How to use Social Media Data in your Marketing Strategy

For modern marketing teams, social media comes with a huge amount of data that can quickly prove invaluable. The amount of information that you can glean from social data is mind-boggling and can be more than useful when it comes to informing any new marketing strategies. Not only can social media data guide the development of new marketing campaigns, but it can also be crucial for measuring the success of those campaigns. From finding out the latest consumer and industry trends to targeting just the right people at just the right time, here are the key ways that marketing professionals need to use the invaluable data that social media provides.

KPI Awareness

All marketing campaigns will have their key performance indicators (KPIs). These should be aligned with your company’s overall growth strategy. Those KPIs are a valuable metric to measure alongside the data that you collect and analyze from social platforms. This makes it much easier to build a campaign that has a higher ROI, and also provides insights into when, where, and what to post on those social platforms. Guesswork and marketing should never be an option, and data gives real-world information that can guide present and future social strategies. Using methodologies like 6Sigma, developed by expert Peter Peterka, can be very useful for this, with the training provided teaching your marketing team how to “…improve business processes by utilizing statistical analysis rather than guesswork.” Data is one of the most useful resources at a marketer’s disposal, so learning how to use it more effectively should be a priority.

Targeting Content

All of your content should be created with your target audience in mind. However, the analytics that you can gather from social media provides you with the insights that you need to stay on top of consumer buzz. By leveraging your data so that it helps you to identify the content that is working for you and what isn’t, you can start to develop a keener understanding of your core audience. You can also monitor online brand mentions, meaning that you get more control over brand reputation and a deeper awareness of brand perception. That understanding only strengthens your company and makes it much easier to personalize your marketing content to the right people. As modern consumers demand more customized and personalized marketing messages, brands can use their data to provide those essentials, driving engagement and encouraging conversions.

Platform Awareness

Not all social platforms are suitable for use by all companies. While restaurants and creatives can get a lot of value from Instagram, B2B brands will be far more reliant on LinkedIn. The data that you gather will help to guide you to the platforms where you perform most effectively. Use the analytics tools that every social media platform comes with, and dig down deep to address your KPIs, evaluate engagement levels on each platform, and how your conversion rates are being affected by each platform. As well as the analytics provided by the social platforms themselves, you should also get a broader overview using Google Analytics. This will give you a clearer picture of your sales, bounce rates, and visit duration. These can help you assess what is working and what needs to be changed.

Marketing without using data is like working in the dark. If you’re ready to start performing more effectively and more profitably, it’s time to start making greater use of your data. Learn how to use that data to guide your business development and your marketing campaigns will only grow stronger and more effective.