Developing a social presence has become a necessary component of any integrated Online Marketing strategy for business. As a result of investing in Social Marketing efforts,a recent study found that 88% of respondents noticed increased exposure for their business and 62% reported an increase in search engine rankings. Not only is Social Media effective on its own for branding and credibility purposes, the increasing influence on search engine rankings makes it a viable marketing investment. The following are some beginner’s tips that will help leverage Social Marketing efficiently for your brand:

Remain Active

Simply creating pages on the largest social platforms will prove to be futile if you do not consistently update your profiles. It will be easier to build up an organic following of highly targeted fans the more you engage in social posting and blogging.

Choose Your Platforms Wisely

Depending on your business model and target audience, you will have to pick the best platforms that will suit your organization’s needs. For example, a B2B asset management software firm may not find much momentum on creating a Pinterest profile. On the other hand, a local deli shop will be better suited using Facebook than investing resources on a LinkedIn advertising campaign.

Integrate Social Media with other Marketing Tools

In both online and offline marketing, be sure to incorporate your Social Media profiles as a means of driving traffic. This can consist of linking to your Twitter and Facebook pages in emails, installing plugins on your website and company blog, and promoting engagement with your social profiles through traditional forms of advertising.

Monitor Activity

The downside of opening the floodgates to social profiles is that you leave your brand open to attacks from disgruntled clients and spammers. Having someone consistently monitor your social activity is necessary to remove spam, address complaints and preserve your brand image.

Social Media is still in its growth stage as illustrated with new arrivals such as Pinterest, dominating the market with relative ease. Investing in Social Marketing Services is essential with social signals playing a more significant role in overall Search Engine Optimization activities and a robust strategy will provide a significant return on investment as you continue to build relationships with your audience.