainment function of the media should not be excluded from the list either. These media functions have been the subject of many studies over time, and with the birth and expansion of social media, their functions have diversified and transformed.

Of course, this article does not seek to follow in the footsteps of the first media approaches but to re-present the current picture of what social media means today. And, most importantly, what social media management means. Because social media seems to be something we are all good at, none know its mechanisms. But, as in all aspects of life, we find shortcuts and cheat codes in digital tools. And it is an affordable strategy to have the specialist that teaches you tips and tricks to manage your social media accounts. For example, Crowdfire pricing lets you choose the winner plan to meet your social media management needs.  

The Purpose of Social media

As for social media consumers, it is clear why they engage in daily, even excessive, social media consumption. Because it is a dynamic world in which they can escape, stay informed and up to date with the latest events, have fun, and because it is one of the most popular marketplaces. Starting as socializing platforms where people could keep in touch with friends and relatives, social media channels are now the main places where businesses can gain more visibility than before. As a result, social media users have begun to interact less and less with content posted by their friends. Nowadays, they engage increasingly with posts from their favorite brands and popular content creators. 

Social media platforms allow the economy to run smoothly. Businesses use social networking sites as a marketing strategy. Moreover, content creation has become a freestanding job. If advertising was based ten years ago mainly on TV spots and OOHs, we have assisted in a paradigm shift throughout these years. 

Social networking for businesses

Businesses that want to promote their products and services find fertile ground in social media platforms thanks to users who spend most of their time browsing. This is why, to all the businesses that didn’t jump the social media gun, this is your time! Why? Because your competitors have probably done it already. Social networking channels are perhaps the most permissible places where you can bond with your customers and see what they have to say about you. Not only can you see their feedback, but you can engage in conversations with them. Being among people will also humanize your business and make it people-friendly, building customers’ loyalty. 

But you have to proceed with caution because it can degrade quickly as fertile as this soil is. Your online presence has to be as efficient as possible to prevent this. And you are lucky enough to live in a digitally prevailing world where social media management tools provide you with valuable guidelines. Good planning and scheduling are some of the main strategies you should consider when you soar into the digital marketing scene. 

The same goes for content creators who enjoy much public attention. They were born out of social media. But those successful content creators are not widely appreciated just for their creativity. This aspect has to be doubled by strategic and management skills to get victorious in the social media tournament. Knowing your audience is probably the key strategy a content creator must adopt. 

Basic elements of Social Media Platforms 

Ever wonder why the average number of social media accounts was 8.4 per person in 2020? I dare to say that it happens because of the wide variety of features each offer. On the surface, all these social media channels respond to the need for socializing. But ultimately, their structure and mechanisms are different and address many other purposes. Companies and even content creators who want to enter the social media stage have to know the uses and gratifications people seek from certain platforms. Let’s take some examples of social networking sites to see their specific characteristics and how users can engage with the content. 

Numerous studies have shown that Facebook is used to stay in touch with friends and acquire new information or entertainment. This platform remains consistent with the original functionality for which it was designed. Thus, companies that want to perform digital marketing campaigns should consider that entertaining content can bring reactions, shares, comments, and other kinds of positive engagement insight statistics. In addition, following a company’s Facebook page gives people a sense of belonging to a community.

How about Twitter networking?

Another good marketing strategy for businesses would be establishing a presence on Twitter. In contrast to Facebook, Twitter is more effective when informing. Within the limit of 140 characters, you have to be bold and turn to the subject without further nonsense ado. This way, you can connect more efficiently with the world and people interested in keeping up with your latest updates. They are probably on the run, so you don’t have to waste their limited time.

Moreover, this media channel makes available brand performance analysis through a broad spectrum of tools. Due to its API, you can monitor your brand and competition via third-party social media listening tools. 

No wonder many businesses started their podcast. This marketing strategy becomes naturally accepted because your messages can inspire people while promoting your products and services. Build awareness and let conversions come to you. Once you make yourself visible via podcast content, there are great chances people like you and follow you on social media platforms and the official website.

Furthermore, audio is a content format that can be accessed if you have other things to do. It doesn’t ask for much of the audience’s attention. Only apparently. Because it was proven that heard information could be recalled from memory twice as much as from text. YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music are some examples of broadcasting platforms that can support the effort to get your point across. 

Social media management tips for beginners 

For social media content creators, including here businesses and freelancers creating content as a marketing strategy is expressing themselves across platforms. They also have the role of a manager. Social media management seems like an activity your grandmother wouldn’t get. But since it is a widely-spread practice, we are here to shed some light on this shadowy phenomenon. 

What is the management of social media?

So, what is social media management? To keep your community engaged with messages they would react to, tailored and personalized content for the audience, and specific channels, you have to develop some sets of strategies. Analyzing target audiences, deciding on the right social media platforms to broadcast your messages, reviewing key performance metrics and insights, and planning and scheduling your content are highly related practices to social media management. All of these can be done with the help of social media management tools that will give you all you need to have a great performance in front of your audience. 

You must spoil before you spin. So, as a beginner in the social networking thing, here are some tips you should consider when starting to post content like a pro. 

Learn whom you speak to and where

It is not as simple as you think to be an active and professional participant of the old order of social media. To keep your people close, you first have to know who they already are and the newcomers you want to be. What their preferences and interests are, desires, and beliefs? And what are the platforms that can support that kind of content your community indulges in? As I said earlier, a specific channel is more effective than others for every kind of content. So, keep your authenticity while delivering content your audience is interested in on the right social media site. 

A little bit of emotion never killed anybody

An important part of opening your mouth across social media is keeping your tone of voice and content direction following your business’s specific and target audience. But, as we all know, people are responsive when smuggling some feelings into the discourse. So add a pinch of emotion here and there to taste, and see what happens. People might perceive you as a humanized brand, a ‘one of them’ entity. 

Long live third-party tools

In the instruction book for social media managers’ best practices, you will find social media management tools mentioned. Find suitable content, analyze performance, schedule posts, real-time analytics, and optimize the content thanks to the management tools. You can evaluate your overall performance before, during, and after a campaign or post. Having access to insights and statistics gives you the bigger picture of your activity and helps you improve further projects.

Best social media management tools 

With the presence of so many digital platforms for socializing, management tools have appeared to help you control your entire virtual activity better. There are many digital management solutions, and we will present you with the most popular ones. Let’s proceed.

Known as an all-in-one social management platform, SproutSocial is a popular tool that can help businesses manage, analyze, evaluate performance, and publish content across any social network. Its advanced features, such as team workflow tools and chatbot creation, help content creation with valuable collaboration tools and insightful information about the target audience. SproutSocial is also a reliable social media listening tool allowing users to monitor their brand media mentions by keywords, hashtags, and location searches.

Hootsuite has a good reputation for Twitter integration that allows users to track Twitter conversations. In addition, it is an easy-to-use tool for scheduling posts across multiple platforms that comes with a free version that is perfect for small businesses. Due to automation features, Hootsuite is a reliable solution for monitoring and basic publishing, accompanied by solid analytics. 

A platform we couldn’t resist not mentioning from the beginning of this article is Crowdfire. And we feel it’s worth talking about it even in the end. Businesses of all sizes can use Crowdfire to drive customer engagement across social platforms. This tool lets you see what is at the bottom of the social media iceberg, like post analytics and brand tracking.

Moreover, its thing is that Crowdfire is the only management tool that makes image suggestions for your social media accounts like Instagram. Approve the recommendation, and it will post it automatically. The same goes for article topic curation. Search for the topic you want to convey, and the app will come up with the most relevant results. There is no need to do it yourself!

And the list doesn’t end there. ContentStudio helps you grow your business by giving you guidelines on using social media channels properly and making the best out of your content. This tool keeps you up to date with actual trends so that you can get your bearings before posting. Moreover, ContentStudio is your unfailing accountant because it keeps track of engagement insights like reactions to your posts, comments, shares, post rate, type, and fan activity. Statistics will show which kind of content rings your audience’s bell. 

Manage and win the social media contest

Social media is a stage where businesses and content creators should be prepared with their most powerful managing skills. Because it is no longer only about creative talents, it is about how you can complement creativity with great strategies. Using apps like ContentStudio or SproutSocial brings you closer to winning the contest. And this translates into becoming more relevant, gaining visibility, attracting new audiences and conversions, and better engaging with your community.