Benefits of Social Media Marketing:

• Cost-Efficient
• Reach Broader Audiences
• Increased Customer Engagement
• Improve Brand Image
• Drive Website Traffic
• Paid Advertisement Services
• Metrics to Evaluate Performance

Social media is used by consumers all over the world and across all demographics. Not utilizing social media platforms would cause your business to miss out on an immense potential of untapped audiences.

What Industries Benefit from Social Media?

One of the best things about social media is its effectiveness for businesses in all industries. There is a social media platform with the potential to reach company audiences, regardless of the demographics of your unique consumer base.

Social media marketing is beneficial for industries, including:

• Technology
• Music
• Fashion
• Food
• Real Estate
• Legal Professionals
• B2B Services
• Various Other Industries

Which Social Media Platform Should You Use?

Facebook and Twitter are still very popular social media platforms used by audiences of all ages. Facebook and Twitter are also indexed by Google Search Engine which has the potential to improve your search engine results page rankings (SERPS).

YouTube is one of the most highly ranked social media platforms and has one of the broadest demographic of populations.

Other Popular Social Media Platforms Include:

• Instagram
• Snapchat
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest
• TikTok

Pinterest is not a technical social media platform, but many consumers use the website to explore new brands, ideas, and products.  Pinterest has a massive following for consumers searching for new DYI project ideas, tattoos, home décor, and other inspirational images.

Younger audiences are utilizing TikTok and Snapchat regularly. These platforms allow users to reach audiences through multimedia content.

How To Develop a Social Media Marketing Campaign

The following information is all essential for the development of an effective social media campaign.

1.) Strategize

First, decide what you would like to accomplish with your social media campaign. Knowing what goals you would like to accomplish is essential for choosing the best platform. This is also necessary for knowing what metrics to track to evaluate your campaign’s performance.

These goals could include expanding professional connections, increased website traffic, improved customer experiences, etc.

2.) Develop Your Social Media Page

Develop a social media page with your brand values at its core. Design your page using your brand colors, high-quality graphics, banners, and post content that is relevant to your target audience. Post regularly to remain relevant.

3.) Be Active on Social Media

Use social media to share organizational news, community involvement, blog posts, and to engage new audiences. Respond to all consumer feedback in a mature way that reflects positively on your brand.

Social media is also a great opportunity to connect with other professionals in your industry. Use this opportunity to network with service providers, industry experts, and other potential influencers.

3.) Track Campaign Performance

Some platforms (Ex: Twitter) offer analytical tools to help assist in tracking your social media campaign performance. There are also other free online tools, including Google Analytics, that also provide important information.

There is also an extensive list of paid tools that work in real-time to deliver performance data. It is best to reach out to social media marketing professionals to learn more about which tools are worth the investment.

4.) Outsource to Maximize Campaign Effectiveness

Social media marketing is a full-time job. Invest in the right tools and services to get the most out of your social media campaign efforts. Rarely is this a task that can be handled in-house due to a lack of human and financial resources.

Outsourcing allows you to focus on your business without hiring a salaried employee to handle your social media management needs. Exults specializes in digital marketing campaign strategies, development, and management.

Social Media Management

Exults provides an extensive list of premier social media management services, including the development and management of advertisement campaigns. These campaigns are effective in helping businesses across all industries reach influencers.

Reach out to the experts at Exults today at 866-790-4891 for more information about professional social media management services.

The post Social Media Marketing appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

You’re on a mission. You’ve even imagined your campaign’s gone viral. If only that could come true.

Having the right plan in place is going to help. So, let’s get organized. Follow our top four tips and you’ll be well on the way to giving your social media campaign strategy your best shot.

It’s time to get connected. Let’s get the show on the road.

1. Set Clear Objectives

You need a plan. That means giving yourself clear goals. These could be anything from direct sales to a boost in awareness of your product. You’ll also need a mechanism to measure the success of these goals.

Decide who your target market so you are sure to attract the audience you want. Think about the age, location, income, and type of work of your ideal client.

Give some thought about where you are right now in terms of social media. Where are you most active? Are all your networks up to date with great photos and copy? Who are your main competitors?

Have a short mission statement which focuses on what you want to achieve. It’ll help you decide on what to share and the type of content you’re going to create.

2. Understand the Rules

Make sure you are familiar with any guidelines for running a promotion on your chosen sites. Facebook, for example, has strict rules you must follow.

There are many apps that may give you assistance with running your campaign. Many are even free and can help you reach another level with competitions, coupons, and other offers.

Think about SEO. Every social media outlet has its own search engine. So, before you even begin your campaign, make sure you come up with keywords you want to rank for socially. You can then incorporate these into your posts.

3. Let the Fun Begin

You have your mission statement and you know who your audience is. Now is the fun part. You can begin to create engaging content for your social media channels. Think pictures, videos, blogs, and soundbites.

Make sure your content forms match your mission statement, and that you have the necessary skills to create them.  You may also need to create a landing page so that visitors know they’ve come to the right place.

Make a schedule on your calendar. Decide which days and at what times you are going to post content. Establish the type of message you’re going to send out and when.

4. Adapt Your Social Media Campaign Strategy

Engage with any social media influencers you have already approached. Their help could be vital. Be prepared to adapt your campaign if that’s what their advice is.

Make sure you use social media management tools available. Failure to do so is going to cost you a lot of man-hours.

Follow up regularly with all your new contacts.

Putting In the Work

A successful social media campaign strategy requires a lot of effort. No pain, no gain.

We are the experts. If you need help with your campaign, contact the team at Exults for a quote today.

The post 4 Tips for Creating an Effective Social Media Campaign appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

With even small businesses now spending around $75,000 a year on digital marketing, it’s vital for everyone to find ways to cut corners without cutting quality.

If you’re not putting a social media campaign strategy together for your brand, you’re missing out on an inexpensive way to engage with your audience. You could connect with millions of new people for free with the right pitch.

Here are three reasons to prioritize social media campaigns this year.

1. Go Viral

One of the most obvious ways that a social media campaign drives new clients to your business is when your posts go viral. By looking at the type of content that people want from brands like yours, you get an insight into what you should be creating. Study other brands in your market and see what types of posts get the most feedback and engagements

When you craft your own campaign around what people like, you’re sure to capture a completely new audience. There’s no perfect algorithm for getting the same people to respond to your posts every time. That’s why it’s important to offer variety in your posts so that you’re always catching new people in your net.

2. Humanize Your Brand

With a social media campaign, you get the chance to let people see behind the curtain of your company and your brand. When you humanize your brand in a sincere way, you give your audience the chance to see who’s really behind the brand that they love. In this era, audiences expect more from brands and expect to be able to learn about them in new and sincere ways.

If you make the effort to humanize your brand, you give people a stronger connection to how your products and services come about. This allows them to see their place in your world and to want to share their positive feelings with their own audience.

3. Show Powerful Connections

One of the best things about social media is the ability to send a photo to millions of people in the click of a button. When you have this power, you can show your audience things they would have to have visited your offices in the past to find out.

If a celebrity uses your products and services, share that with your audience to tell them how great your brand is.

Even better, just share some of the photos of your best and most loyal customers. You’ll win their favor and make them happy they work with your brand. When you show customers that you appreciate them, you’ll win lifelong loyalty.

The Right Social Media Campaign Drives Sales

If you’re not making social media campaigns your top priority in the next year, you’re going to leave money on the table. There’s a lot to gain from a strong social media campaign and with the right approach, you’ll connect with a whole new audience.

To better generate leads with social media, check out our latest guide.

The post Top 3 Ways a Social Media Campaign Can Drive New Clients to Your Business appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

Add that number to the user bases of other popular social media platforms and you have a compelling reason to make sure your organization has a social presence.

But just being present on social is a lot different than being successful on it. To start generating the social media success you’re looking for, our team of experts has put together this rapid-fire list of 6 social media marketing trends you should be aware of.

1. Video is King

Gone are the days of people wanting to read long status updates. Today, people want information fast.

And what’s more, they want that fast information via video.

Video usage has exploded on social to the tune of 8 billion video views a day on Facebook and millions more across Twitter and Instagram. Your company should take note and start making video part of its content plan.

2. Live Streaming is Growing

Many of the most popular social media apps have live streaming built in, but few businesses leverage it.

We recommend getting ahead of the curve and starting to engage with your customers live at least once a week to stay topical and interact with your audience in a unique way.

3. Influencer Marketing

Stars aren’t born at studios in Hollywood anymore, they’re born online. These Youtube/Instagram/Tumblr stars are called “influencers” and guess what… they’re for hire.

Consider reaching out to a relevant influencer who operates within your niche and get partnered with them on the social media marketing front to expand your reach.

4. Paid Exposure

Social media used to be the platform people would go to for free marketing. While it’s still possible to get traction for free on social, it’s getting increasingly important to pay-to-play.

Putting a little ad spend towards social can make hyper-relevant content rise to the top of very likely to convert customer’s feeds. Believe us when we say that the investment is well worth the reward.

5. Diversification is a Good Thing

We’ve all heard the saying, “Jack of all trades, master of none.” It makes it seem like being diversified is a bad thing.

On social, it’s becoming a progressively more necessary thing.

Key audience segments are starting to dilute from the biggest social platforms (Facebook, YouTube) and migrate towards a handful of smaller ones (Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, Pinterest).

To make sure you’re maximizing your reach, it’s important to start thinking about having an effective presence on multiple platforms.

6. Mobile has Taken Over

This point is far from new but is always worth mentioning. Growth in the number of social media users that access platforms via mobile devices dwarfs desktop growth.

That means you’ll want more of your content to look great and be tailor-made in some cases for mobile to really stand out!

Wrapping Up Social Media Marketing Trends

If you’re looking for a way to make waves on social, we recommend taking our social media marketing trends to heart. If you’re looking for a way to transform your social media presence into a lead generating, growth-inducing machine for your company, we recommend contacting us.

At Exults, we specialize in helping organizations like yours maximize their digital footprint to cut through today’s clutter, locate more customers, and skyrocket revenue.

Learn more about the value our team can bring to your by getting your free consultation today!

The post 6 Social Media Marketing Trends You Can Take Advantage of Now appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

But it can be tough to know which social media platform is best for your business. That’s why we put this post together outlining the best social media marketing platforms of 2018.

Check it out to decide which one will work best for your company.

Facebook

Let’s start with the world’s biggest social media network: Facebook. With more than 2 billion monthly users, it’s become ubiquitous, and it’s not going anywhere.

Facebook posted soaring revenue and profit in its first earnings report following privacy concerns, shocking many analysts’ predictions. Revenue rose nearly 50% to $11.97 billion, and quarterly per share profit increased from $1.04 to $1.69. Even more, net income rose 63% to nearly $5 billion, compared with $3.06 billion a year ago.

One of the best things about it from a business perspective is all the different things you can use it for. You can do regular posts, host events, do live streams, and much more. There are tons of options.

They also have the best social media advertising platform out there which is perfect if you’re interested in reaching people through paid ads.

With paid Facebook ads, you can target people using an uncountable amount of demographic and interests. A baby diaper brand can target “New moms” in a certain neighborhood near a grocery store that sells their products specifically. Or a new local vegan restaurant can target ages 18-35 interested in “plant-based diets”, “Veganism”, and “Animal activism” in all within 5 square miles.

The options are truly endless with how specific and targeted you can make your campaigns. It’s unimaginably useful!

Here are a few examples of brands using Facebook ads to target various markets to download aps, sign up for TV subscriptions, and check out local grocers:

Instagram

Instagram is continuing to grow in popularity. It started as a photo sharing app and has now grown into a photo, video, and live stream application.

They even have a story feature now where you can post content that only appears for 24 hours, taking a page out of Snapchat’s book, and actually becoming even more popular than Snapchat now a days!

It’s a place for creativity, which means that if you are looking to take your brand to new heights in a creative sense, it’s perfect! Eye-catching images can do a lot to grow your brand on Instagram.

In addition, when advertising on Facebook, there is an option to add Instagram ads to your campaign completely free of charge!

The following example shows brands who utilize tagging in their instagram posts to make it easier for users to scroll through and click an item they like that links directly to a checkout page on their website:

Twitter

Twitter is a great way to get information out quickly and efficiently. It’s where people talk about the latest current events and get into conversations about all types of topics.

If you’re looking to engage with your customers from a conversation standpoint, Twitter is where you should go.

Pinterest

Don’t forget about Pinterest! It’s a visual site that appeals to a wide audience of lots of different ages.

People use it to collect things that they want to save for later. This is perfect for fashion companies, travel companies, and anyone in the food industry. People also love to pin things about parenting and children.

For example, a furniture company can utilize Pinterest very usefully by creating targeted ads for users searching for various couches, blinds, side tables, etc.

While the audience skews female, there are still plenty of guys using Pinterest too, so don’t count it out if you market mainly to men.

The following is an example of what a paid Pinterest ad looks like. It blends fairly well with regular pinterest posts, which we’ve noticed coverts well with users looking to buy furtniture through Pinterest!

Final Thoughts

Now that you’ve read all about the best marketing platforms in terms of social media, it’s time to make some choices. What platforms will work best for reaching your target audience?

Have questions or want to learn more? Reach out to us anytime for a free quote and consultation of your brand’s potential social media marketing strategy.

**Some images containing ads are examples from non-affliated companies for privacy measures

The post What Are the Best Marketing Platforms for your brand? appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

Instagram launched in 2010 and now boasts over 1 billion monthly users. They know what they’re doing when it comes to attracting and keeping an audience. Constant improvement and new updated features are partly responsible for that growth.

Keep reading to find out more about the Instagram update, “recommended posts.” We’ll also talk about what Instagram can do for your business brand and why you should include it in your marketing plan.

Instagram: Recommended Posts Update

Have you heard about the recommended posts update? After Instagram tested the feature on select accounts, they secretly released it on a full-scale basis. Here’s what has changed.

In the past, recommended posts were separate from the user feed. They were still there, but only accessible from a dedicated tab. This option let the user choose whether to view them.

With the new Instagram update, recommended posts now show up right in the user feed. They come after unseen posts from people you follow. This new feature increases the likelihood that the recommended posts are getting exposure.

The “Recommended for You” section suggests three to five posts which the accounts you follow have liked. Beside each post is a follow button, making it easy to get new followers if they want your content. The only choice users have at getting rid of the recommendations is to hide them temporarily.

Recommended Posts and Social Media Marketing

While some individuals on Instagram are complaining about the new update, chalk it up as an advantage for business social media marketing. It offers more significant exposure to content.

It also provides a potential increase in followers since the follow button is right there. Users don’t have to click through to your profile to follow you.

These types of updates contribute to Instagram becoming a more valuable platform for marketing purposes. In fact, Instagram also recently introduced the ability to follow hashtags as well. Both are effective features for business use.

Why Use Instagram in Your Marketing?

With the enormous active global user base and business-friendly features, it’s vital that you don’t skip this social media platform in your marketing plan. Besides having a large number of diverse users, Instagrammers spend lots of time in the app too. 60% visit daily and 35% visit many times per day.

Without using hardcore selling techniques, Instagram allows businesses to:

• Showcase Products
• Humanize Their Brand
• Recruit Talent
• Gain Exposure
• Inspire Users

Did you know that 70% of the platform’s users have already used Instagram to look up a brand? And that 70% of the most popular hashtags are brand names? Another interesting Instagram fact, brand engagement is ten times higher than on Facebook.

Instagram is great at turning passive lookers into buyers; you just need followers and quality content.

What’s the Bottom Line?

With updates such as the recommended posts feature, Instagram is becoming a must-have platform for business. If your company isn’t currently using Instagram in its marketing, why not?

Need help formulating and executing an e-marketing strategy for Instagram? Contact us; we’d love to help.

The post The Latest Social Media Marketing Tool: Instagram’s ‘Recommended Posts’ appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

You need to pour time and money on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. Trust us, it’s worth it. For your dollar, there isn’t a more efficient or effective way to reach the people you need to reach.

Here are some social media campaign ideas you can use right now.

Social Media Campaign Ideas

There are over one billion [with a “B”!] people on Facebook. That’s basically everybody on the internet. More than 100 million people a month use Instagram.

1 .Use Both Sites

Facebook owns Instagram, and there is a huge cross-promotional advantage because of it.

In fact, to advertise on Instagram, you simply use the Facebook advertising platform. The business portal is hands down the most sophisticated and specialized of any on the net.

On the Facebook / Instagram advertising portal, you can select as specific a demographic as you can think of. Not activity level, health, whatever. You can pin down keywords or zip codes, and combine them with your demographic.

There is an almost unlimited number of ways you can target users on Facebook and Instagram.

2. Play in a Sandbox

Facebook Creative Hub is their sandbox system for making ads on Facebook or Instagram and viewing them before you send them out in the wild. This is a place you can create mockup ads before you pay for them. You can press your ad into a live Facebook feed to see what the would look like under any condition.

Create a mockup, view it on your desktop, view it on your cell phone, check it out on a bunch of different devices and make sure it works.

3. Use the In-Stream Network

Facebook has its own affiliate network of hundreds of thousands of sites where your ads can appear. It’s called “Audience Network”, and it’s more sophisticated as Google AdWords, although the reach and efficacy are about the same.

4. Experiment with Different Formats

There are multiple ad formats on Facebook and Instagram. You should utilize most of them.

Image – The principal ad on Facebook is an image. You can also ad searchable text to this type of ad.

Video – A good idea when you place a video ad, is to also use text in the ad to promote your message. Facebook won’t ship your video ad to a device that won’t play video, but they can’t control if the user has the sound up or isn’t listening!

Collection and Carousels – These are similar to image ads, except you can display more than one image in a scrolling manner. Collections show through once, while carousels roll indefinitely.

Slideshows – These are really video ads, optimized for users with low bandwidth. They include sound, but only show a few frames of images.

Canvas – Canvas ads capture the full screen of the device. They are placed in front of premium content and other places where users really want to see something full screen.

5. Get Creative

Ultimately, you’re trying to get noticed. So do that! Social media engagement only happens if your customers remain interested.

Experiment with different strategies until something sticks.

Facebook is Your Friend

Test your social media campaign ideas on Facebook. It’s not the only social site that your customers are using, but it’s the biggest.

Contact us if you want help developing a killer social media strategy. Online marketing is a full-time job but it doesn’t have to be yours. Let the experts handle it.

The post 5 Unique Ways to Advertise on Social Media appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

Agencies and brands alike can make use of these bots to conduct conversations with potential customers. They will have natural learning, personality, relationship memory, and intent capabilities. This will give companies a powerful way of reaching out to their customers, and educating them on products before a sale is made.

Erez Baum, co-founder and CEO of imperson, says, “We see enormous potential in the fast-growing bot market. The current bot experience is still very primitive, with menu-driven experiences that don’t allow brands to differentiate their voices from one another. The release of our new platform will enable creative people in brands and digital agencies to create richer and deeper bot experiences that can converse with consumers one-on-one to develop a more engaging relationship.”

Read the full article here.

The post The Social Media Bot Revolution appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

Accentuate your abilities:

According to a Twitter business customer insight study, followers want to learn about your new products. Tell your Twitter audience your page will be there go-to source for the newest trends and product updates.

Offer benefits to following your page

Guarantee that your page will share tips and ideas that will intrigue people and leave them wanting more from your products.

Welcome people into your community

Let people know why your Twitter is so great and charm them into joining in. Explain how your business brings like-minded people together to discuss shared interests.

Feature advantages to your page

Persuade people to follow your page by hinting at future deals, prizes and giveaways they could become a part of.

Remember these tips!

Be sure to remember these simple rules when posting to your Twitter:

– Be direct in your Tweets; include something such as #followus

-Understand what gets the best response by testing different methods. For example, incorporate different photos & messages into your posts and see what works best with the largest audience

-See through your campaign by sharing the type of content promised

#Goodluck

The post Grow Your Twitter Following appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

1. Don’t Combine Business And Personal Accounts

Even if most of your clients are personal friends, keeping your business separate from your personal life is a must when it comes to social media. You are allowed to have multiple social media accounts, so use the opportunity to promote your brand separately. Combined accounts can cause political and social opinions to affect the success of your marketing, as well as your business as a whole.

2. Don’t Leave Your Profile Incomplete

Leaving your business profile incomplete looks unprofessional and can be confusing to clientele. Utilize the opportunity to share more about your company and give fans and customers the opportunity to learn more about your company’s personality.

3. Don’t Forget To Update

If you create a social media account, but fail to add fresh content, you aren’t doing anything for your customers or your business. Updating regularly with deals, new information and fun facts about your company will keep your clients engaged and knowledgeable about your current state.

For more tips and advice on managing your social media, call Exults today at 866-999-4736.

The post 3 Social Media Mistakes To Avoid appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.