{"id":123212,"date":"2019-04-10T13:54:51","date_gmt":"2019-04-10T12:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/?p=123212"},"modified":"2022-04-01T08:32:26","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T08:32:26","slug":"what-is-social-media-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"What is social media marketing: the ultimate guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column] <\/p><div class=\"flexi-comp-lw\">\n <div class=\"flexi-comp-lw-text\">\n <p>Startups.co.uk is reader supported &ndash; we may earn a commission from our recommendations, at no extra cost to you and without impacting our editorial impartiality.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n[vc_column_text hash_url=&rdquo;https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/#&rdquo; title_type=&rdquo;h1&Prime;]<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Social media has become an important part of everyday life. Not only do people use it to connect with friends and family, but it&rsquo;s also a way of interacting with brands. This means there are opportunities for businesses of all sizes to use social media as part of their marketing strategy.<\/span>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But what is social media marketing? How does it work? Is it essential for your business? Should you hire an agency, or can you do it yourself? And what are the costs involved?&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you&rsquo;re wondering &lsquo;why use social media for business?&rsquo;, we&rsquo;ll provide the information you need to know. This includes a social media marketing definition, along with a look at some of the main social media marketing platforms and top agencies out there. We&rsquo;ll look at the reasons to run your own social media campaigns (and how to do it), as well as why you might want to hire an agency. Plus, we&rsquo;ll provide real-life insight and experiences from other small business owners and experts.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<\/p><div class=\"jumplinks-content\">\n <h3 class=\"jumplinks-content-title\">\n In this article, we&rsquo;ll cover: <\/h3>\n <ul class=\"jumplinks-content-list\">\n <li class=\"jumplinks-content-item\">\n <a class=\"jumplinks-content-link jumplink-anchor\" href=\"#link-what-is-social-media-marketing\">What is social media marketing?<\/a>\n <\/li>\n <li class=\"jumplinks-content-item\">\n <a class=\"jumplinks-content-link jumplink-anchor\" href=\"#link-what-are-the-benefits-of-social-media-marketing-for-small-businesses\">What are the benefits of social media marketing for small businesses?<\/a>\n <\/li>\n <li class=\"jumplinks-content-item\">\n <a class=\"jumplinks-content-link jumplink-anchor\" href=\"#link-types-of-social-media-marketing\">Types of social media marketing<\/a>\n <\/li>\n <li class=\"jumplinks-content-item\">\n <a class=\"jumplinks-content-link jumplink-anchor\" href=\"#link-examples-of-winning-social-media-campaigns\">Examples of winning social media campaigns<\/a>\n <\/li>\n <li class=\"jumplinks-content-item\">\n <a class=\"jumplinks-content-link jumplink-anchor\" href=\"#link-best-social-media-marketing-companies\">Best social media marketing companies<\/a>\n <\/li>\n <li class=\"jumplinks-content-item\">\n <a class=\"jumplinks-content-link jumplink-anchor\" href=\"#link-as-a-small-business-should-you-do-social-media-marketing-yourself-or-hire-an-agency\">As a small business, should you do social media marketing yourself, or hire an agency?<\/a>\n <\/li>\n <li class=\"jumplinks-content-item\">\n <a class=\"jumplinks-content-link jumplink-anchor\" href=\"#link-what-can-a-social-media-agency-do-that-i-cant\">What can a social media agency do that I can&rsquo;t?<\/a>\n <\/li>\n <li class=\"jumplinks-content-item\">\n <a class=\"jumplinks-content-link jumplink-anchor\" href=\"#link-how-to-run-a-successful-social-media-marketing-campaign-yourself\">How to run a successful social media marketing campaign yourself<\/a>\n <\/li>\n <li class=\"jumplinks-content-item\">\n <a class=\"jumplinks-content-link jumplink-anchor\" href=\"#link-what-are-the-costs-involved-with-social-media-marketing\">What are the costs involved with social media marketing?<\/a>\n <\/li>\n <li class=\"jumplinks-content-item\">\n <a class=\"jumplinks-content-link jumplink-anchor\" href=\"#link-how-social-media-marketing-helped-my-small-business\">How social media marketing helped my small business<\/a>\n <\/li>\n <li class=\"jumplinks-content-item\">\n <a class=\"jumplinks-content-link jumplink-anchor\" href=\"#link-next-steps-compare-digital-marketing-agencies\">Next steps: Compare digital marketing agencies<\/a>\n <\/li>\n <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text hash_url=&rdquo;https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/#&rdquo; title_type=&rdquo;h1&Prime;]<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can go straight to the section that you most want to learn about by clicking the relevant link above. Or, read the whole article for a more detailed insight into social media marketing for small businesses.<\/span>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Alternatively, if you&rsquo;re wondering &lsquo;how can I compare quotes for social media management?&rsquo;, then simply complete the <\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">form<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> at the top of the page &ndash; it&rsquo;s quick, easy, and free.<\/span><\/i>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<\/p><div class=\"jumplink-anchor-section\">\n <div class=\"jumplink-anchor-pointer\" id=\"link-what-is-social-media-marketing\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n[vc_column_text show_in_index=&rdquo;true&rdquo; title_index=&rdquo;What is social media marketing?&rdquo; hash_url=&rdquo;https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/#what-is-social-media-marketing?&rdquo; title_type=&rdquo;h2&Prime; title=&rdquo;What is social media marketing?&rdquo;]\n<h2>What is social media marketing?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Social media marketing uses social media networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and now <a href=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/tiktok-for-business\/\">TikTok<\/a> and Threads&nbsp;to interact and connect with customers and communities. This can be done through images, text, videos, or a combination of all three, and can also be done either organically or through paid-for campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Social media marketing can take different forms, depending on the platform and medium used. Although content is often at the core of social media marketing, its scope also extends to analysis, engagement, and advertising.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What is a social media marketing strategy?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this section, we&rsquo;ll discuss what a social media strategy may look like, and show you how to create one for your business with our quick step-by-step guide.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What is social media marketing: A definition<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Social media marketing (SMM) is a way of using social media platforms to market to your customers on the internet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Marketing can be text, image, or video based, or a combination of the three. It could be organic, where customers find your business, or paid, where you pay to be put in the feeds of your target market. You&rsquo;re likely to begin focusing on the former, but in time, you may want to consider running promoted posts or paid advertising for your business on social media.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">An SMM strategy should take into account the differences between the platforms on offer. For example, Instagram is primarily visual, Twitter is text-based, while Facebook offers multiple options for sharing content.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whether your business is completely new to using social media in this way, or it&rsquo;s already active on some sites and you&rsquo;re looking to increase your activity, it&rsquo;s important to have a plan (the strategy) to guide you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is likely to include setting goals for social media overall, and may also include specific aims for each platform, too. It may be helpful to consider goals that are SMART &ndash; specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Examples of social media marketing goals include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Raise brand awareness<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Connect with target audience<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Direct selling<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gain traffic (i.e. visits to your site or social pages)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Create new leads<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Provide customer support<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How to create a social media marketing strategy<\/span><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Define why your business is using social media<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Understand your target audience<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Consider key metrics<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Conduct competitor analysis<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Create, schedule, and publish content<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Review activity on an ongoing basis<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Note that this brief guide works on the basis that you&rsquo;ve already set up your social media accounts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For more detailed information on managing social media accounts, read our article on the <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tools\/best-social-media-management-tools\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">best social media management tools<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/i>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<\/p><div class=\"jumplink-anchor-section\">\n <div class=\"jumplink-anchor-pointer\" id=\"link-what-are-the-benefits-of-social-media-marketing-for-small-businesses\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n[vc_column_text show_in_index=&rdquo;true&rdquo; title_index=&rdquo;What are the benefits of social media marketing for small businesses?&rdquo; hash_url=&rdquo;https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/#what-are-the-benefits-of-social-media-marketing-for-small-businesses?&rdquo; title_type=&rdquo;h2&Prime; title=&rdquo;What are the benefits of social media marketing for small businesses?&rdquo;]\n<h2>What are the benefits of social media marketing for small businesses?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this section, we outline some of the key benefits of promoting your business using social media marketing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Anytime availability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you&rsquo;re running a small business, it&rsquo;s unlikely you&rsquo;ll be following a standard 9-5 work pattern &ndash; especially in the early days.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Whether you need to answer a customer query at the weekend, or launch a new product or service in the evening, social media lets you connect with your community immediately, at a time that suits everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Low-cost service<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you opt to run your social media marketing activity yourself, then joining and sharing on the platforms is essentially free. While you may consider paid content eventually, in the beginning, the free tools available are likely to be sufficient &ndash; making social media marketing ideal for budget-conscious startups. Although you might not have to pay for the service, remember that <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">using it will take up a considerable chunk of your time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Improve organic search results<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the factors that search engines take into account when ranking sites is social media activity. As a result, sharing and tweeting can help you boost your business by moving your <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">website<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> higher up the rankings, helping more people to find you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Community engagement<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">By using social media, you can<a href=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/customer-service-startup-business-functions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong> market directly to your customers<\/strong> <\/a>on the platforms and channels that they are already using. Not only does this open up more opportunities for potential sales, but it also allows you to engage with your customers, too. As a small business, this lets your customers interact with you or your team on a more personal level.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Business networking<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Social media marketing can also be beneficial for linking you with other startups in your sector. Whether it&rsquo;s building your list of contacts or pitching collaborations, social media can be used to help you connect with other business owners, too.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<\/p><div class=\"jumplink-anchor-section\">\n <div class=\"jumplink-anchor-pointer\" id=\"link-types-of-social-media-marketing\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n[vc_column_text show_in_index=&rdquo;true&rdquo; title_index=&rdquo;Types of social media marketing&rdquo; hash_url=&rdquo;&rdquo; title_type=&rdquo;h2&Prime; title=&rdquo;Types of social media marketing&rdquo;]\n<h2>Types of social media marketing<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here, we profile some of the main types of social media marketing, looking at the key platforms and how your small business could best use them.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Facebook<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Founded in 2004, Facebook has grown to become one of the internet&rsquo;s most enduringly popular social media platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Facebook allows you to create a specific Facebook for Business profile, which you can use to interact with your customers. Facebook offers users the opportunity to post and share text, image and video content. Features like the instant messaging function (for customer support) and the ability to create ads (for promoting products) are particularly useful for businesses.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Small businesses that receive a lot of incoming queries which need to be responded to quickly could find Facebook an ideal platform to use, while the advertising features are ideal for targeting ads at specific user groups.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to data published by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/553538\/predicted-number-of-facebook-users-in-the-united-kingdom-uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Statista<\/a>, approximately 44% of the online population in the UK use Facebook more than once a day. This shows how extensive Facebook&rsquo;s reach is, and suggests a varied audience.<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Learn more about <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/use-facebook-business\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">how to use Facebook for business<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Twitter<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>With <a href=\"https:\/\/business.twitter.com\/en.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">more than 500 million tweets sent each day<\/a>, Twitter is an ideal platform for businesses looking to connect with more people. Plus, with its focus on discovery, it offers the opportunity to reach new audiences.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On Twitter, it&rsquo;s possible to promote Tweets and run ads, allowing you to boost the reach of your 280 character messages. Twitter is primarily word-based, with its #hashtags and direct messages &ndash; essentially, it&rsquo;s all about building a conversation with your customers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Therefore, Twitter could be ideal for small businesses with lots of articles and written content to share. As it&rsquo;s word-based, it&rsquo;s also ideal for managing customer service enquiries.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Plus, with the UK being the third most popular country for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/242606\/number-of-active-twitter-users-in-selected-countries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Twitter use<\/a> (with 14.1 million users), it&rsquo;s possible to reach a significant section of society.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Discover more <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/twitter-for-business\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Twitter for business tips here<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Instagram<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you&rsquo;re looking to connect with your customers through images, then highly visual Instagram is the social media platform for your business. <a href=\"https:\/\/business.instagram.com\/?locale=en_GB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">80% of accounts follow a business on Instagram<\/a>, and the platform can be used to inspire customers to make purchases.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now offering video in addition to still images, Instagram offers businesses the opportunity to promote products, as well as interact with their communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And with a dedicated Instagram business account, you can benefit from additional features like contact details and call to action buttons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The largest proportion&nbsp; of Instagram users globally are in the 18-24 and 25-34 years old age brackets, suggesting the platform is particularly suitable for <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">businesses wanting to target a younger demographic<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pinterest<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Another highly visual platform, Pinterest allows its users to create and curate boards of their favourite inspirational images.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whether your company offers luxury holidays or budget interiors, <a href=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/pinterest-for-business\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Pinterest offers the opportunity for businesses<\/strong><\/a> to get their products in front of customers who are looking to make decisions. Your business can also share content that it itself finds inspirational.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Promoted pins and buyable pins are a way of targeting more customers as well, with the latter allowing users to make purchases directly within Pinterest &ndash; a quick and easy experience for them, and a prime commercial opportunity for businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With the opportunity to buy and sell within the platform, Pinterest could be a perfect match for an ecommerce business.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Also of note: <a href=\"https:\/\/weareflint.co.uk\/main-findings-social-media-demographics-uk-usa-2018\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">We are Flint<\/a>, a creative communications consultancy, found that for Pinterest in the UK in 2018, from the online adult users aged 18+ who were surveyed, 45% were female and 27% were male.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Visit our dedicated page on <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/how-to-use-pinterest-for-business\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pinterest for business<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LinkedIn<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It&rsquo;s likely that you&rsquo;re already familiar with LinkedIn &ndash; after all, it&rsquo;s known as the social media site for professional profiles.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, it&rsquo;s also a place to promote your business through its Company pages, while its dedicated service for small businesses, Open for Business, allows users to find your business services.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/linkedin-business-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>LinkedIn can be used to share content, find talent, and build a community.<\/strong> <\/a>You can post articles and contribute to groups, as well as advertise job opportunities and connect team members.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Branding itself as &ldquo;the world&rsquo;s largest professional network&rdquo;, LinkedIn boasts 645+ million users globally, in 200+ locations.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">YouTube<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whether you decide to create your own content or run an ad, YouTube is the place to be for businesses wanting to use video marketing. It allows users to create video content that can be accessed by a worldwide audience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For example, you could use YouTube to create informative how-to videos, or videos that raise brand awareness by taking a look &lsquo;behind-the-scenes&rsquo; of your startup on a day-to-day basis.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You could also use the platform to showcase what happens during your production processes, while YouTube&rsquo;s live function allows for &lsquo;in-the-moment&rsquo; connection.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Video content is becoming an increasingly popular form of marketing, and YouTube is one of the most well-known social media platforms dedicated to the moving image.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Plus, YouTube has an almost equal number of male and female users (78% of men and 80% of women, respectively) and a high percentage of users across multiple age brackets, according to We are Flint. From these findings, it seems YouTube offers access to an expansive, diverse audience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can read our <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/how-to-use-youtube-for-business\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">YouTube for business<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> article for more information.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What is social media influencer marketing?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You may have heard of influencers &ndash; people who are highly active and influential on social media, often due to the number of followers they have and the levels of engagement within the communities they&rsquo;ve created.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some companies use these <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/business-ideas\/instapreneur\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Instapreneurs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and other <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">social media influencers<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as a way to reach out to the customers they want to connect with. This could be through sponsored posts, or more developed partnerships.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<\/p><div class=\"jumplink-anchor-section\">\n <div class=\"jumplink-anchor-pointer\" id=\"link-examples-of-winning-social-media-campaigns\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n[vc_column_text show_in_index=&rdquo;true&rdquo; title_index=&rdquo;Examples of winning social media campaigns&rdquo; hash_url=&rdquo;https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/#examples-of-winning-social-media-campaigns&rdquo; title_type=&rdquo;h2&Prime; title=&rdquo;Examples of winning social media campaigns&rdquo;]\n<h2>Examples of winning social media campaigns<\/h2>\n<p><strong><em>Emma Watson, founder at Little Hotdog Watson, provides the following example of a winning social media campaign, saying:<\/em><\/strong> &ldquo;<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For AW19 (winter hat collection) we launched a fully digital campaign on social media and we went after the video aspect. This was something we hadn&rsquo;t done previously but I was aware how big video marketing had become and so wanted to bring video and consumer marketing together.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Watson describes the campaign process, commenting: &ldquo;<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This season we planned the campaign in two ways: 1. the actual campaign and 2. the filming of the campaign (&lsquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=iZsEQkDdzHA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Behind the Seams<\/a>&lsquo;). Everything we did for the campaign we filmed and showed snippets on social media and talked about the campaign up until launch when we then launched the actual campaign video called &lsquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1EaYKsW7xIc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Born to Wander<\/a>&rsquo;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&ldquo;For the campaign itself, we used social media to find children to take part, asking parents to tag themselves or friends in. We worked with Micro-Scooter and Start-rite providing props for the campaign shoot so that they would also share the video at launch. On top of this, we had 12 children and parents take part who shared the campaign on launch day.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&ldquo;We shared the campaign across all social media (Instagram\/Stories, Facebook and Pinterest) and we also ran lives on Facebook and Instagram to show the collection. The following day, we ran a competition with Micro Scooter and Start-Rite to give away items in the campaign video. We continue to use the campaign, edited and shot in different ways, to create new content for social media.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Watson discusses the impact of the campaign, stating: &ldquo;<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The campaign was received extremely well &ndash; it got great feedback, shares and, most importantly, sales. With social media it is always challenging to understand the full impact of a campaign without the sophisticated analytics of a bigger business but considering it was a small budget launch, we are very pleased.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Megan Proctor, Paid Social Media Manager at OTTY Sleep, says:<\/em><\/strong> &ldquo;<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Due to our smaller marketing budget, we haven&rsquo;t done any huge campaigns per se, but we <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">do successfully jump on the back of awareness days. The most recent campaign was <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&ldquo;Sleeptember&rdquo;, which saw the company promote the benefits of a good night&rsquo;s sleep <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">throughout the month of September.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Proctor offers the following description of the campaign process: &ldquo;<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The campaigns are always a collaborative effort between the entire marketing team. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Activity included the creation of specially-designed ads for both our paid and organic social <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">media channels, which were strategically scheduled throughout the month, and the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">publishing of blog content, which again was used through our organic platforms.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>And on the impact of the campaign, Proctor comments: &ldquo;<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">September is already a relatively busy period in the mattress market, so we aimed to profit <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">from this bump in custom. Sharing sleep tips and promoting the benefits of the &ldquo;full OTTY experience&rdquo; saw an improvement in campaign engagement, click-through rates and ROAS <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">when compared to last year&rsquo;s figures.&rdquo;<\/span>[\/vc_column_text]<\/p><div class=\"jumplink-anchor-section\">\n <div class=\"jumplink-anchor-pointer\" id=\"link-best-social-media-marketing-companies\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n[vc_column_text show_in_index=&rdquo;true&rdquo; title_index=&rdquo;Best social media marketing companies&rdquo; hash_url=&rdquo;https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/#best-social-media-marketing-companies&rdquo; title_type=&rdquo;h2&Prime; title=&rdquo;Best social media marketing companies&rdquo;]\n<h2>Best social media marketing companies<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here we&rsquo;ve identified three of the best social media marketing companies that could help your startup, depending on your business requirements.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1. Spin Brands: Best for understanding startups<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Here we&rsquo;ve identified three of the best social media marketing companies that could help your startup, depending on your business requirements.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to the company&rsquo;s website, Spin Brands is the #1 ranked social media agency in the UK. Listed in the Clutch 2019 Top Social Media Marketing Companies (an industry respected buying guide), Spin Brands can offer businesses a range of services.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Spin can assist with both organic and paid social marketing, as well as ambassador campaigns. Plus, it has an in-house design team that can cater to your business&rsquo; creative requirements.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Founded in 2016, Spin is a startup itself, so it understands what it&rsquo;s like to be a new and small business. Spin was even ranked at number 73 on the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/startups-100\/2018\/73-spin-brands\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Startups 100<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 2018 index!<\/span><\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-243\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-243\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\"><strong>Pros<\/strong><\/th><th class=\"column-2\"><strong>Cons<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">- Spin Brands is a startup itself, so it understands your needs <br>\n- Clear pricing<br>\n- Range of expertise<br>\n<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">- Organic and paid social media marketing are offered as separate packages<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As Spin is only three years into its journey, the company is an ideal choice for startups wanting to work with another small business. This makes <\/span><b>Spin Brands the<\/b> <b>best for understanding startups<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With its focus on scalability, the company is well suited for small businesses that are looking for flexibility, both in terms of approach and pricing structure.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Spin offers the following four packages for organic social media:<\/span><\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-244\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-244\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\"><strong>Package<\/strong><\/th><th class=\"column-2\"><strong>Service<\/strong><\/th><th class=\"column-3\"><strong>Price<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Post and Grow<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">- Monthly reporting<br>\n- Standard content<br>\n- Dedicated account manager<br>\n- Instagram and Twitter growth<br>\n<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Starting from &pound;600 per month, or &pound;250 per channel per month (monthly or per channel pricing options)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Step On the Gas<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">The above, plus:<br>\n<br>\n-Boosted content<br>\n- Optional content approval<br>\n- Audience analysis<br>\n- Two Instagram stories and two social assets per week<br>\n<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Starting from &pound;1,000 per month, or &pound;400 per channel per month (monthly or per channel pricing options)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Lift Off<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">The above, plus:<br>\n<br>\n- Two more social assets (so four per week)<br>\n- Animation<br>\n- Facebook growth<br>\n<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Starting from &pound;1,750 per month<br>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Orbit<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Unique services with this package include:<br>\n<br>\n- Weekly creative concepts<br>\n- Daily content on all channels<br>\n- Extended creative time<br>\n<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Starting from &pound;2,500 per month<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2. The Good Marketer: Best for paid social media advertising<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Good Marketer offers assorted digital advertising services, as well as social media management and email and content marketing. The services on offer include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pay-per-click<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Advertising on Google, Facebook, and Instagram<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Search engine optimisation (<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">SEO<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Social media management<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Email and content marketing<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-245\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-245\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\"><strong>Pros<\/strong><\/th><th class=\"column-2\"><strong>Cons<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">- Paid social option<br>\n- Transparent pricing<br>\n- Small business that launched in 2017<br>\n<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">- Advertising is only on Google, Facebook, and Instagram<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With the ability to create paid content across Google, Facebook, and Instagram, we think that <\/span><b>The Good Marketer is the<\/b> <b>best for paid social media advertising<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Good Marketer could be especially suited to startups that are looking to grow beyond organic social media and develop a paid ad strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It offers the following pricing structure:<\/span><\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-246\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-246\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\">Package<\/th><th class=\"column-2\">Service<\/th><th class=\"column-3\">Price per month (excludes VAT)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Starter<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">10 hours minimum per month<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">&pound;400<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Advanced<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">15 hours minimum per month<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">&pound;550<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Elite<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">25 hours minimum per month<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">&pound;875<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Ultimate<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">75 hours minimum per month<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">&pound;2,500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Note that hours can be used on any marketing activity, and that the packages exclude advertising spend. For more details, you can review the packages <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegoodmarketer.co.uk\/packages\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">here<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">3. Yell: Best for affordability<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Building on the success of its former life as the Yellow Pages, Yell.com claims to be the UK&rsquo;s leading online business directory. It also offers a range of digital marketing services, including:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Google ads<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Facebook ads<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Website and video services<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reputation manager (for accurate online details)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-247\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-247\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\"><strong>Pros<\/strong><\/th><th class=\"column-2\"><strong>Cons<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">- Affordable<br>\n- Starter pack offers a taster of services<br>\n- Easy to understand services and prices<br>\n- Trusted brand<br>\n<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">- Social advertising only offered on Facebook<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With its starter pack option and low-cost services, <\/span><b>Yell is the best for affordability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Startups that are looking to test out digital marketing services, as well as those that want to expand their online presence more generally, may be particularly suited to Yell&rsquo;s services.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">These services are available at the following price points:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\n<\/p><table id=\"tablepress-248\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-248\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\"><strong>Package<\/strong><\/th><th class=\"column-2\"><strong>Service<\/strong><\/th><th class=\"column-3\"><strong>Price per month<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Starter Pack<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">- Yell.com listing<br>\n- 5-page website<br>\n- Reputation manager (accurate online details)<br>\n<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">&pound;30 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Presence<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">- Website design and management<br>\n- Video<br>\n- Reputation manager<br>\n<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Starting from &pound;60<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Promotion<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">- Sponsored Yell.com listing<br>\n- Managed Facebook advertising campaign<br>\n- PPC search results<br>\n- Reputation manager <br>\n- Display advertising<br>\n<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Starting from &pound;56<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Total Marketing<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">- All of the above combined into one package<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Starting from &pound;84<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<div class=\"jumplink-anchor-section\">\n <div class=\"jumplink-anchor-pointer\" id=\"link-as-a-small-business-should-you-do-social-media-marketing-yourself-or-hire-an-agency\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n[vc_column_text show_in_index=&rdquo;true&rdquo; title_index=&rdquo;As a small business, should you do social media marketing yourself, or hire an agency?&rdquo; hash_url=&rdquo;https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/#as-a-small-business,-should-you-do-social-media-marketing-yourself,-or-hire-an-agency?&rdquo; title_type=&rdquo;h2&Prime; title=&rdquo;As a small business, should you do social media marketing yourself, or hire an agency?&rdquo;]\n<h2>As a small business, should you do social media marketing yourself, or hire an agency?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this section, we look at what you might be able to do on your own in terms of social media marketing, and what you might need help with. We&rsquo;ll look at the benefits of each approach, as well as the associated costs.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Benefits of in-house management<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Retain control of your social media content<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Real-life understanding of your brand, audience, and tone of voice<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Save money<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Develop your skills<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Benefits of outsourcing<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dedicated time spent on social media<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Technical knowledge<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fresh perspective<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Results focused<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Access to varied expertise<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ability to scale<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Understand the industry<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Varied prices and packages often available<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<\/p><div class=\"jumplink-anchor-section\">\n <div class=\"jumplink-anchor-pointer\" id=\"link-what-can-a-social-media-agency-do-that-i-cant\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n[vc_column_text show_in_index=&rdquo;true&rdquo; title_index=&rdquo;What can a social media agency do that I can&rsquo;t?&rdquo; hash_url=&rdquo;https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/#what-can-a-social-media-agency-do-that-i-can&rsquo;t?&rdquo; title_type=&rdquo;h2&Prime; title=&rdquo;What can a social media agency do that I can&rsquo;t?&rdquo;]\n<h2>What can a social media agency do that I can&rsquo;t?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If it&rsquo;s possible to oversee your own social media marketing, then you may wonder what a social media agency can do that you may not be able to. In this section, we offer a guide to some of the key benefits of using an agency.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Industry expertise<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &ndash; social media agencies have sector-specific knowledge and experience that will be available to you. Just like how you may know your product or service inside out, agencies specialise in social media marketing too, and know what works &ndash; and what doesn&rsquo;t &ndash; on various platforms<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Different perspective<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &ndash; with all this experience and knowledge, social media marketing agencies can offer a new way of perceiving and promoting your business, with the potential for fresh ideas and renewed creativity<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Budget management<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &ndash; agencies will usually have measures in place to track expenditure and resources dedicated to each campaign, so your budget can be put to best use<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Scalable teams<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &ndash; as your business grows and develops, it&rsquo;s likely that the resources you&rsquo;ll need to put into your social media marketing activity will as well. Hiring an agency gives you the flexibility to develop campaigns as needed<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&lsquo;I&rsquo;m interested in using an agency for my startup&rsquo;s social media management.&rsquo; <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fill in the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">form<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> at the top of the page to compare quotes now.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<\/p><div class=\"jumplink-anchor-section\">\n <div class=\"jumplink-anchor-pointer\" id=\"link-how-to-run-a-successful-social-media-marketing-campaign-yourself\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n[vc_column_text show_in_index=&rdquo;true&rdquo; title_index=&rdquo;How to run a successful social media marketing campaign yourself&rdquo; hash_url=&rdquo;https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/#how-to-run-a-successful-social-media-marketing-campaign-yourself&rdquo; title_type=&rdquo;h2&Prime; title=&rdquo;How to run a successful social media marketing campaign yourself&rdquo;]\n<h2>How to run a successful social media marketing campaign yourself<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here, we profile the key steps you should take if you decide to run your own social media marketing campaign:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>1. Set goals<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before you get started on your campaign, it&rsquo;s important to think about why you&rsquo;re running it. Some common reasons for marketing on social media include to improve search result rankings, increase engagement, or <a href=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/5-steps-secure-startup-capital-pr\/\"><strong>raise brand awareness<\/strong><\/a>. A campaign may also be driven by a seasonal event, like <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Christmas<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or Halloween.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Similarly, you&rsquo;ll need to consider the channels that the campaign will focus on, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook &ndash; these platforms all have different uses and purposes, and in turn attract a different type of audience.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2. Identify your audience<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But who is your audience? If you&rsquo;re already established, it might be existing customers or users. And if you do have an audience already, you can <\/span><b>analyse trends<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to highlight areas that you want to work on.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Alternatively, if you&rsquo;re yet to launch &ndash; or want to attract a new audience &ndash; you can <\/span><b>create personas<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of a typical user to help you refine your campaign.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Consider a <\/span><b>collaboration with social media influencers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, as they can help you to build a community or reach new people through their networks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once you know who you want to target, step into their shoes, and think about what they would type into search engines to find your business. This is called <\/span><b>keyword research<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and it&rsquo;ll help you to identify the best search terms to target and include in your campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">3. Confirm the budget<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How much money you&rsquo;ll need to allocate for your campaign will depend on a number of factors. If you&rsquo;re focused on organic social media, then this is essentially free. However, be sure to take into account the time you&rsquo;ll need to spend on a campaign, as well as any tools or software you may need.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you want to include paid content in your campaign, then you&rsquo;ll need to budget for the cost of running ads, too. If you choose to hire a professional photographer or copywriter for certain aspects, then consider the costs of these as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4. Consider content requirements<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Content is one of the most important elements of a social media campaign. Therefore, think about the content that you intend to use, and how will it be created.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You could make it yourself, opt to hire a professional content creator, or select stand-out user generated content if your business already has a social following.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5. Run the campaign<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">At this stage, it&rsquo;s time to actually run the campaign! Depending on your goals and your target audience, some of the steps you might take include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Setting up ads on each platform, thinking about the reason for the campaign<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reviewing social media profiles on an ongoing basis<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Creating relevant landing pages so that users can go straight to where they need to be, depending on the action you want them to take<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Offering incentives, such as competitions or discount codes. If you do run such schemes, be sure to understand each platform&rsquo;s rules and regulations for doing so<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Interacting with your community<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are many tools that you can use to help you run a campaign, such as social media scheduling platforms like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tools\/hootsuite-review\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hootsuite<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, or a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">CRM<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> system like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/crm-software\/salesforce-review\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Salesforce<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Email marketing<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In addition to your social media activity, email marketing may also prove to be a useful strategy. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This can be as basic or advanced as you like, depending on how much time you have and whether you opt to do it yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You could set up automated replies (such as thank you messages or acknowledgement emails), as well as newsletters and other forms of emails as part of the campaign.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Plus, emails can be used for remarketing purposes, such as for reminding users who have a pending incomplete transaction.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6. Measure success<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Both during and after a campaign, you should use analytics and other tools to help you understand its performance. How you&rsquo;ll measure success depends on the goals you set initially, such as whether you sought to increase followers or improve sales.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Be sure to maintain any contact made during the campaign after it ends, so you can continue to develop it in future.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<\/p><div class=\"jumplink-anchor-section\">\n <div class=\"jumplink-anchor-pointer\" id=\"link-what-are-the-costs-involved-with-social-media-marketing\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n[vc_column_text show_in_index=&rdquo;true&rdquo; title_index=&rdquo;What are the costs involved with social media marketing?&rdquo; hash_url=&rdquo;https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/#what-are-the-costs-involved-with-social-media-marketing?&rdquo; title_type=&rdquo;h2&Prime; title=&rdquo;What are the costs involved with social media marketing?&rdquo;]\n<h2>What are the costs involved with social media marketing?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here we take a look at some of the main costs associated with social media marketing, both in-house and outsourced.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">DIY social media marketing costs<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While it can effectively cost you nothing to use social media platforms to market your business, there are still some costs to take into consideration. These include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Time<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &ndash; to do your own social media marketing, you&rsquo;ll need to dedicate your time to it, which means moving focus from other areas of your business<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Products and services<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &ndash; if you work with influencers, you&rsquo;ll have to supply them with your product or service so they can promote it. Similarly, if you offer discounts or other incentives as part of a campaign, you&rsquo;ll need to factor these into your finances<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Typical agency costs<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">An agency will often charge on a monthly basis for social media marketing. For this fee, you may receive a set number of hours, or certain services. It may also be possible to pay for marketing on specific channels only.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For very <\/span><b>basic social media marketing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, such as ads on one channel or an optimised listing, it&rsquo;s possible to spend <\/span><b>under &pound;100 per month<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A <\/span><b>standard social media marketing package<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> could cost anywhere <\/span><b>between &pound;250-&pound;600 per month<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. This amount could offer a certain number of hours (e.g. 10-15 hours minimum), or focus on selected channels with enhanced content.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>More complex or detailed social media marketing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is likely to be priced in the region of <\/span><b>&pound;800-&pound;1,000 per month<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. At this price point, you could expect an increased number of hours, as well as more channels and types of content.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For spends of <\/span><b>&pound;2,500+ a month<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, you&rsquo;re likely to receive a <\/span><b>comprehensive social media marketing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> strategy and maintenance, as well as focused attention and extra creative input.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<\/p><div class=\"jumplink-anchor-section\">\n <div class=\"jumplink-anchor-pointer\" id=\"link-how-social-media-marketing-helped-my-small-business\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n[vc_column_text show_in_index=&rdquo;true&rdquo; title_index=&rdquo;How social media marketing helped my small business&rdquo; hash_url=&rdquo;https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/#how-social-media-marketing-helped-my-small-business&rdquo; title_type=&rdquo;h2&Prime; title=&rdquo;How social media marketing helped my small business&rdquo;]\n<h2>How social media marketing helped my small business<\/h2>\n<p><strong><em>Watson details how her business uses social media marketing, saying:<\/em><\/strong> &ldquo;<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Social media is fundamental to my business, Little Hotdog Watson. It grew through a personal Instagram account and then became a business account and we now market mainly across <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/littlehotdogwatson\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Instagram<\/a>, Facebook and Pinterest. Social media has been a largely free way to find customers, as well as to introduce our brand, values and our products (stylish and clever hats for kids). More recently, we have started to use some advertising on social media &ndash; prior to 2019, we had focused on the free element to it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>On how social media is run, Watson comments: &ldquo;<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our social media is all run in-house by me, or in the case of Pinterest, overseen by me. Little Hotdog Watson is a small mum-run business and so I&rsquo;ve kept it in house for two reasons. The first being cost and the second being this is a personal business &ndash; it&rsquo;s important that the customers and I are connected and that&rsquo;s the beauty of social media: feedback in real time that can help shape and grow the business.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&ldquo;I do, however, have support at certain points in the year. We offer a paid placement programme working with universities and each student has a project set at the beginning of their placement, focused on an aspect of social media. This helps bring a new perspective and they learn a helpful skill for their career. In fact, I trained my previous student, Kate, and she has since gone on to set up her own business and run accounts for other people. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kate<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> still runs our Pinterest and is excellent!&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Watson discusses the impact that social media marketing has had on her business: &ldquo;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Social media marketing has had a huge impact on the business. Without social media there wouldn&rsquo;t be a business. It makes it possible for a small business to exist and to find their tribe.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong><em>Proctor talks about how social media marketing is used at OTTY, saying:<\/em><\/strong> &ldquo;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As an online retailer, social media is a key marketing channel for us at OTTY. The most <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">important aspect of this is paid social media marketing, which helps us reach new audiences <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and generate brand awareness, while also retargeting those who have previously expressed <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">an interest in our products.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&ldquo;The importance of paid social media is highlighted by the fact that some of our closest <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">competitors spend very heavily on this marketing channel and use a scattergun approach to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">target anyone and everyone. This is a poor strategy when looking to turn those who are just <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">viewing the advert into actual paying customers, and it&rsquo;s one which negatively impacts the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ROAS (Return on Advertising Spend).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&ldquo;At OTTY, we&rsquo;ve taken a different approach when managing our paid social media activity, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ensuring that we&rsquo;re very particular with the audience types we target. Our audiences have <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">been refined over the years as both our customer database and marketing knowledge <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">increases. This approach has allowed us to achieve a ROAS that is four times better than <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">some of our competitors. We&rsquo;re continuing to further improve this figure, while also <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">increasing our market share.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&ldquo;Also, because we&rsquo;re a consumer-facing brand and social media marketing is multi-<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">dimensional, customers regularly comment on our social media adverts and organic posts. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whether they are asking questions or trying to strike up a conversation and have a laugh <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">with the brand, our team use a chatty, yet professional, tone to help customers feel <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">comfortable talking to team through social media.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Proctor explains how social media is run at OTTY, stating: &ldquo;<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Social media is run solely in-house. Because we&rsquo;re an online retailer, we need to be reactive <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">with all our marketing channels or risk being left behind by the competition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&ldquo;Prior to the start of my employment in early 2019, OTTY worked with an agency, which <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">controlled the company&rsquo;s paid social media marketing channels. However, the higher <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">management at OTTY realised that employing a member of staff to work in-house will allow <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the company to quickly turn content and marketing strategies around, offer more <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">cohesiveness and achieve better work communications, and ultimately decided to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">internalise marketing operations.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>And what impact has social media marketing had on OTTY? Proctor states: &ldquo;<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A huge one. Social media marketing really helped the company get off the ground and level <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the playing field. OTTY products are revolutionary when compared to the other boxed <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">mattresses, but as the company launched with a fraction of the budget of its competitors, it <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">was key to efficiently use social media to ensure the correct messaging was being presented <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">to the right audiences. This helped customers differentiate the OTTY mattress from the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">others, and helped us to get a foothold in an increasingly compacted and competitive <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">market.&rdquo;<\/span>[\/vc_column_text]<\/p><div class=\"jumplink-anchor-section\">\n <div class=\"jumplink-anchor-pointer\" id=\"link-next-steps-compare-digital-marketing-agencies\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n[vc_column_text show_in_index=&rdquo;true&rdquo; title_index=&rdquo;Next steps: Compare digital marketing agencies&rdquo; hash_url=&rdquo;https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/#next-steps:-compare-digital-marketing-agencies&rdquo; title_type=&rdquo;h2&Prime; title=&rdquo;Next steps: Compare digital marketing agencies&rdquo;]\n<h2>Next steps: Compare digital marketing agencies<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">From reading this page, you&rsquo;ve learned more about social media marketing for businesses, as well as the importance of developing a strategy. Additionally, we&rsquo;ve provided an introduction to some of the top social media marketing platforms and agencies, as well as helping you decide if you should run your social media campaign yourself or hire an agency.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Next, read our articles on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/use-facebook-business\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/twitter-for-business\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Twitter <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">for more in-depth information on those platforms in particular. Also, our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tools\/best-social-media-management-tools\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">best social media management tools<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> page can help you find software for managing social media that&rsquo;s most suited to your startup.<\/span><i><\/i>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column] <\/p><div class=\"flexi-comp-lw\">\n <div class=\"flexi-comp-lw-text\">\n <p>Startups.co.uk is reader-supported. If you make a purchase through the links on our site, we may earn a commission from the retailers of the products we have reviewed. This helps Startups.co.uk to provide free reviews for our readers. It has no additional cost to you, and never affects the editorial independence of our reviews.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n[\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text hash_url=&rdquo;https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/#&rdquo; title_type=&rdquo;h1&Prime;]Social media has become an important part of everyday life. Not only do people use it to connect with friends and family, but it&rsquo;s also a way of interacting with brands. This means there are opportunities for businesses of all sizes to use social media as part of their marketing strategy. But what [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91442,"featured_media":123213,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3024,4333],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n<title>What is social media marketing: the ultimate guide - Startups.co.uk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are you a small business owner looking to use social media as part of your marketing strategy? 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Click here to read our guide for the information you need to know\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Startups.co.uk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/startups.co.uk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-04-10T12:54:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-04-01T08:32:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/images.startups.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/09112419\/what-is-social-media-marketing.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"390\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Scarlett Cook\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@startupstowers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@startupstowers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Scarlett Cook\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"25 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Scarlett Cook\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/ab0c03e8a3ccbf5249c4f00bdf9d73b8\"},\"headline\":\"What is social media marketing: the ultimate guide\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-04-10T12:54:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-04-01T08:32:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/\"},\"wordCount\":5980,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/images.startups.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/09112419\/what-is-social-media-marketing.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Marketing and sales\",\"Marketing tips\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2019\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/\",\"name\":\"What is social media marketing: the ultimate guide - Startups.co.uk\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/marketing\/tips\/what-is-social-media-marketing\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/images.startups.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/09112419\/what-is-social-media-marketing.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-04-10T12:54:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-04-01T08:32:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"Are you a small business owner looking to use social media as part of your marketing strategy? 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