Social media should always be part of your marketing strategy when running an SME. It provides fantastic opportunities for high levels of engagement and interaction. However, you must approach this the right way. With that in mind, let's explore the key tools and trends that you should be aware of here.

Tools

Content Management System

The right CMS is a critical tool for any SME eager to maximize the potential of their social media strategy. With the right CMS, you can plan your social media posts in bulk and diversify them across multiple channels. A CMS also allows you to schedule your social posts months in advance to ensure a cohesive strategy that pairs well with your overall marketing plans. You can even use your CMS to track engagement across a single post or several and explore actionable data. This will allow your campaign to evolve and grow organically. There are lots of different CMS solutions that could be beneficial for your business including Hubspot. The right choice will depend on your budget and your brand requirements.

Graphic Design

Another key tool for a social media marketing strategy is a graphic design software like Canva. With a tool like this, you will be able to quickly create high-end graphics for everything from Instagram to Facebook and YouTube. You can even custom design them so that they fit a specific network perfectly. Canva in particular has a lot of advanced tools including Magic, a new AI software. This custom creates images for you, unique for your campaign.

Video Creation Tool

As we'll discuss further down, video content is a key element of social media right now. Indeed, most business marketers are spending large portions of their time on video for social networks including Instagram and TikTok as well as longer videos for YouTube. A video creation tool will allow you to create high quality video content for your target audience in a matter of minutes. The best part is that software such as Biteable has a short learning curve which means anyone can quickly understand how to create this content without expert support.

Trends

Short Form Videos

According to a recent report, over 85% of companies rank short form videos as the most effective social media content. Social videos should be short and sweet while also providing entertainment or value to a target audience. This is one of the reasons why TikTok is so popular and yes, it's also because attention spans are getting shorter. The average audience member doesn't have the interest or the time to watch a long piece of video content. If you research the latest digital marketing insights, you'll find that you need to work on getting your main message across in between 20 and 30 seconds.

Provide Support

Social media isn't just for promoting products and services. Instead, it's important to follow the 80:20 rule. Twenty percent of your content should be promotional while the rest should deliver valuable information. One of the ways that you can do this is by using your social networks to provide customer support. You can answer queries and address key questions that they may have about your products. You can even target pain points which could be causing a high number of abandoned shopping baskets. This shows that you care and adds another level of engagement to your brand strategy.

Social Selling

Another social media trend to be aware of is social selling. Through social selling you can provide uses with the opportunity to purchase products directly from their social feeds without ever needing to visit your site. That's important because users are often far more likely to buy if they don't have to click across to another website online. You can do this through different social channels including Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. At the very least, this is something worth trying to see if it works for your brand.

Facts & Stats

Unfortunately, consumers are used to seeing a lot of nonsense and junk from brands across social media. This usually includes promotional posts as well as bland content that was formulated and posted in seconds. That's why you need to break the mold. Use your social media to share facts and stats that are going to be useful or interesting to customers. This is particularly important if you are running a B2B model.

We hope this helps you understand some of the key tools and trends on social media that you should be aware of when running an SME.

Visit: https://thegoodmarketer.co.uk/blog/8-tips-for-growing-organically-on-tiktok/