Social media marketing (SMM) is a form of digital marketing centered around the use of social media sites. Using social channels as a marketing tool has become ubiquitous and prominent throughout many different types of industries.
Business owners and [entrepreneurs](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-succeed-in-business-5-strategies-for-entrepreneurs) can use social platforms to target audiences in real-time. Mounting marketing campaigns on social media profiles—with the help of digital marketing tools—can help draw in new users and build engagement with current followers in a very personalized way. In the world of contemporary marketing, setting social media goals is another way of saying you’re setting specific [business goals](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/the-ultimate-guide-to-setting-business-goals) and targets.
Content strategy is a key aspect of using social media accounts as marketing channels. Although there are seemingly limitless ways to use content on social channels, here are just three to think about for your own quality content creation purposes:

1. __Influencer marketing__: You can team up with a popular influencer on social media to help advertise your product or service. Many brands will provide an influencer with their goods free of charge in return for the influencer providing an honest review of them to their wide base of social media followers.
2. __Stories__: A social media feature, stories allow individual users to post things for a limited time. Getting people to repost your brand’s content is a contemporary, far-reaching, and technologically sophisticated way of advertising through word of mouth. 
3. __Video content__: With both recorded and live video options now available, video content has perhaps become the supreme way of engaging with people on social media. Think about ways to create catchy and memorable videos that will set your brand apart from the rest.
Social media campaigns should allow you to meet your marketing objectives reliably. Here are four goals you can set as a social media marketer:

1. __Create and curate content__. To stay afloat as a social media marketer, you need to invest time in content creation and curation. Know your audience well. Be ready to do [content marketing](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/content-marketing-guide) day in and day out. This means knowing when to show off your own content and when to highlight someone else’s—perhaps praising your own product, service, or content, too.
2. __Drive traffic__. Since social media users interact with major social media sites so often, using these platforms to direct traffic to your own site can really help boost your overall engagement and sales of new products.
3. __Encourage lead generation__. Potential customers are also potential social media followers. Tailor your social strategy and marketing efforts toward creating social media content people love to share with their friends and family. If their loved ones give you a follow, you’ve just earned the ability to market to them directly, too—without any buffer—for the foreseeable future.
4. __Increase brand awareness__. Your social media presence is where you have a real-time opportunity to define your brand hour by hour, minute by minute, even second by second. Each social media post you put up does more to help acquaint people with your brand’s unique personality.
A lot goes into planning a winning social media marketing strategy. Check out these eight social media marketing tips to help you design one that works for you:

1. __Check social media metrics__. There are a wide array of social media [analytics](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-data-analytics) tools that enable you to gauge things like competitive analysis—how you’re performing in relation to other rival brands—and engagement rate—how, why, when, and which kinds of people are engaging with your content. This sort of “social listening” is one of the main reasons social media has proven to be such an exciting and effective new marketing tool.
2. __Define your target market__. Social media marketing allows you to target your most active users and attempt to grow that base as well. See which demographics you’re appealing to and find out what appeals to them. For example, if you’re marketing to millennials on social media, you should take a different approach than you would if your [target market](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/target-market-guide) were Gen Xers.
3. __Encourage sharing__. By definition, social media is about sharing. Cater your content so that it suggests reposting. Use hashtags when it feels appropriate, but also do your best to create content strong enough that it can stand on its own.
4. __Optimize your content__. Do everything you can to make your content as viral and sticky as possible. Consider which hashtags are trending, as well as the memes and talking points making their way through online discourse. Use [SEO](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/seo-strategy-guide) (search engine optimization) to stay on top of search engine algorithms, too. 
5. __Pick the right platform__. The best social media platform for one type of campaign might not be the best type for another. Keep in mind you can always tailor different content to different apps. Similarly, consider what the ideal format would be for any marketing campaign—video may work better for one idea, while a simple photo ad may suffice for another. You can run totally different social media marketing campaigns suited to each individual social media site for the same product or service.
6. __Think outside the box__. Don’t fall back on templates—in a world of constant engagement from every brand under the sun, you need to find a way to stand out. For instance, instead of running a traditional ad, consider posting a funny video tutorial about how to use your product or service instead.
7. __Use click-through ads__. Seize upon the fact you can use social media advertising to lead directly into an ecommerce experience that gives your users an opportunity to buy, subscribe, or engage with you in some other way.
8. __Utilize management tools__. Social media management tools can help you schedule out your posts and interactions throughout the near future. This way, you’re not scrambling to plan out a strategy moment by moment. You can still be deliberative and methodical even with this seemingly rapidfire style of marketing.
Get the [MasterClass Annual Membership](https://www.masterclass.com/) for exclusive access to video lessons taught by business luminaries, including Sara Blakely, Chris Voss, Robin Roberts, Bob Iger, Howard Schultz, Anna Wintour, and more.
Social media networks allow people to connect in a more exhaustive, up-to-date way than they ever have before. Both large and small businesses can market through social media channels to reach their customer and user base in an unprecedented way. Gain the know-how to implement a successful social media marketing strategy.

Social media networks allow people to connect in a more exhaustive, up-to-date way than they ever have before. Both large and small businesses can market through social media channels to reach their customer and user base in an unprecedented way. Gain the know-how to implement a successful social media marketing strategy.

Social Media Marketing: Objectives of Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing (SMM) is a form of digital marketing centered around the use of social media sites. Using social channels as a marketing tool has become ubiquitous and prominent throughout many different types of industries.

What Is Social Media Marketing?

Business owners and <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-succeed-in-business-5-strategies-for-entrepreneurs' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-succeed-in-business-5-strategies-for-entrepreneurs","linkCopy":"entrepreneurs","category":null}'>entrepreneurs</a> can use social platforms to target audiences in real-time. Mounting marketing campaigns on social media profiles—with the help of digital marketing tools—can help draw in new users and build engagement with current followers in a very personalized way. In the world of contemporary marketing, setting social media goals is another way of saying you’re setting specific <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/the-ultimate-guide-to-setting-business-goals' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/the-ultimate-guide-to-setting-business-goals","linkCopy":"business goals","category":null}'>business goals</a> and targets.

Why Set Social Media Marketing Goals?

Content strategy is a key aspect of using social media accounts as marketing channels. Although there are seemingly limitless ways to use content on social channels, here are just three to think about for your own quality content creation purposes:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Influencer marketing: You can team up with a popular influencer on social media to help advertise your product or service. Many brands will provide an influencer with their goods free of charge in return for the influencer providing an honest review of them to their wide base of social media followers. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Stories: A social media feature, stories allow individual users to post things for a limited time. Getting people to repost your brand’s content is a contemporary, far-reaching, and technologically sophisticated way of advertising through word of mouth. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Video content: With both recorded and live video options now available, video content has perhaps become the supreme way of engaging with people on social media. Think about ways to create catchy and memorable videos that will set your brand apart from the rest. </li></ol>

3 Types of Content for Social Media Marketing

Social media campaigns should allow you to meet your marketing objectives reliably. Here are four goals you can set as a social media marketer:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Create and curate content. To stay afloat as a social media marketer, you need to invest time in content creation and curation. Know your audience well. Be ready to do <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/content-marketing-guide' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/content-marketing-guide","linkCopy":"content marketing","category":null}'>content marketing</a> day in and day out. This means knowing when to show off your own content and when to highlight someone else’s—perhaps praising your own product, service, or content, too. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Drive traffic. Since social media users interact with major social media sites so often, using these platforms to direct traffic to your own site can really help boost your overall engagement and sales of new products. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Encourage lead generation. Potential customers are also potential social media followers. Tailor your social strategy and marketing efforts toward creating social media content people love to share with their friends and family. If their loved ones give you a follow, you’ve just earned the ability to market to them directly, too—without any buffer—for the foreseeable future. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Increase brand awareness. Your social media presence is where you have a real-time opportunity to define your brand hour by hour, minute by minute, even second by second. Each social media post you put up does more to help acquaint people with your brand’s unique personality. </li></ol>

4 Objectives of Social Media Marketing

A lot goes into planning a winning social media marketing strategy. Check out these eight social media marketing tips to help you design one that works for you:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Check social media metrics. There are a wide array of social media <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-data-analytics' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-data-analytics","linkCopy":"analytics","category":null}'>analytics</a> tools that enable you to gauge things like competitive analysis—how you’re performing in relation to other rival brands—and engagement rate—how, why, when, and which kinds of people are engaging with your content. This sort of “social listening” is one of the main reasons social media has proven to be such an exciting and effective new marketing tool. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Define your target market. Social media marketing allows you to target your most active users and attempt to grow that base as well. See which demographics you’re appealing to and find out what appeals to them. For example, if you’re marketing to millennials on social media, you should take a different approach than you would if your <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/target-market-guide' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/target-market-guide","linkCopy":"target market","category":null}'>target market</a> were Gen Xers. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Encourage sharing. By definition, social media is about sharing. Cater your content so that it suggests reposting. Use hashtags when it feels appropriate, but also do your best to create content strong enough that it can stand on its own. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Optimize your content. Do everything you can to make your content as viral and sticky as possible. Consider which hashtags are trending, as well as the memes and talking points making their way through online discourse. Use <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/seo-strategy-guide' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/seo-strategy-guide","linkCopy":"SEO","category":null}'>SEO</a> (search engine optimization) to stay on top of search engine algorithms, too. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 5. Pick the right platform. The best social media platform for one type of campaign might not be the best type for another. Keep in mind you can always tailor different content to different apps. Similarly, consider what the ideal format would be for any marketing campaign—video may work better for one idea, while a simple photo ad may suffice for another. You can run totally different social media marketing campaigns suited to each individual social media site for the same product or service. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 6. Think outside the box. Don’t fall back on templates—in a world of constant engagement from every brand under the sun, you need to find a way to stand out. For instance, instead of running a traditional ad, consider posting a funny video tutorial about how to use your product or service instead. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 7. Use click-through ads. Seize upon the fact you can use social media advertising to lead directly into an ecommerce experience that gives your users an opportunity to buy, subscribe, or engage with you in some other way. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 8. Utilize management tools. Social media management tools can help you schedule out your posts and interactions throughout the near future. This way, you’re not scrambling to plan out a strategy moment by moment. You can still be deliberative and methodical even with this seemingly rapidfire style of marketing. </li></ol>

8 Tips for Creating a Social Media Marketing Plan

Get the <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/","linkCopy":"MasterClass Annual Membership","category":null}'>MasterClass Annual Membership</a> for exclusive access to video lessons taught by business luminaries, including Sara Blakely, Chris Voss, Robin Roberts, Bob Iger, Howard Schultz, Anna Wintour, and more.

Want to Learn More About Business?

Social media networks allow people to connect in a more exhaustive, up-to-date way than they ever have before. Both large and small businesses can market through social media channels to reach their customer and user base in an unprecedented way. Gain the know-how to implement a successful social media marketing strategy.

Social media networks allow people to connect in a more exhaustive, up-to-date way than they ever have before. Both large and small businesses can market through social media channels to reach their customer and user base in an unprecedented way. Gain the know-how to implement a successful social media marketing strategy.
