For this weeks assignment, we had to watch “Social Media Marketing for Small Business” by Martin Waxman. Martin is a co-founder of 3 different PR agencies and has worked in the marketing industry for 25 years. Martin is also a teacher at the University of Toronto and writes an article every month for Marketing magazine.
Martin’s video was published on Lynda.com and has a run time of 59 minutes. Subjects include; Understanding Social Media Marketing, Developing Your Strategy, and How to Publish Shareable Content.
Here’s a small review of Martin’s Video;
Understanding Social Media Marketing – Martin explains the importance of knowing your audience, and knowing what platforms they are likely using. Martin introduces the viewer to Hootsuite and the benefits of organizing your social media platforms. I found his description of the program very well done. As Martin explains, using a CMS like Hootsuite allows the user to schedule updates, post to one or multiple social networks, respond to customers, conduct social listening, and see what’s going on with your feeds, all from a single dashboard (2016).
Developing Your Strategy – Martin discusses the importance of developing a social media strategy. This involves all aspects including setting up your site for SEO or search engine optimization. Development of your strategy also involves checking out what your competitors are doing. this can provide valuable insight as to what works and what doesn’t. Also discussed is the importance of completing a social media policy and plan. Specifically, your social media plan is all about positioning your business with where you want to be in the future (Waxman, 2016). Martin also explains the importance of checking back throughout the day so that you can respond to any questions or comments that may be posted by your audience.
How to Publish Shareable Content – Martin suggests putting yourself in your customer’s shoes when deciding what type of content to post on your site. Another strategy is to not be afraid to re-post your customer’s posts to your site if they’re relevant. Social media is a two-way conversation so interacting with your customers is a must (Waxman, 2016). Martin also discusses using Google Analytics to measure your online marketing results. Finally, Martin talks about using the A/B test to compare two creative options to determine which one works best.
Reflecting – This was another one of those must watch video course published on Lynda.com. If you’re going to be tackling your own marketing campaign or just need to brush up and rehone your social media marketing skills this video will give you all the information you’ll need to get started. Post ads and track your own analytics, build a social media policy, set your site up for SEO. This video also gives you the knowledge to help with those marketing projects at your work too. These skills are essential, especially if you’re thinking about starting your own business. Reach out to your audience and be heard!!!
References;
Social Media Impact. (n.d.). Social media policy elements. [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.socialmediaimpact.com/the-danger-of-social-media-emergence-policy-and-traffic-grubbing/
The Social. (May 26, 2016). Social media marketing. [Image]. Retrieved from https://sociable.co/social-media/avoid-obsolete-social-media-marketing/
Waxman, M. (August 28, 2016). Social media marketing for small business [Video file]. Lynda. Retrieved from https://www.lynda.com/Facebook-tutorials/Social-Media-Marketing-Small-Business/471976-2.html
Rob Alan Social Media Marketing Blog 2018 