Overview

YouTube is where creators and businesses thrive, reaching audiences worldwide through captivating videos, the ultimate tool for online engagement. From Facebook to LinkedIn and beyond, video is the top choice, adored, viewed, and shared across all social platforms.

This guide maps your journey to YouTube marketing triumph, guiding you from channel inception to content crafting and brand building. With over half of marketers (55%) already utilizing YouTube’s influence, grasping its methods, tactics, and top tips is critical to captivating your audience like never before.

Understanding the inner workings of YouTube

Video and YouTube are huge on the internet, grabbing people’s attention with cool videos that spread everywhere. However, YouTube isn’t just about fun; it’s a powerful tool for marketing and connecting with others online. 

Let’s explore ways how YouTube as a platform works:

Content upload

Registered users upload videos to their YouTube channels. These creators can set privacy settings for their videos, making them public, private, or unlisted.

Engagement and interactions

Users can engage with videos and creators in several ways:

• Likes and Dislikes: Users can express their opinions on videos by liking or disliking them.
• Comments: Users can share their thoughts, ask questions, or chat with others by leaving comments on videos
• Sharing: Users can share videos with others via social media, messaging apps, or email.

Content discovery

Users can discover videos on YouTube through various means:

• Search: Find videos by typing in keywords in the search bar.
• Recommendations: YouTube suggests videos based on what you’ve watched before.
• Trending: See what videos are popular in your area or worldwide.
• Subscriptions: Get notified when new videos are uploaded by channels you subscribe to.

Advertising platform

YouTube allows businesses and content creators to advertise and connect with their desired viewers. Advertisers can make campaigns using various ad types like pre-roll ads, display ads, and sponsored content, tailoring them to specific demographics, interests, and keywords.

Monetization

YouTube offers various monetization options for creators to earn revenue from their content:

• Ad Revenue: Get a portion of the money made from ads shown on your videos through the YouTube Partner Program.
• Channel Memberships: Offer special perks to subscribers for a monthly fee.
• Merchandise Shelf: Sell branded merchandise directly from your channel.
• Super Chat and Super Stickers: Viewers can buy these during live streams to support you and get their messages noticed.

Copyright protection

YouTube has tools like Content ID to safeguard copyrighted content and enforce intellectual property rights. Content ID scans videos for copyrighted material, letting rights holders claim or make money from their content. Users can also report copyright violations and settle disputes on YouTube.

Benefits of YouTube marketing

Reach a large audience

YouTube is a vast social media platform with about 2.9 billion active monthly users globally in 2024. This number is predicted to grow by 200 million users, around 6.89%, from 2024 to 2025.

Businesses can benefit from this vast user base by using YouTube to reach potential customers worldwide. By consistently sharing quality content and teaming up with influential creators in your field, you can increase your brand’s exposure and attract more traffic to your business.

High visibility on search engines

Backed by Google, YouTube videos frequently appear in search results, boosting visibility and attracting natural visitors. Many search result pages now showcase video carousels, with over 94% of those videos sourced from YouTube.

By leveraging YouTube marketing, you can score backlinks to your site, making it more visible on search engines. This approach also strengthens your business’s online reputation, directly influencing its ranking on Google’s search results.

Video is easier to consume​​

In today’s digital age, video content captures attention quickly and effectively. YouTube marketing empowers businesses to convey their message through captivating videos, keeping viewers engaged.

Videos are a dynamic tool for storytelling, ideal for showcasing products, providing demos, and sharing customer experiences.

Provides trust and credibility

YouTube is an excellent platform for boosting your brand’s credibility. It’s the go-to spot for product research and buying decisions, with about six in ten people finding it trustworthy for shopping.

Creating valuable content on YouTube helps you establish authority in your field. Sharing industry knowledge and expert advice builds trust with your audience, positioning your business as a leader in the industry.

Drives sales and traffic

YouTube marketing can boost your profits — 81% of marketers credit videos for directly boosting their sales. 

YouTube’s various shopping tools, such as cards, end screens, channel stores, and tagged products, give marketers ample opportunities to sell both within and outside the platform.

An additional source of revenue

YouTube isn’t just a tool to enhance your marketing; it’s a potential money-maker in its own right. You can earn cash from views and engagement if your channel meets YouTube’s Partner Program requirements.

With compelling content that draws in viewers, your business can tap into YouTube as a source of passive income while also showcasing your offerings.

Getting started with your YouTube marketing

1. Create a Google account

If you don’t have one already, create a Google account that you’ll use to manage your YouTube channel. Ensure it’s linked to an email address you check regularly.

2. Customize the Youtube channel

• Channel Name and URL: Select a name representing your business or the content you plan to share, ensuring it’s easy to remember and spell. Once you meet specific eligibility criteria, you can customize your channel’s URL to further align with your brand identity.

• Icon and Banner: Use high-quality images for your channel icon (profile picture) and banner. These visuals effectively represent your brand identity.

• Channel Description: Write a concise yet informative description of your channel, including what viewers can expect to find and why they should subscribe.

• Channel Layout: Customize your channel’s layout and appearance to make it visually appealing and aligned with your brand. Organize your videos into playlists and create sections on your channel homepage.

• Links: Add links to your website, social media profiles, and other relevant platforms in the designated sections.

3. Create quality content

1. Identify your audience and goals

Know your target audience and what you want from your YouTube marketing. Set clear goals, such as raising brand awareness, bringing more people to your website, generating leads, or increasing sales.

2. Plan your content

Brainstorm ideas your audience will love and help your marketing goals. Make a content calendar to plan when you’ll post videos regularly so your audience knows when to expect new content. 

Here are some popular content that are used for YouTube marketing:

• Explainer/tutorials: Teach your audience how to use your products or offer valuable industry insights.

• Product demonstration: Present detailed reviews and demonstrations to showcase your products’ benefits and proper use.

• Customer testimonials: Share success stories from satisfied customers to build trust.

• Expert interviews: Expert interviews boost your company’s credibility in the industry and add authority and depth to your brand’s image.

• Live streams: Interact with your audience through real-time engagement, Q&A sessions, or product launches.

• Behind-the-scenes footage: Humanize your brand by revealing your company culture or product creation process.

• Event coverage: Cover industry events and share highlights, takeaways, and interviews.

3. Produce the Content 

Invest in making quality videos that grab people’s attention and provide helpful content for your followers. Consider your videos ‘ format, style, and length based on your audience preferences and the type of content you’re creating.

4. Optimize your channel for search

The YouTube algorithm tracks how users engage with videos, considering factors like watch time and user feedback to suggest similar content. By analyzing viewers’ preferences, the algorithm curates what the users might like.

Use keywords strategically in titles, descriptions, and tags to boost your video’s visibility. Create content encouraging likes, comments, and shares, and adapt the length and format to match your audience’s preferences.

5. Promote your channel

Promote your video across different channels to maximize its reach and engagement. Share on social media, embed it in blog posts or emails and collaborate with influencers or fellow companies in your niche.

Engage with your viewers by responding to comments, addressing questions, seeking feedback, and showing appreciation for their support. Dedicate a specific time to check video interactions and engage with users to ensure you don’t overlook this crucial aspect.

YouTube marketing best practices

Design eye-catching thumbnails

Thumbnails are vital on YouTube because they’re what people see first and help get clicks — 90% of top videos have custom thumbnails. Create captivating and pertinent thumbnails showcasing your video on licks to enhance its appeal and engagement.

Use clear pictures, easy-to-read words, and exciting visuals to make good thumbnails. What people like in thumbnails can change, so it’s wise to stay updated on what’s popular in your community.

Analyze your competition

Studying your rivals’ YouTube channels is critical to understanding effective strategies in your field. You can enhance your approach by pinpointing successful content types, subjects, and engagement methods.

Identify gaps in their content that your brand can address. Seize opportunities your rivals might overlook and capitalize to stay ahead of the curve.

Maintain consistent scheduling

Consistency is vital to building a loyal YouTube audience. Establishing a regular upload schedule helps set expectations for your viewers and keeps them returning for more.

Consistency helps improve your channel’s visibility in YouTube’s algorithm and fosters trust and loyalty among your audience. Whether weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly uploads, stick to your schedule to maintain momentum and keep your audience engaged.

Collaborate with content creators

There are countless creators on YouTube, each with their dedicated followers. You can team up with these creators to showcase your offerings uniquely and engagingly.

Identify creators in your niche whose audience matches yours and suggest partnership ideas like co-hosting videos or cross-promotions. Collaborating exposes your channel to new viewers and spices up your content, keeping your audience hooked.

Track your YouTube analytics 

Keeping an eye on your YouTube stats is crucial to understanding who’s watching, how your videos are doing, and where you can improve. Focus on numbers like watch time, audience retention, demographics, where your viewers are coming from, and how engaged they are to figure out what works and what doesn’t.

With this information, you can tweak your content plan, make better videos, and reach your YouTube goals. It’s all about understanding your audience and using that insight to improve your YouTube marketing.

Conclusion

YouTube presents a prime chance for marketers to engage with vast audiences and boost brand credibility through captivating videos. Although it might seem daunting initially, YouTube makes sharing and watching videos easy, meeting your audience’s needs for learning, fun, and engaging with brands through video.

Integrating Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software can amplify YouTube marketing efforts by streamlining operations further and offering valuable insights into audience behavior and preferences. By leveraging this data, businesses can tailor content to meet audience needs, maximizing the impact of their marketing campaigns.

References

McDonald, J. (2022, July 4). Social Media Marketing Workbook: How to Use Social Media for Business.

Overview

In today’s digital world, social media is critical for marketers. Among these platforms, Instagram stands out for its visual appeal and diverse features, making it perfect for businesses.

Our guide dives into Instagram as a marketing tool, covering strategies from audience demographics to crafting engaging content and using its notable features. Whether you’re new or experienced in social media marketing, this guide aims to give you the insights and tools to succeed in Instagram marketing.

A background on Instagram

Instagram is a social media platform mainly for sharing photos and videos. Initially released in 2010, Instragram has since been a part of Meta Platforms after Facebook acquired it in 2012 for about $1 billion.

Although you can use Instagram on the web to check your feed and profiles, the best experience is on the mobile app. The application has doubled its daily average usage time from 15 minutes in 2019 to about 33 minutes as of 2024.

Main features of Instagram

Instagram is all about sharing pictures and videos, but it’s grown into much more than that. Here’s what you need to know:

• Profile: Users create profiles to post photos and videos, write captions, and interact with other users. Profiles can be public or private, allowing users to control who can view their content.

• Feed: The feed is where users see posts from accounts they follow. It’s a continuous stream of photos and videos, often accompanied by captions and hashtags.

• Stories: These are posts that vanish after 24 hours. You can add pictures, videos, text, polls, and questions. Stories are displayed at the top of the feed, offering a more casual and ephemeral way to share content.

• Explore: The Explore tab provides personalized recommendations for users based on their interests, behavior, and the content they engage with. It showcases trending posts, popular accounts, and content curated to match users’ preferences.

• Instagram Live: This feature allows users to stream live videos to followers, who can engage with comments and emojis in real-time. Unless saved, these videos vanish after the broadcast ends, fostering instant interaction, Q&A sessions, behind-the-scenes peeks, and collaborative content creation.

• Direct Messaging: Users can send private messages, photos, and videos to individuals or groups through Instagram Direct. It offers features like disappearing messages and the ability to share posts directly from the feed.

• Reels: Introduced in 2020, Reels allows users to create and share short, entertaining videos set to music or audio clips. You can find them in the Explore tab or on people’s profiles.

• Shopping: Instagram provides features that allow businesses to tag products in posts and stories, enabling users to purchase items directly within the app.

Why market on Instagram?

Large user base

With over 2 billion monthly users, Instagram ranks as the third most popular social media platform globally. Whether you’re a business owner or not, chances are your current and potential customers are active users.

Instagram reports that 90% of its users follow at least one business profile. This information means that reaching a substantial audience organically through your business profile isn’t too grinding

Enhanced brand visibility and engagement

Instagram marketing is great for businesses because it’s all about sharing pictures and videos, making it perfect for showing off products attractively. Research shows that our brains focus more on what we see, with about 90% of the information we take being visual.

Moreover, compared to other social media, people on Instagram are more active, liking, commenting, and sharing content. According to Forrester, top brands get way more engagement on Instagram — 58 times more per follower than on Facebook.

Drives higher conversions

Businesses should prioritize boosting conversions since social media, like Instagram, can attract many potential customers. According to a Meta, 87% of people take action after seeing product info on Instagram, like following a brand or making a purchase.

Although an Instagram profile is limited to clickable links, such as in bios, shoppable feeds, and stories, it still delivers impressive results. This strategy keeps the user experience smooth and saves marketers from paying for unnecessary clicks.

Simplifies customer shopping experience

Instagram makes it easy for businesses to sell through the app, improving customers’ shopping experience. With features like shoppable posts and Instagram Shopping, users can buy products without leaving Instagram. 

Plus, Checkout on Instagram streamlines the purchasing process, though it’s only available for US businesses. Businesses can use promoted shopping ads and product launch announcements to reach specific groups of people and get them excited about what they’re selling.

Setting up an Instagram account for business

1. Create a business account

1. Sign Up or Log In: Open the app, create a new account, or log in to your existing one.

2. Switch to an Instagram Business Account: Tap the three lines, then select “Settings” > “Account” > “Switch to Professional Account.” Follow the prompts to connect to a Facebook Page (if you have one) and choose your business category.

3. Set Up Your Profile: Fill out your profile with your business name, profile picture (usually your logo), a brief description of your business, and a link to your website (if applicable).

4. Complete Your Profile Details: Include relevant information such as your contact information, business hours, and location (if you have a physical storefront).

2. Get your business account verified

1. Build a Strong Presence: Make sure your Instagram business account is solid before applying for verification. That means covering all the basics: a profile picture, a bio, and some posts.

2. Meet Eligibility Requirements: Instagram verifies accounts based on specific criteria. Although they haven’t revealed the exact requirements, typically, you must be genuine, one-of-a-kind, complete, and noteworthy.

3. Apply for Verification: To verify your account, make sure you meet the eligibility criteria, then follow these steps: 

• On your profile, tap the three lines in the top-right corner.
• Tap Settings, then Account, and finally Request Verification.
• Fill in your account name and category, and upload a photo of your government ID (for personal accounts) or business documents (for business accounts).

4. Wait for a Response: Once you’ve sent your verification request on Instagram, they’ll check it out. It might take a while, and there’s no set time for them to say yes or no.

5. Remain Active: Stay active on Instagram and keep posting regularly, even if you’re still waiting for your account to get verified. Consistent and engaging with your audience can increase your chances of getting verified. 

Crafting your Instagram marketing strategy

1. Set your marketing goals

Before diving into Instagram, you and your team must ask yourself why you’re there. To thrive on this platform, you need clear goals and a purpose that aligns with your efforts and resources.

Define what you want to accomplish with your Instagram marketing. Whether getting your brand out there, bringing people to your website, finding leads, or making sales, having specific goals will shape your approach.

2. Study your targeted audience

To better connect with your audience, research who they are, what they like, and how they behave. Utilize tools like Instagram Insights and surveys to gather valuable data.

For instance, if you’re targeting Gen Z, focus on showcasing product demos, customer reviews, and exclusive launches, as they make up a significant portion of Instagram’s user base for product discovery.

3. Create compelling content

Focus on creating eye-catching content that fits your brand and appeals to your followers. While Instagram started as a photo-sharing platform, it’s evolved into much more. 

To make the most of Instagram marketing, use a variety of content types:

• Photos: Share single images or create carousels with up to 10 pictures for engaging feed posts.

• Videos: Upload videos directly to your feed, ranging from a few seconds to 60 minutes long.

• Reels: Share short, authentic videos in a dedicated tab on your profile to connect with your audience.

• Live: Interact directly with your followers by going live from the Instagram app or scheduling a live event up to 90 days beforehand.

• Stories: Share behind-the-scenes content or reposts from followers with stories, which disappear after 24 hours.

• Stories Highlights: Pin essential stories to your profile by creating highlight albums for permanent display at the top of your feed.

4. Engage and interact

To grow a community on Instagram, engage regularly with your followers and fellow users. Respond quickly to comments, messages, and mentions to show that your brand is attentive and caring.

Start conversations by asking questions, running polls, or hosting Q&A sessions. Also, team up with influencers, partners, and user-generated content to grow your presence and credibility.

5. Analyze your results

To boost your Instagram marketing, keep a close eye on critical metrics like engagement, follower growth, reach, and conversions. Instagram Insights offers detailed stats on post-performance, audience demographics, and activity, helping you understand what works best.

Leverage this data to tweak your strategy, spot trends, and enhance your content for optimal outcomes. Test various tactics, learn from them, and consistently adapt your approach to elevate your Instagram game.

Instagram marketing best practices

Post at the right time

Timing is crucial on Instagram. You’ll likely get more likes and comments when you post when your followers are most active.

Research from Sprout Social suggests that Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. are prime posting times. However, this can vary depending on your industry, so it’s wise to do some of your research to find the best times for your audience.

Plan your content beforehand

Creating a content calendar is essential for social media marketing — it helps you organize your time effectively to produce high-quality content. Planning also allows you to review and edit your content before publishing.

Plan for special events, holidays, or promotions ahead of time to ensure your content stays timely and relevant. Consistent planning helps maintain a strong brand image and keeps your instagram marketing on track.

Have consistency in your branding

Establish a clear brand voice and tone for all your Instagram posts. Ensure your captions, visuals, and follower interactions match your brand’s personality and values. 

Consistency is critical to building trust and recognition with your audience. Maintaining a uniform voice strengthens your brand identity and establishes a deeper connection with your followers.

Be selective on the influencers you choose

One study found that 87% of people buy products because an influencer suggested them. These endorsements on Instagram don’t just get more eyes on your brand; they also build trust with users.

However, when teaming up with influencers, pick ones whose followers match your target audience. Stick to influencers who can reach the people you’re trying to reach.

Use the right hashtags

Hashtags are powerful tools on platforms like Instagram because they make your posts visible to people who search or engage with similar content. Using hashtags strategically increases the chances of a wider audience discovering and seeing your content.

Instead of focusing solely on the most popular hashtags, prioritize those directly related to your product or service. This focused strategy improves the chances of reaching potential customers interested in your offer.

Pin your best posts

Put your best posts there to ensure more people see them and get more likes and comments. Choose posts that showcase your brand’s strengths, key messages, or important announcements to capture the attention of new visitors. 

Regularly update pinned posts to highlight fresh and relevant content, keeping your profile dynamic and engaging.

Conclusion

Instagram isn’t just a photo-sharing platform anymore; it’s a massive social hub with over two billion monthly active users. It might seem daunting if you want your brand to perform well on this platform, but some tools can help.

With the help of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, you can segment your Instagram followers based on various criteria, such as demographics and engagement level, to tailor your marketing to specific groups for better results. Additionally, CRM enables you to plan, execute, and analyze Instagram marketing campaigns. 

References

McDonald, J. (2022, July 4). Social Media Marketing Workbook: How to Use Social Media for Business.

Overview

In our last piece, we discussed how to market well on Facebook, sharing tips to make the most of its many tools and users. Now, we move on to LinkedIn, another big player in social media marketing.

More professionals and businesses see the benefits of promoting themselves and networking on LinkedIn. To thrive in today’s digital world, you must understand LinkedIn marketing and how to use it effectively.

Understanding how LinkedIn works

LinkedIn is a social network made for professionals. Its main aim is to help members connect with people they know and trust in their industry. It’s also helpful in finding job opportunities, learning about companies, and staying updated on industry news.

LinkedIn’s structure includes:

• Profile Creation: Users make profiles that act as their job resumes. These profiles list work history, education, skills, certifications, and how to get in touch.

• Company Pages: On LinkedIn, businesses can set up company pages to display what they offer, their work environment, and job openings. These pages help companies to connect with their audience, share news, and catch the eye of potential hires and clients.

• Groups and Communities: LinkedIn has groups and communities for professionals to connect and discuss shared interests. These groups cover industries, locations, job types, and other topics.

• Posts and News Feed: When you share something on LinkedIn, whether a personal post or one from your company’s page, it appears in a connection’s news feed. Just like Facebook, there’s a competition for attention as everyone posts.

• Professional Development: LinkedIn provides tools like online courses, webinars, and articles for professional growth. Users can also endorse and recommend connections for their skills and expertise.

• Messaging and Communications: On LinkedIn, you can message people you know to network, ask about jobs, or connect professionally. There’s also a feature called InMail for reaching out to people you’re not connected to, but it has some limitations.

Why use LinkedIn marketing?

Has a business-oriented culture

LinkedIn is much more professional than Facebook. It’s where you’ll find business-minded individuals like professionals, decision-makers, and industry leaders. 

When you advertise here, you connect with people interested in networking and business. LinkedIn says that showing your brand and messages about getting customers here makes you six times more likely to make sales.

Trust and brand safety

LinkedIn offers a trustworthy and safe environment compared to other social media sites. According to Hootsuite, more than 70% of marketers view LinkedIn as a dependable platform with a promising return on investment.

Because LinkedIn users professionally present themselves, there’s a greater trust in the content and engagements. This environment benefits businesses aiming to foster credibility and confidence among their target audience.

Provides thought leadership

LinkedIn helps businesses stand out by sharing helpful content, participating in discussions, and highlighting their expertise. Businesses can establish themselves as leaders by publishing articles, joining conversations, and sharing insights.

Brands that advertise on LinkedIn are perceived as higher quality (59%), more reputable (92%), more intelligent (74%), and more respectable (59%), resulting in a 10-15% increase in short-term sales performance.

Wide reach

LinkedIn has more than 900 million members worldwide from 200 countries. Out of its total users, about 16.2% of LinkedIn users are active every day, with 48% being active monthly. 

Whether you’re targeting a specific group or a broader audience, LinkedIn provides strong targeting options to help your marketing efforts reach the right audience. This broad reach can lead to better brand awareness, engagement, and business growth.

Creating your business LinkedIn page

1. Set up your business profile

1. Log in to LinkedIn.

2. Click the “For Business” icon in the top right corner, then choose “Create a Company Page”.

3. Pick the type that suits your business best (like Small business, Medium to large business, Showcase page, or Educational institution).

4. Enter your company name and select a URL that matches it or is easy to recognize.

5. Upload your company logo and a cover image reflecting your brand.

6. Include details like description, industry, company size, and website URL.

1. Click “Create page” to complete the setup of your business profile.

2. Optimize the business profile

1. Craft a clear “About Us” section detailing your company’s purpose, beliefs, offerings, and what sets you apart.

2. Use essential terms in your LinkedIn page summary to boost discoverability in searches.

3. Opt for a personalized URL for your page to enhance accessibility and sharing.

4. Ensure easy access to contact details like your company’s address, phone, and email.

5. Highlight your specialties to demonstrate your proficiency and services effectively.

6. Motivate your team to link your company to their profiles, boosting recognition and trust.

3. Strategically build your network

1. Find people in your industry or potential clients and send them personalized connection requests.

2. Join LinkedIn Groups that match your industry to connect with similar professionals.

3. Share helpful content like industry insights and updates to gain followers and show your expertise.

4. Interact with your connections by commenting on their posts and sharing their content to build trust and relationships.

4. Leverage LinkedIn tools to boost efforts

1. Share interesting content like blog posts, articles, and videos to show off what you know and get more followers.

2. Keep an eye on how your page and content are doing using LinkedIn Analytics.

3. Try LinkedIn Ads to reach more people and get them to check out your page.

4. Use LinkedIn’s messaging to keep in touch with potential customers and current clients.

5. Get your team involved in spreading your brand by having them share company news and updates.

Making engaging content for LinkedIn

1. Set your marketing goals

To create an effective LinkedIn content strategy, set clear goals to measure success first. These goals guide your content creation and help you track progress. 

The various goals businesses usually aim to achieve using LinkedIn include:

• Increasing brand awareness
• Generating leads
• Boosting website traffic
• Growing engagement
• Improving sales.

Make sure your LinkedIn content strategy aligns with your business goals. That way, it can actively contribute to achieving those goals.

2. Understanding your target audience 

LinkedIn is great for reaching professionals and businesses. To make the most of it, focus on the ones relevant to your goals. 

Defining your target audience helps you customize your company page and connect with the right people. So, decide who you want to reach based on location, company size, and industry.

3. Choose the right content

Choose the content types that match your marketing goals and what you know about your audience for your LinkedIn strategy. The types of content usually on LinkedIn are:

• Text-based posts
• Infographics
• Image and video carousels
• Newsletters
• Articles
• Documents
• Polls

Remember, LinkedIn is for professionals, so ensure your content is top-notch and informative. Consistently post high-quality content if your audience wants to read and interact with it.

4. Make the content engaging and shareable

Make content that catches people’s eye, makes them curious, and gets them talking. Use catchy pictures, short but powerful writing, and storytelling to make your content stick. 

Add industry tips, practical advice, and interesting questions to start good conversations. Also, use LinkedIn tools like hashtags, mentions, and tagging to get seen more and make sharing easy for others.

5. Analyze your results

Keep an eye on how well your LinkedIn posts are doing compared to what you want. Look at how many people engage with your posts, how many clicks on links, how fast your followers are growing, and how many conversions you get.

This analysis allows you to experiment with various post types, timing, and messaging to optimize your LinkedIn page’s performance. Keep refining your strategy to maximize its impact.

LinkedIn marketing best practices

Join a Linkedin group

LinkedIn Groups are where people who work in similar fields chat and connect. Join groups related to your industry to talk with others, share what you know, and show that you’re an expert.

Groups can also help you see where your customers hang out online. Pay attention to what they talk about. Their discussions and questions help you create content that speaks to them.

Always be active

Don’t just post on LinkedIn and forget about it. Interact with your followers to make your marketing efforts more effective.

Engage with users who comment on your posts by answering their questions, seeking feedback, and asking thought-provoking questions to encourage discussion. Being active keeps you visible in your network’s feed and helps build relationships with your connections.

Utilize SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) boosts your profile’s visibility in search results on LinkedIn and search engines such as Google. This tactic helps more people discover you, particularly those seeking your skills or services. 

Ensure your headline, summary, and experience sections include relevant keywords to enhance your discoverability. However, avoid excessive keyword stuffing, making your profile seem forced and unappealing.

Use a content calendar

Posting on LinkedIn once a week can lead to up to six times more followers. A consistent presence in your followers’ feeds helps them remember your expertise and services, increasing the chances that they’ll turn to you when they need what you offer.

To stay on track, create a content calendar that helps you stick to a regular posting schedule and ensures your content matches your marketing goals and audience interests. Mix curated content, original thought leadership, and promotions to keep followers engaged.

Don’t focus too much on sales

Social media marketing isn’t just about selling; it’s about genuinely building your brand. LinkedIn can help you find leads, but being too pushy won’t work.

Instead, prioritize delivering value to your audience through informative content, problem-solving, and relationship-building efforts. By establishing trust and credibility, you’ll organically create opportunities for sales over time.

Provide exclusivity

Don’t make the error of sharing identical content on all your social media channels. Since many followers may overlap across platforms, avoid overwhelming them with repeated posts. 

Instead, offer exclusive perks like premium resources, special deals, or invites to exclusive events. By providing these benefits, you can enhance your connections on LinkedIn and set your brand apart from competitors.

Conclusion

With its professional focus and robust networking features, LinkedIn is an excellent place for businesses to connect and grow. Using LinkedIn tools well, companies can boost their brand, build essential partnerships, and see results in B2B marketing.

Linking Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems with LinkedIn can significantly improve your sales and marketing. LinkedIn is excellent for networking and finding leads. When it’s connected to your CRM, you can work more efficiently, communicate better, and use data to make smarter decisions.

References

McDonald, J. (2022, July 4). Social Media Marketing Workbook: How to Use Social Media for Business.

Overview

In our earlier guide, we compared social media marketing to throwing a party:

• Promotion is like sending out invites.
• Content is the food and fun.
• Ongoing management is like being the host.

Let’s now focus on Facebook’s role in social media marketing strategies, emphasizing how it helps you reach your audience better. We aim to provide valuable tips and tactics for making the most out of Facebook in your marketing efforts. 

Understanding Facebook’s algorithm

To succeed in Facebook marketing, grasp its structure and operations. Facebook’s algorithm rates content, including Feed posts and Reels, to deliver the most fitting content to users, factoring in demographics, interests, and viewing history.

Facebook engineers aim for user engagement, reflected in the algorithm’s profiles, pages, and content scoring. Higher engagement boosts a piece’s Facebook algorithm score, leading to more visibility, while lower engagement reduces its exposure.

Facebook ranks content in a four-step process:

1. Inventory: It checks out everything that could appear on a user’s feed — like posts from friends, pages they follow, and groups they’re in.

2. Signals: After collecting all this content, the algorithm looks at thousands of clues to decide how relevant each piece is. These clues include who posted it, when they interacted with it, and how often they like similar items.

3. Predictions: The algorithm guesses what content you’ll like best based on your past behavior. It tries to predict what actions you might take on new content.

4. Scoring: Each piece of content gets a score based on how relevant it is to you. The higher the score, the more likely it is to show up first on your feed. So, the first thing you see is what Facebook thinks you’ll find most interesting.

Why market on Facebook?

Access to a large audience

Facebook remains a major force in social media marketing, boasting three billion monthly active users as of mid-2023, making it the most significant platform worldwide. With such a vast audience, reaching new prospects, converting them into customers, and repeating the cycle becomes more straightforward.

The expansive reach of Facebook enables you to scale up campaign expenditure without concerns about reaching a limit. Implementing a well-planned strategy allows for a gradual increase in spending while maintaining cost efficiency and consistently generating leads.

Targets specific audiences

Facebook advertising offers a decisive advantage: pinpoint targeting of your desired audience. With Facebook’s tools, you can zero in on specific demographics and interests, ensuring your message reaches those who matter most to your business.

Entrepreneurs can finely tune their advertising campaigns by segmenting their audience based on demographics. Facebook’s “Audience Insights” tool provides valuable data on your page visitors and followers, aiding in effective targeting.

Diverse ad formats

Facebook advertising is great because it activates a brand across the entire sales funnel. Whether you want more people to know your brand, think about buying it, or buy it, Facebook ads can help.

You get different types of ads on Facebook for different marketing goals. You can use images, videos, carousels, slideshows, or dynamic ads, depending on what best shows off your product/services.

Relatively cost-effective

Advertising on Facebook is cheaper than TV or print ads, making it great for small and medium-sized businesses with tight budgets. With Facebook, you can reach a broader audience for almost half the price of traditional ads.

Facebook’s ad platform lets businesses control their budgets and bidding tactics, maximizing their ad spend. When done right, Facebook ads can bring in better returns and conversions than traditional advertising.

Maintains engagement and interactions

Businesses can connect directly with their audience on Facebook by sharing posts, responding to comments, and engaging in messages. This interaction builds trust and community, strengthening customer relationships.

Instead of solely relying on ad campaigns for new customers, organic marketing on Facebook ensures long-term revenue and fosters an engaged follower base. Consistency is vital — maintaining an active brand presence sets you apart from brands that neglect their Facebook pages.

Setting up a Facebook page for your business

1. Create a Facebook page

1. Log in or Sign Up: If you don’t already have a personal Facebook account, you’ll need to create one. Once logged in, go to the Facebook homepage.

2. Create a Page: At the bottom of the login page or in the top right corner, you’ll see an option to “Create.” Click on it and select “Page”. Alternatively, you can go directly to https://www.facebook.com/pages/create/.

3. Choose Page Type: Facebook will ask you to choose a page type. Select “Business or Brand” for a business page.

4. Enter Page Details: Fill in your page name, category, address, and phone number. Make sure all information is accurate and reflects your business correctly.

5. Add Profile Picture and Cover Photo: Upload a profile picture (usually your company logo) and a cover photo that represents your business visually.

6. Complete About Section: Write a concise and informative description of your business. Include relevant keywords for search optimization.

7. Customize Page Tabs: You can customize the tabs on your page to highlight specific features or sections. You can do this by clicking the “Settings” tab and then “Templates and Tabs.”

8. Invite Followers: Start inviting people to like your page. You can import contacts or manually invite friends, family, and customers.

2. Verify page for business

Verifying your page isn’t necessary, but it boosts your business’s credibility. To get verified:

1. Go to Page Settings: Click on “Settings” at the top right corner of your page.

2. Page Verification: In the General tab, find the “Page Verification” option and click “Edit”. Then select “Verify this Page”.

3. Choose Verification Method: You can verify your page with a phone number or business documents. Follow the prompts based on your chosen method.

3. Start an ad account

If you want to make the most of Facebook for your business, having an ad account is essential, especially if you’re considering spending money on boosting posts or running campaigns. Here’s a simple guide to setting up your ad account for your Facebook Page:

1. Go to Ads Manager: Click on this link to start setting up your ad account: https://www.facebook.com/adsmanager/creation/creation/

2. Choose Ad Account Type: When prompted, select “Business” since you’re making a Facebook page for your business.

3. Enter Business Details: Fill in accurate information about your business.

4. Set Up Payment Method: Add a payment method for your ads, like a credit card, PayPal, or other options.

5. Confirm Email: Facebook may send a confirmation email to your account’s email address. Follow the instructions in the email to verify your account.

6. Create Your First Ad: Once your ad account is ready, click the “Create” button in Ads Manager to start making ads.

Creating a successful marketing campaign on Facebook

1. Set goals for your campaign

Establish clear and measurable goals before starting any marketing campaign. Ensure your goals are specific, achievable, relevant, and have a deadline (SMART). 

Here are some typical Facebook campaign goals:

• Boost brand awareness.
• Increase website traffic.
• Generate leads or sales.
• Enhance engagement (likes, comments, shares).
• Expand your Facebook page followers.

2. Identify your target audience

To find out who’s interested in your Facebook content, look at the buyer personas you’ve created for your overall marketing plan. These personas depict your ideal customers and aid in comprehending your target audience.

Facebook offers tools like Audience Insights to help you understand your audience and competitors. It gives you information on demographics and behaviors, effectively helping you tailor your content and ads.

3. Plan your content strategy

Create a content plan that aligns with your objectives and resonates with your audience. Here’s what you should prioritize:

• Content Type: Pick suitable content formats like images, videos, or polls that connect with your audience and match your campaign goals.

• Content Schedule: Plan and organize your posts with a content calendar. Sticking to a schedule helps keep your audience engaged consistently.

• Messaging: Write compelling messages that address your audience’s needs and feelings. Keep your brand voice consistent across all your communications.

• Visuals: Use eye-catching visuals that convey your brand message clearly and effectively.

• Call-to-Action: Prompt your audience to take action with clear and convincing CTAs in your content.

• Ad Strategy: Target your ads effectively on platforms like Facebook to reach the right people. Spend your budget wisely to get the most out of your advertising efforts.

4. Monitor your performance

Monitor your campaign to ensure your Facebook ads work well and bring the most value. Utilize Facebook Ads Manager and Insights to monitor essential measures like the number of people reached, engagement levels, click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and return on investment from your ads.

Regularly review your campaign data to identify trends, successes, and areas for improvement. Utilize this information to adjust your target audience, messaging, visuals, and budget allocation, ensuring improved ad performance.

Facebook marketing best practices

Use high-quality visuals

91% of consumers like interactive and visual content more than just reading or seeing still images. Attention-grabbing visuals are crucial to stand out, especially on social media platforms like Facebook.

Boost your posts by investing in professional photography or crafting visually engaging graphics. Clear, sharp images and videos are crucial to captivating your audience and sparking interaction.

Use a content calendar

A solid Facebook content plan is crucial to succeed online and with social media ads. Consistency is vital for reaching more people and boosting your online presence through Facebook.

Make a content calendar to organize your Facebook updates, planned content, and contests or giveaways you want to run. Posting on Facebook isn’t just about hitting “Post” — timing matters too, so think about when your audience is most active.

Engage frequently with customers

Facebook favors active users, so if you engage regularly with your personal and business pages, your posts are more likely to appear in your followers’ news feeds. Interacting with your audience boosts your visibility on Facebook and strengthens your relationship with your followers and customers.

Avoid using tactics solely to garner comments, tags, and likes, as Facebook now penalizes such behavior. Instead, spark discussions by asking questions and initiating debates relevant to your brand, but avoid being overly controversial.

Encourage user-generated content

User-generated content (UGC) makes your marketing more genuine and trustworthy. Ask your audience to share their thoughts, reviews, and pictures about your products or services.

Feature UGC on your page and organize contests to motivate your audience to create and share content about what you offer. This showcases happy customers and encourages others to connect with your brand.

Boost a post

Boosting your posts on Facebook can expand their reach to more people, extending beyond your current followers. Facebook ads, including boosted posts, reach over 72% of monthly active users, nearly 40% of the world’s population, considering Facebook’s 3 billion users.

The reach of your boosted post is determined by how you target and how much you spend. To maximize your reach, pinpoint which content performs well and set aside a budget to promote it to a specific audience based on age, interests, and behaviors.

Stay updated on changes

Keep up with Facebook’s algorithm, features, and rules to adjust your marketing plans. Check official announcements and trustworthy sources to stay on top of updates.

Constantly adapt your strategies to make the most of new opportunities and deal with any challenges from platform changes. Keep an eye on analytics to improve your approach and stay competitive.

Conclusion

Excelling in Facebook marketing means you must grasp its complex algorithms and focus on creating captivating, top-notch content. Consistent effort in sharing valuable content that resonates with users is critical for boosting your presence and expanding your reach on the platform.

Moreover, integrating a solid Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system can be immensely helpful in handling customer interactions and enhancing loyalty. With CRM tools, you can monitor customer actions, tailor interactions, and foster lasting connections, which all contribute to refining your social marketing approach.

References

McDonald, J. (2022, July 4). Social Media Marketing Workbook: How to Use Social Media for Business.

Overview

Companies must match their internal culture with their brand to succeed in today’s market. It’s crucial to link how a company works and how it portrays itself to establish a strong identity, attract loyal customers, and recruit the best talent.

This article, inspired by Ben Horowitz’s book “What You Do Is Who You Are,” offers a guide for businesses to connect their actions and brand identity. It emphasizes the significance of organizational culture in shaping a brand’s image.

Understanding company culture

Company culture is more than just a trendy term – it’s the living essence of your business. It encompasses all aspects that shape your company’s character, extending well beyond office perks such as casual Fridays or holiday parties.

At its peak, company culture is the invisible force that unites your team, shaping the daily narratives of your employees and playing a pivotal role in your business. The critical components of company culture include values and beliefs, behaviors and norms, and mission and vision.

Values and beliefs

These are the fundamental principles or standards that guide the decision-making and actions of individuals within the organization. Values represent what the company stands for and what is important to its success.

These are the convictions or accepted truths that individuals in the organization hold. Beliefs shape the attitudes and perspectives of employees. 

Behaviors and norms

People’s actions in a company are their behaviors. The company culture shapes employees’ interactions, decisions, and jobs. 

Unwritten rules and expectations are called norms, like how to communicate, dress, and work hours. These norms affect the general work environment and how well everyone works together.

Mission and vision

The mission states why the organization exists and what it aims to achieve. It outlines the core objectives and values, giving the company a clear direction.

Vision describes the organization’s future goals and aspirations to achieve long-term. It sets the strategic direction for the company, guiding its path toward success.

The benefits of aligning company culture and branding

Consistent brand messaging

When a company’s culture aligns with its brand, everything it does, from actions to communication and decisions, stays consistent with its values and promises. 

Consistency builds customer trust and loyalty because they can predict what to expect. It also helps the company stand out from competitors, creating a distinctive and memorable brand experience.

Better brand authenticity

When a company’s culture matches its brand, it shows that it is genuine and keeps its promises. Being in sync boosts the company’s reputation, keeps customers loyal, and helps the business grow.

In a post-pandemic study by Stackla, 88% of customers say authenticity heavily impacts brand choices. So, connecting your company’s culture with its brand identity can make customers see your brand more positively. 

Builds employee engagement

A company’s culture should mirror its brand, making it easy for employees to understand its mission, values, and vision. This alignment creates a strong sense of purpose and belonging, boosting productivity and creating a positive workplace atmosphere.

Employees who embrace a brand’s values are more motivated to contribute to its success. Engaged workforces in companies lead to significantly higher profitability, specifically a 21% increase.

Improved recruitment and retention

Consistent and authentic alignment between culture and branding attracts like-minded individuals who identify with the company’s values. The recruitment process can highlight the organization’s unique culture and values, making it more likely to attract candidates who are a good fit. 

Additionally, employees who genuinely connect with the brand are likelier to stick around, improving retention rates. In companies with a hostile culture, 90% of employees have considered quitting, while only 32% have in those with a positive culture.

How you can implement company culture into your branding

1. Set guidelines that enforce culture

Create straightforward guidelines that clearly express your company’s culture, including its values, beliefs, and norms. These guidelines will act as a compass for all employees.

Consistently communicate these guidelines throughout the organization, from top management to new hires. Use channels like handbooks, orientation sessions, and regular updates to reinforce these principles.

2. Develop virtues

Define virtues or behaviors that reflect your company’s culture based on the guidelines provided. These should shape how employees, customers, and stakeholders engage with each other. 

For instance, if prioritizing customers is critical, focus on fostering empathy among staff. Encourage employees to practice these virtues regularly and acknowledge and incentivize actions demonstrating them. 

3. Include employees and empower them

Your employees play a vital role in shaping your company’s culture and branding. Encourage them to represent your culture inside and outside the organization by giving them the tools, resources, and training they need to understand and embrace your company’s values.

Using employee stories and testimonials in your branding makes your company more relatable and strengthens its bond with customers. Also, involve employees in decision-making and ask for their input on culture and branding matters.

4. Never stop improving

Culture changes, and so should your branding. Ensure your branding keeps up with shifts in your company culture and the wider business environment. 

Ask for employee, customer, and stakeholder feedback to see if your branding matches your culture and connects with your audience. Keep refining your branding strategies to stay faithful, current, and impactful in communicating your company’s culture.

Challenges and solutions of aligning culture and branding

Maintaining consistency

Maintaining a consistent brand culture across different platforms and throughout time is challenging but vital. Every aspect of a business should consistently reflect the brand’s culture.

ERP software can help keep brand culture consistent as they are flexible, allowing organizations to adjust them to fit their unique cultural needs. With customizable interfaces, workflows, and terminology, companies can ensure their brand’s culture is embedded in every aspect of their operations.

Scaling culture

Preserving a company’s culture as it grows can be challenging. Rapid expansion and changes can water down the values that initially made the brand unique. 

To address this, develop scalable strategies that can evolve with the company. Invest in comprehensive onboarding and training, establish clear cultural guidelines for new hires, and empower employees to embody the company’s values.

Maintaining internal and external perceptions

Employees might see the company one way, while customers see it differently. This difference can make the brand seem less genuine and reliable. 

To fix this, encourage open communication among employees and make sure they understand the company’s culture. Also, talk to customers to see how they view the brand and adjust as needed to match internal and external perspectives.

Leadership commitment 

It’s essential for leaders to fully understand the significance of integrating culture into branding to overcome hurdles. Without their commitment, efforts to establish a cohesive organizational culture may fail, leaving employees feeling disconnected.

Leaders must set an example, invest in initiatives, hold themselves and others accountable, and be adaptable. Strong leadership is crucial to a culture that reinforces the brand, engages employees, and secures long-term success.

Conclusion

Your company’s culture shines through in every brand interaction with customers. Integrating culture into branding is essential for building a unique and genuine brand identity that stands out from competitors.

One effective way to maintain consistency is by using tools like ERP software. By setting up the ERP system to reflect your organization’s values, you can embed those values into all aspects of operations, from finance and HR to supply chain and customer management.

References

Horowitz, B. (2019). What you do is who you are: How to Create Your Business Culture. HarperBusiness.