You’re a product marketer. How can you make the most of social media management tools?

Marketers in general tend to forget that social media is more than a mouthpiece, it's a place for experimentation, market research, link building, influencer interaction, sales and business development... Product marketers are no exception and should start by asking themselves the question... "Can social media be used to achieve X?" Once you have clarity on the goal, the tool will be a no brainer. For example, at market research stage, if you're looking for what problems people are trying to solve, steer away from a Google keyword search and give YouTube search optimisation a try.

This is probably a contrarian view, but a product marketer can make the most of social media management tools by leaving them in the hands of a social media marketing team. Product marketers aren't typically hands-on marketing people, by which I mean they don't run campaigns, place ads, create social media posts, organize events, write press releases, etc. They ENABLE the people who do those things, by making sure the hands-on marketers understand WHO the target market is -- personas, pain points, hot topics, lingo and language, and how the company's products create value for those personas. The hands-on marketers, like social media marketers, should be the experts in HOW to engage the targets identified by product marketing with tactics.

Making the most of social media management tools involves strategic planning and execution. Tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, and Tailwind help schedule posts across different platforms efficiently, ensuring consistent online presence. Use these tools for analytics to understand audience engagement and adjust strategies accordingly. Leverage their monitoring features to track brand mentions and respond promptly to customer queries or feedback. These tools also facilitate team collaboration, allowing for streamlined content creation and approval processes. Utilize their advanced features like hashtag recommendations and best time to post suggestions to maximize reach and engagement.

As with any marketing, always think of your audience first – why are they going to invest their time in engaging with your content? Whatever the channel, tool or platform, you need to offer value to your audience, they need to feel smarter and better informed from reading or watching what you produce. Think about what they want to here, not about the features of the product, remember that you’re trying to drive them to the next click, not sell them from one post, one infographic or a 30 second video.

Targeting is THE key issue there : which content, for what audience, on which purpose ? To adapt the canal on the campaign and measure impact with relevant metrics are mandatory, hence choose and use the right tools to leverage performance.

Especially plan ahead to include all the steps to make sure your content is accessible and inclusive. Representation matters so be thoughtful about all experiences.

When scheduling your content, don’t sweat too much over whether the best time to post is Tuesday at 11:57. Unless your business is local, your content will be viewed from multiple time zones. At any particular time, some people will be starting their workday, others will be at lunch, and still others aren’t even awake yet.

Content is king , so plan in advance your content and align This with your goals, target , important dates , community , etc. but it is also important to always include a call to action , so content just for the sake of content , it is not really the best strategy to position or increase the sales of a product. Keep always in mind which metrics you are going to monitor and evaluate your content performance.

Canva: Ideal for creating visually appealing graphics and designs for social media posts. Buffer: Allows you to schedule posts across various social media platforms, analyze performance, and engage with your audience. Hootsuite: Similar to Buffer, it provides scheduling, analytics, and monitoring features across multiple social networks. Later: Particularly useful for Instagram scheduling and planning.

Important that: Continuous Performance Evaluation: Regularly monitoring content performance, analyzing metrics such as engagement, shares, and conversions. A/B Testing: Experimenting with different content approaches through A/B testing can provide valuable insights into what works best. This may include variations in copywriting, design, or content format. Integration of Calls to Action (CTAs): Ensuring that each piece of content includes clear and relevant CTAs encourages followers to take specific actions, such as sharing, commenting, or visiting the website. Adaptation for Different Platforms: Recognizing the nuances of each social media platform and adapting content to fit the format and unique characteristics of each one.

We need to continue to think about how to make our social media management tools more accessible. There is an incredible rise in disabled influencers who want to continue to create.

Adaptar el contenido a cada plataforma nos ayuda a enfocarnos en nuestro cliente aprovechando las cualidades de la red social utilizada. Cada red tiene su bondad y hay que saber aprovecharla

Make sure that beyond your content "pushes" to various platforms, that you're also monitoring Q-and-A sites or community forums that might be appropriate for your target audiences. For example, checking Quora posts and sub-Reddits for product mentions can often provide unfiltered insights related to how your products are viewed and used.

Basis and Contribution that: Geographical Location: If applicable to your product, leverage geographical targeting features to personalise content based on the audience's location. This is particularly relevant for companies targeting specific markets. Algorithm Monitoring: Stay aware of changes in platform algorithms and adjust your adaptation strategies accordingly. Understanding how algorithms work can help maximise the organic reach of content. Analysis of Platform-Specific Metrics: In addition to general metrics like engagement and reach, analyse platform-specific metrics, such as retweets on Twitter or shares on LinkedIn. This provides more precise insights into performance adapted to each platform environment.

AI can not only help tailor content for platform and channel, also hone the "voice" of the content for specific audience. Reduces risk that content seems overly marketing and, instead, more relevant as though written by someone from the audience. Content for farmers by a farmer or by a mechanic for mechanics, for example.

Monitor and Adapt: Keep a close eye on your social media analytics and engagement metrics. Regularly monitor the performance of your content on each platform and adapt your strategies accordingly. Pay attention to which types of content, formats, or messaging styles resonate most with your audience on each platform, and adjust your approach to optimize results.

Segmentation Tests: Explore segmentation strategies when testing content for specific groups within your target audience. Segmenting based on demographic, behavioural, or geographic characteristics can provide valuable insights into the preferences of different segments Multivariate Testing: Instead of testing only one element at a time, consider multivariate tests. This involves experimenting with multiple variables simultaneously to understand the interactions between different elements and optimise the content strategy more comprehensively Funnel Analysis: In addition to metrics of immediate engagement, analyse the content's performance along the conversion funnel. This helps understand how content contributes to the customer journey

Una táctica sin estrategia es el camino mas corto al fracaso. Cuando usas redes sociales tienes que estar claro tu estrategia ya que si no lo haces caes en lo que se llama disonancia cognitiva y terminas haciendo ruido a tu propia marca.

An active brand is alive , and in today's world, social interaction and communication can strengthen or even weaken the brand. Therefore, two-way communication with the contacts, knowing their opinions wants and needs, and the ability and agility of action in aligning the organization with the needs of customers and contacts is possible through receiving feedback and interacting with them. (In my opinion, the competitor is also an audience for your company and you should carefully monitor its movements and take advantage of the opportunities in your time).

With so much of AI and various algorithm that is there in all platforms the most important factor is to be persistent with trying new ideas, content with right measurement metrics to understand success. Something that worked earlier may not work now amd vice a versa. It is more important to have new tests/pilots with signals of success decided in advance to understand better and not get lost.

I have used some innovative methods to engage with a curated customer and influencer community using social media. This is done by encouraging them to provide valuable insights, feedback, customer experience and testimonials in form of tweets, blogs, posts and podcasts. This is truly a thousand times more amplified than what we could have ever said about ourselves. Additionally, getting peer to peer conversations flowing adds to the drumbeat, reveals key use cases, and uplevels the brand - apart from displaying customer trust and loyalty.

In my experience, it is important to preserve working relationships with influencers, advocates, partners and users that can continue to increase the amplification of marketing efforts. As a product marketer, listening becomes an essential skill to retain your customers and engage them on the long run which will in turn make those customers your biggest marketers

It's not just about broadcasting our messages but truly listening and responding to our community. This interaction offers invaluable insights and strengthens our brand's relationship with its audience, fostering trust and loyalty. By identifying and collaborating with influencers and advocates, we can extend our reach and amplify our marketing impact.

There’s nothing more dangerous than a product marketer in a silo. You’re tasked with understanding the motivations and sentiment of the market and your target areas within that. It changes constantly, and if you aren’t spending the time to keep up daily, weekly, monthly, etc. you’ll be left behind. And as the one charged with strategy, that is dangerous. Social media gives an edge to stay close to the pulse of the market when used effectively and correctly.

Simply use the tools. The reason LinkedIn works is because it’s a shortcut to identify who you want to talk to and what they’re thinking. That’s why it’s worth all that money!

It's also beneficial to consider how your employee community is engaging with the social tools and find opportunities to pull them in. Often there are solutions available to promote your internal SMEs to be voices for your community and increase your reach/influence in the market simply by utilizing your internal influencers.

In addition to the mentioned topics, other relevant points can be considered to make the most of social media management tools: Content Personalization: Customise content according to specific audience segments, taking into account demographic, behavioural, and preference characteristics to increase relevance and effectiveness. Integration with Global Strategies: Ensure that the social media strategy is aligned and integrated with the company's global marketing strategies, ensuring consistency and synergy across all platforms. Crisis Response: Develop crisis response plans on social media, anticipating potential issues and establishing clear procedures to handle negative situations effectively.

Social media is the greatest market research tool. Rather than use costly & lengthy research studies, I often use FB and IG for basic testing - product positioning, pricing, color selection, etc. You can generally get "the answer" within a week with thousands of consumer "votes" in a real world setting. It's ideal for start-ups where you lack resources and time. For larger organizations, you can use this for "quick and dirty" testing before you invest in $$$ research.

Social media tools are great for all the technical and organizational reasons, but it's important to not forget the basics that have made social media great for brands. People want to engage with brands that are relatable and attach to share experiences with the product or business. Have fun with the content and inspire people to fall in love with your brand without constantly "selling" them something. Constantly create great content as you build a loyal following and the sales will take care of itself!

One of PreciseTarget’s clients in the apparel industry is seeing a 300% improvement in Facebook lower funnel ad campaign ROAS using a targeted audience based on purchase propensity versus business-as-usual, standard demographic and interest based audiences.