In 2021, it is imperative to look at what investments are made in social media marketing. As of 2020, 70% of the U.S. population are said to be active social media users. Facebook is second to YouTube in most popular platforms.

One might assume that Instagram and Facebook are oversaturated and therefore is no use in trying to advertise. However, due to budget-related budget cuts, significantly less has been spent on advertising than in 2019, resulting in an opportunity for return on your spend.

So, there is still room for anyone to market their brand on social media. Social media can be a powerful tool for awareness and engagement. Money, time, and creativity are prominent investments made into marketing on social media.

Budget

The tough reality is that it will almost certainly require some financial investment to gain traction on social media. Content creator tools and paid advertising are the main costs to be aware of. Fortunately, there are varying prices in creator tools or talent, including free options. Facebook offers paid weekly impressions and clicks according to your bid strategy. For a business whose monthly budget is less than $30, the Video Plant creates video content. Either way, a budget should be set for social media content creation and advertising.

Time

First, time should be taken to know who your target market is. Next, create a marketing strategy. Part of this is asking customers questions about what they really want.

A relationship must be built between the business and the customer segment. Building any relationship takes time, and time is valuable.

The brand should make an appearance on follower’s feeds several times a week to overcome the algorithms and be seen. Otherwise, the brand will be forgotten and left behind. Like many things, what you put into it determines what you’ll get out of it. Automated content companies help save on time and give you the content you need.

If a business lacks a marketing team, it’s a much bigger consideration since there are so many business matters to take care of. But it’s worth the consideration of the investment.

Creative Juice

It’s not enough to just advertise a discounted price with flashy letters. Relating to customers down to an every-day level is how to build relationships. The brand should show customers what they are in the business of helping.

Creative advertising is memorable (think of a brand posting that you thought was clever!), proven effective, and organic.

Dress up the brand by anticipating visual trends, making something fun and shareable, or leaving them with a question that leads them back to the brand’s solution. Studies have shown that video performs best with the algorithms of social media and are highly interactive.

It’s okay to take inspiration from other successful brands! It can become draining to make all original content for every post. Run with those inspirations and make it better.

Don’t get distracted with time-wasters!

If you are the owner of a small business and are struggling with being able to invest money, time, and creativity into the marketing of your business on social media, you are not alone! There are easy and affordable brands that look to serve in making online marketing easy. There is a multitude of platforms to streamline content creation. And while we may be a little biased, we certainly recommend The Video Plant for automating your video creation!