Digital Marketing on Social Media Channels

Social Media as the name suggests is a collective of independent online community platforms that have become gathering and recreation points on the Net. The medium has created virtual communities, and information highways, that are general but do provide interaction with niche demographic and interest-based segments. These aspects of virtual community formations have created another lucrative paradigm that has made online business activities popular and highly rewarding. 

Social Media channels house a plethora of web applications that are interactive and user-friendly. The applications perform various functions that user finds useful as it offers them a creative channel. For marketing objectives, the trade users and organizations engage with members and subscribers who are most likely to be their target audience.

Leveraging Web 2.0: Enhancing Engagement and Brand Affinity

Web 2.0 prevails very much on some of these platforms especially those which encourage user-generated content and participatory invites. Participatory engagements are rewarding, being a form of emotional marketing that generates affinity among the visitors. This affinity is bound to reflect upon the associated brands, products, or services. The platforms enhance human and organizational networks thanks to global reach.

Most of the platforms are not limited to national boundaries, although some restrictions are placed by Nations for security reasons and to protect integrity. However, countries ensconced in a curtain have completely banned social media sites and replaced them with poor versions by force.   But this has not stopped social companies from gaining immense popularity at the global level.

The monthly active user lists run into billions for major social  networking sites as of the year 2022:

• Facebook 2.9 billion
• YouTube 2.4 billion
• WhatsApp 2.0 billion
• Instagram 1. 4 billion
• TikTok        1.02 billion
• Telegram  .7 billion
• Snapchat .6 billion
• Pinterest .433
• Twitter .486
• Quora .300
• Reddit .400

The monthly use figures are compelling online marketers to devise ways and means to promote their products and services through these platforms. While organic promotions are the key mechanism of promotion good enough number of companies use paid advertisement potential. The paid advertisement mechanisms have become technologically advanced and are providing marketing solutions based on customer behaviour. The paid advertisement segment is highly organized and, hence often mixed with organic campaigns for better results.    

 Social Media & Digital Marketing

The digital marketing paradigm focuses on engaging members, followers, and subscribers on social media to engage and convert to business goals. The channels offer many possibilities for personal relationship building, messaging, and one-way recreation as well, but that is not in focus of this article.  

These platforms are most often used for news and content curation. The latter gives ideas or promotional content for marketing purposes.  While using content published by another proper reference or credit should be provided to the author.

Tapping Organic Marketing Mode

The most active participation of people on social media marketing aspirants is in creating unique engaging content. The next big challenge lies in effective distribution on various available mediums without any money involved. This is known as organic marketing.

The main focus for gaining leads in social media marketing is focusing on the target audience. Even if organic campaigns do not cost much money focus should remain on the targeted audience that is most like to convert. Unlike paid advertisement, organic campaigns are not required to pay for use of the channels, but if you consider the company cost in terms of establishment and employees they are not entirely free. Remember some channels do ask for paid subscription.  The average salary of content creators, and graphic designers in India, can range from 25,000 to 40,000 per month. Junior writers’ or web buzzers’ salaries ranges from 10,000 to 15,000 per month. To cap it, SM Manager would charge rupees 40,000 upwards, and then add the rent and office running expenses. Thus, organic digital marketing for agencies does cost, and that cost has to be recovered through successful campaigns.

Using Social Media for SEO

Organic traffic generation is also one of the key performance indicators of search engine optimization campaigns. Although the direct benefit of optimization is minimal in most digital channels, nevertheless, the content created for SEO purposes is best suited to attract inbound leads and referrals.

Social Media is ideal for web saturation, and search engines certainly take note of the spread. Another aspect of posting content created for link building on the medial channels is that of gaining brand exposure and enhancing reputation.  The posts create a lasting impression on the target audience and brand reckoning on social media is very high. Even if much SEO benefit does not accrue from social media channels the social signals do matter and may be contributing to domain authority. But there is no authoritative indication about this factor from search engines but then common sense should prevail.     

SMM an Uncommon Approach

While the method of usage is virtually the same for all media sites the pattern of posting differs. All of the platforms rely on the written word even if they are photo sharing or video posting sites like YouTube. It will be a very long time when the algorithms would be able to discern good or bad visuals. But this does not mean you can post anything and get away with it. There is some technical metric that will help discard utterly third-grade visuals. So take care!  

If you are associated with social networking sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook you will realize that the audience profile and purpose differ.  Here is an interesting chart!

• Pinterest = 71% Female Followers aged between 18 to 49 years
• LinkedIn = Professionals & Business Owners aged 40 t 58 years
• Twitter = Diverse Profiles anybody wishing to tweet 26 to 41 years
• Facebook = Larger walks of life aged 25 to 35. Relationship builders, window shoppers, newsmongers, locals, friends, and family members.
• Instagram = personal, business, and professional, age 25 to 34 years.
• YouTube = Videos creators and video marketers.

LinkedIn is preferred for job search and professional and business-related networking. The scrutiny of feeds will be enough to educate what type of platform each is. Facebook is truly a family and friends site but is full of marketing potential. It is for the user to dig out the potent members and communicate for goal conversion. Twitter with posts of limited characters is more efficient in shaping opinions and authority. Despite all the niches that these sites belong to marketers should find ways to promote long-form content, or short-form posts, images, and videos with hashtags. Keep posting on regular basis to enter the memory banks of members and those in your member base. Your posts should show expertise and authority to catch the attention of your creation and make them believe in you.  The rest is a cakewalk!         

Conclusion

Among almost all social media sites the Indian users form an overwhelming base. Thus, digital marketing firms in India should employ social media for aggressive local marketing. Content creation is the base for marketing online care must be taken to create according to the profile and the prescribed guidelines of each medium. Violation of guidelines could lead to time-bound restrictions or even a complete ban. While some of the guidelines are framed country-wise, nevertheless, posting etiquettes are common, and please confirm.