All posts by TWP Publisher

Every company marketer posting on social media is curious about the best times to post their content. While each audience is unique, having a rule of thumb can be extremely helpful when you’re first starting out. Sprout Social recently published the results of their “Best Times to Post on Social Media: 2018 Industry Research”, a report which includes preferred time slots for the big 4 — Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Unlike other reports I’ve seen on this topic, which often recommend a single time or small window, Sprout has detailed “heat maps” for each channel. I reached out to Rachael Samuels, Social Media Manager at Sprout Social, to find out more about the report and the research behind their findings.

Harrison: Other companies have looked into the best times to post on social. What did your data science team do differently?

Samuels: Sprout Social’s data science team constructed a more targeted approach that takes into account interactions with 935 million messages across 420,000 social profiles connected to Sprout. The data that our team uncovered not only provides specific days and times for the most engagement on social for each platform, but offers similar data for specific industries, including tech, CPG, and healthcare, among others. Using this data as a guide empowers marketers with the best opportunities to maximize personalized consumer engagement.

Read more: What Are The Best Times To Post On Social Media? (These “Heat Maps” Have The Answers)

Social networks have, to a large extent, defined the way we work and live. Not only do these conversational tools ignite debate and broaden networks, but in a very real sense they nourish a collective consciousness, an understanding of what it means to be alive in the world right here, right now.

From a business standpoint, there’s never been a better time to harness the power of this 21st-century medium to gain clients and generate leads. We’re not talking about showy brand waving: we’re talking about using social media to get clients on the phone and through the door. To leverage apps used by billions to acquire new business and make meaningful connections.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? But the truth is, while the rewards are great, getting social media marketing right can be a challenge. There are a myriad of powerful management tools and services available, an array of techniques and stratagems which promise to put your brand in front of prospective clients and capture their interest. Social media platforms, lest we forget, are crowded spaces. How can you make yourself heard above the noise? How will you differentiate your brand? And is landing your dream client actually realistic?

Read more: 4 Tips For Harnessing Social Media To Win Clients And Grow Revenue

2018 has been a busy year in the social media marketing world. From major news feed changes to the introduction of exciting new features, social media marketers have certainly been kept on their toes.

Join us as we reflect on all the valuable lessons we’ve learnt from working in the social media space this past year.

Creativity is key

With hundreds of thousands of updates being posted to popular social media sites every minute, creativity is key to standing out in the crowd. It’s no longer enough to share a simple piece of text on your business’s products or services – marketers need to create compelling copy and captivating imagery and/or videos in order to catch, and hold, their customers’ attention.

Read more: Social Media Marketing Lessons Learnt in 2018

Social media is an important channel for marketers looking to make a holiday splash.

As consumers begin their holiday shopping for gifts and bargains, they are more and more likely to be influenced by social media posts. A well-placed call to action on Instagram or Facebook, or a LinkedIn campaign, might make the difference between a happy new year and a lackluster holiday season.

This infographic from Animoto details how marketers should approach social media efforts for the holidays.

Insights include:

• Seventy-nine percent of marketers say they will run a holiday ad on social media this year.
• Of the marketers who ran a holiday ad last year on social channels, 88 percent say it was effective.
• Some 56 percent say a holiday social media video campaign influenced a purchasing decision.

Read more: Infographic: Social media marketing insights for the holidays

Every marketer today wants to make their brand presence felt. That is the reason why social media is being leveraged on a big scale.  Whether one owns an established business or a startup, social media marketing is something that everyone is using to reach and communicate with the customers. Doesn’t it make sense to be in a place where the crowd is? One often comes across some social media marketing activities that fail. While, on the other hand, some Facebook and Twitter pages become popular than the others. Many times, marketers observe that their competitors are doing better than them in social media marketing!

Everybody does make mistakes. How can social media marketers be any different? But the fact is, making too many mistakes can see the followers dwindle and their count drop. Indeed, it does affect the revenue of a business. As with all mistakes, the first step is understanding and becoming aware of them. It then becomes easier to avoid them in the future. Let’s discuss top five common social media marketing mistakes that one must avoid in the coming year – 2019.

1. Undefined goals and targeting the wrong audience. As a marketer, one may be working very hard, yet they may suffer badly if they aim and shoot in the dark. A marketer needs to ensure that they are not targeting the wrong audience. The key to success in social media marketing is to know and reach the target audience.

Most marketers commit one of the biggest social media marketing mistakes, that is, not properly defining their goals. Can anyone win without a goal? Once the goals are set, one can start working on their social media strategy and create a plan. For example, some of the goals that work well with social media could be to improve customer engagement or increase event attendance or increase website visits, etc.

Read more: Five Common Social Media Marketing Mistakes to Avoid in 2019