We speak plainly about social media marketing and agencies.
What is social media and how do social networks work?
Simply put, through user-generated content – users for users. The network only provides a platform. Until 2010, these were specialized portals and forums; today, they are predominantly social networks with open or closed groups. If users are not active, the network dies out. Social media is much more than a trend; it is a global communication interface without real restrictions. The social interaction is important, which has come under criticism, especially in recent months, due to agitation, hatred, and hostility.
Social Media – Share and Importance in the Marketing Mix
Again and again, almost daily, we receive inquiries about presence in social networks. However, over 80% are not even aware of the task and its extent, because proper marketing through suitable networks and forums often requires half to a full-time position! The agency fee should reflect this – but it usually doesn’t! But let’s start from the beginning…
Marketing revolves around the sale of services and products. A social network serves for exchange between natural persons in private and sometimes also in business contexts. So how should this conflict of interest be resolved? Portal providers quickly introduced company pages and business profiles, but a mere presence with a few posts is certainly not enough to arouse interest and effect the aforementioned sale to generate revenue.
„Uninformed“ people quickly resort to advertisements with CPC (Cost per Click) or CPI (Cost per Impression). But the fundamental problem remains – the user wants to be entertained, to converse or get information, and to make contacts, NOT to buy something or conduct a business transaction.
For these reasons, the topic of Content Marketing and storytelling emerged in 2013/2014. Build an idea, something interesting, or something personal around a product and turn the rational product/service and price into an emotional story = story. The „what“ remains the same, but the „why“ finds an answer = the ball gets rolling.
Always ask yourself:
- What do I want to market?
- How can I market it?
- Why should I market it, or why should anyone be interested in it?
Align your post, image, and link with these questions and remember to evoke emotions!
Plan at least 4-5 hours per week for your activities and do it yourself; only seek advice and help, because social means social and can only come from within the company itself. Often, a half to full-time position makes sense for serious social media marketing.
!!! GRAVE changes January 2018 by Facebook and Instagram for businesses (Pages on Facebook). Even fewer posts will be shown in subscribers‘ News Feeds = less reach! If calls-to-action are used, visibility decreases even further! So far, one of the biggest changes, announced by Mark Zuckerberg himself. !!! More information here. A detailed article on the algorithm.
Social Media Agency and Corresponding Agency Services
So what exactly does a social media agency do and what are its services? Often, it involves strategy, consulting, and assistance up to preparation. The information, content, and final content must come from the company/entrepreneur itself.
The agency monitors, creates an editorial plan, and, if necessary, schedules postings including evaluation and tagging. The social media agency itself can only act as effectively as the client prepares and is social. Companies that do little public work, are barely visible, or do not wish to be visible, are in the wrong place on social networks. CEOs without network profiles, board members, and leadership positions without a social presence are NOT suitable for serious marketing through social channels.
Become more visible on Google & Social Media?
In a free strategy consultation for data-driven online marketing, we uncover your untapped potential, review any existing ad accounts if necessary, examine your SEO ranking and visibility, and determine which strategy is appropriate for your budget and which active measures will lead to more inquiries or sales.
✅ More visibility & perception through targeted placement
✅ More visitors > prospects > customers > revenue
✅ Reach target groups scalably with SEA
✅ Act and grow sustainably with SEO
🫵 Maximum success with our hybrid strategy
💪 More than 15 years of experience across industries in over 1,000+ projects demonstrable!
Employees and entrepreneurs must work openly hand-in-hand and ideally report from daily life, experiences, and tasks/projects, telling a „story.“
The Social Media Strategy – Social Media Marketing Definition
We often read about „the perfect social media strategy.“ What nonsense, because every company is different, and above all, people are different. If I consider the respective target group, I can hardly make comparisons, let alone act identically.
The social media strategy begins with a goal, divided into milestones. Simply put: What do I want to achieve by when? Only when that is clarified and defined can the target group be determined and an actual strategy developed.
At this point, we gladly refer to the detailed article on Social Media Strategy Planning with Checklist and Infographics. RECOMMENDATION for everyone who is serious about using and building social media: You can download a very understandable yet in-depth online course as an audiobook by Calvin Hollywood here.
Social Media Advertising (Purchase of Advertising Space)
Once we have defined the target group, the orientation, and the channels, the next step is to address users through paid advertising on social networks and portals. Social Ads are not direct sales advertisements, but rather pique interest, direct to interesting information, or offer real added value. Why?
Social networks have gathered a lot of information through each profile. Through Social Profiling, interests, geographical factors, possible acquaintances, and even time and spatially definable information are linked and coordinated with the user.
Needs-based advertising expresses this complex topic quite simply and clarifies what it’s all about. But please always remember the platform. Just because a woman likes to party, wears high heels, and is interested in fashion, she doesn’t necessarily buy expensive brand shoes, absolutely needs access to a dating portal, and is looking for a job as an event manager! BUT the assumption is plausible.
Important change in 2018: Facebook, and thus Instagram, changed their algorithm again at the beginning of 2018 and show even fewer advertisements in the private area. This means: Exclusive placements = exclusively high prices. If you compare the click prices of the last 2 years, we are sometimes at three times the amount.
Conclusion: Social Ads for acquisition often do not achieve as high conversions (contacts, sales, execution of actions) as, for example, Google Shopping, but they are an ideal channel for building an image, efficient remarketing, or collecting user data.
Social Media Platforms and Channels – the currently best-known networks
- Facebook
The world’s largest social network has been suitable for private and commercial use for years and is increasingly becoming an advertising channel in B2C. Particularly targeted Remarketing can be implemented very well here. However, the benefit without advertising is demonstrably decreasing, and private users are increasingly distancing themselves from the network or active use. - Instagram
Instagram is also a Facebook product. The pure image network is becoming increasingly popular and is an interesting market for serious B2C, especially for companies with direct sales (online shopping). Stories, which are also possible on Facebook, help to actively interact with interested parties and authentically point out promotions and news. - Twitter
Often mentioned but never used, Twitter is a network for editors, short messages, and sharing links. The added value for companies is manageable and almost immeasurable in B2C due to its low reach. The ability to upload images and more text does not really improve dissemination and active user engagement. - Pinterest
One of the largest image portals with user-generated content still does not enjoy high penetration in German-speaking countries. Only in B2C can sales be generated through strict use of pins and sharing. Whether the effort and benefit are in proportion is something everyone must decide for themselves.
- Snapchat
„Video and gone“ probably best describes this network. Sustainability is zero, and quickly throwing out information is everyday here. Probably not the best combination for companies. - Xing – Business Network
If you want to make contacts in B2B, you should become active here immediately. „I am looking for“ and „I offer“ help to assess the user even before making contact. Groups, insights, and forum posts are fine but not comparable to specialized forums. Much revolves around link placement (often nofollow) and less around real help. If Xing, then Premium and then seriously with 2-3 hours per week for the network. Also read: Content Marketing on Xing - LinkedIn
International business network, which is not quite as widespread in Europe but has been growing very strongly since 2019. Advertising in the B2B sector, in particular, is very, very promising. - houzz.de – Thematic network for home, interior, living, design
For architects, trades related to house building, and real estate, this network is a must. However, pay attention to high-quality images and clear and detailed descriptions. Only then will it be effective. „Just doing it“ is not a good solution, similar to Xing. If you use houzz.de, then do it seriously with at least 1 hour per week.
Which social networks and social media platforms are there? = We will not discuss other platforms in this article.
Social Media Monitoring
As with a website or an online shop, tracking should ALWAYS take place here. Most portals offer simple monitoring for business profiles. Similar to a CRM system, you ideally want to know which user groups are interested in you, when, where, and why, so that you also know whether your strategy is successful and not just simply evaluate sales or conversion! Free to paid programs for social monitoring help to develop and, if necessary, adapt the orientation. We will not go into monitoring in detail at this point, as it only makes sense with a complete strategy, networking, and seamless integration of a funnel.
Recent changes for businesses in social networks
Everything started everywhere with sorting by publication date. In 2015, Facebook began to individually adapt the social stream to the user based on interest and orientation. Manipulation was and still is virtually impossible. The network determines when, what, and where something is displayed. This arose from the necessity that due to increasing usage, more and more content was being published, and users no longer had an overview!
This advantage for social interaction and the capture of „news“ was a huge benefit for the private user but had fatal consequences for companies, because posts and advertisements were also displayed much less, more reduced, and in different places. Significant losses in visibility were and still are the result. This situation continues to this day and has spread to almost all portals and networks.
The seemingly better targeting, in plain language, leads to rising click and impression prices, decreasing ad frequency, and in most cases, decreasing conversion. However, in remarketing, this algorithm helps enormously, as the already narrowly defined target group is addressed even more precisely (targeted).
Social Media Advertising is less interesting for new customer acquisition but ideally suited as a remarketing channel in the marketing mix!
Buying likes, followers – yes, no, and what does it bring
The topic of buying likes on Facebook and Instagram followers comes up again and again, and more and more often. Often the answer is that it makes no sense in your case, but that is not always true. If the goal is primarily to build an image and achieve a strong image effect from the outset, a purchase certainly makes sense. However, it should be noted that a regional reach build-up is then usually only possible in the long run. The organic reach often drops sharply, as the purchased profiles often do not come from Germany and the DACH region. One of the largest providers for buying Instagram followers with the best selection can be found here: Buy Instagram Followers
Alternatives and (better) ways for successful social media marketing (best practice)
Consider in advance what you actually want to achieve. Define goals and target audience. Only then do you choose a strategy, the portals, and start with ideas. Always make sure that the average user can always answer the question „Why“. Always, truly always, fulfill the promise you give the user on the social network through a post or an ad. Empty promises and hidden clauses are wrong here! Be social according to the medium!
More information will follow soon here…
How to correctly use and apply hashtags on Instagram
Read more here: https://onlinemarketing.de/news/instagram-hashtag-guide-2018
The most frequently asked questions about social media, answered briefly and concisely
How many people use social media?
https://de.statista.com/themen/1842/soziale-netzwerke/
How many companies use social media?
https://de.statista.com/themen/2124/social-media-in-unternehmen/
Why social media for businesses?
Depending on your size and orientation, you can easily provide insights into your company and use it for marketing. If it’s about products, you also have a strong marketplace in social networks. The more honest, authentic, and transparent you are, the better you can use social media to your advantage and generate revenue.
Why is social media important?
A general answer is difficult to find here. It should be said that it should not be forgotten. However, for 80% of companies, there are more important issues to address.
Why Social Media Guidelines?
A consistent appearance is extremely important. This applies especially to social media!
Which social media platform is most important for companies?
Facebook and Instagram are a must-have, Xing is also suitable for networking and making contacts (if you are active). Internationally, LinkedIn may also be mentioned.
Social Media: When to post?
Target = Private customers B2C: Evenings from 5-9 pm and especially on Sundays (preferably multiple times)
Target = Business customers B2B: Midday between 11 am and 1 pm. However, omit Monday and otherwise send everything in the afternoon.
What does social media cost?
Assume that it costs 3 to 5 times your expectations. The amount of work, with proper care and strategy, should not be underestimated, and the prices for advertising and reach (visibility) increase almost monthly.
How do social networks earn their money?
In 95% of cases, this happens through the placement of advertising in the visible area. This can be integrated via ad marketplaces like Google AdSense and is usually commissioned and monetized per click. Likewise, the large portals usually have their own marketplace for booking ads = social media advertising.
CONCLUSION: Social Media Marketing, Automation and Agencies
Due to algorithm adjustments, changes in portals, and altered reach, targeted remarketing strategies are on the rise and are becoming increasingly established. Acquiring unknown (new) profiles is becoming more expensive, more exclusive, and more difficult. Instagram, depending on the industry and orientation, is still somewhat better suited than Facebook. If you look at the entire market of social networks, it remains exciting, and the support for us as an agency is becoming more extensive and must therefore also increase in fees.
In-house maintenance by the company is desirable and advisable, but only with guidance on the correct handling and knowledge.
Online courses, webinars, or seminars on social media (as linked in the article) can help here.
SEO and SEA are and remain the most important point in the online marketing mix, because people will always google, bing, ask, yahoo, etc., and everyone does. 😉
NEW: Our Social Media Tool for Marketing Automation.Do you have questions? We certainly have the answers:
DE
