Unit 2

How social media is beneficial for the business growth.

Social media has become a powerful tool for business growth, Here are some key
ways social media is beneficial for business growth:

1. Increased Brand Awareness

• Social media platforms allow businesses to reach a global audience, increasing
visibility and brand recognition.

2. Cost-Effective Marketing
• Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn offer targeted advertising
options, allowing businesses to reach specific demographics without
overspending.

3. Improved Customer Engagement

• Social media enables direct communication with customers.
• Businesses can respond to inquiries, address concerns, and gather feedback in
real-time, enhancing customer satisfaction.
• Regularly engaging with customers on social media helps build trust and
loyalty.

4. Targeted Advertising for Better ROI

• Run paid ads with specific targeting options (demographics, interests, etc.).
• Improve the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
• Maximize return on investment by focusing on high-potential audiences.

What is social media analytics?

• Social media analytics refers to the collection of data and metrics that
help you measure your overall social media performance.
• This helps marketers understand which types of social media
content best resonate with their audience so they can shape and
adapt their strategy accordingly.
Importance of social media analytics
There are five major benefits of tracking social analytics:

1. Trendspotting

• Trendspotting is the act of pinpointing upcoming trends before

they're mainstream.
• Which platforms are gaining or losing traction and popularity
• Topics of interest that your audience is talking about (and brand
mentions in conversations)
• Types of ads that interest your audience
• Rising influencers and products in your niche or industry
• Types of content that your audience engages with most

2. Brand sentiment

• Brand sentiment illustrates how people are feeling about your brand.
It includes all positive, neutral and negative feelings that are
discussed online.
• By looking through your social media analytics, you can review and
measure your brand sentiment through a sentiment analysis
software.

3. Value perception

• Value perception (or perceived value) refers to the overall customer

opinion of your brand's product or service and whether or not it can
meet their needs.
• Perceived value is key to determining demand and the price point of
a product or service.
• For example, if your product has a low perceived value, customers
won't be willing to pay much for it.
• We can measure value perception by using social listening tools

4. Setting social media goals

Social media analytics can also help you see which channels and content
are performing well, so you can create actionable, realistic social media
goals and objectives.
5. Proving ROI

• Social media analytics help businesses track the effectiveness of

their campaigns by measuring engagement, website traffic, and
conversions.
• UTM tracking and URL shortening are two ways that make proving
ROI via analytics

Social Media KPIs to leverage business growth

• KPI stands for key performance indicator.
• Social media KPIs are the metrics used to guide your social media
marketing strategy and determine whether that strategy is working.

social media KPIs down into five categories:

A. Reach
B. Engagement
C. Conversion
D. Social customer service

1. Reach KPIs
• Reach KPIs measure how many users come across your social media
channels.
1. Impressions
This is the number of times your post was visible in someone’s feed
or timeline.

2. Follower count
The number of followers your social channel has at a set time.

3. Audience growth rate

• Audience growth rate demonstrates how your follower count is
changing over time
• (New followers ÷ Total followers) × 100, tracking how fast your audience is
growing.

4. Reach
This is how many people see a post. Reach changes based on factors
like when your audience is online and how good your content is.
 A. Engagement KPIs
• KPIs for social media engagement measure the quality of the
interactions with your social followers.

1. Likes
• The number of times followers interact with a social post by tapping
the Like button within a given social media platform.

2. Comments – The number of times people comment on your posts.

3. Clicks
• How many times users click the link in your post. This helps track
how people are engaging with content beyond the social
platform.
4. Shares
• How many times your post has been shared from one user to
another. This is a great measure of how engaging and viral your
content is.
5. Saves
• Saves (or bookmarks) generally indicate that people like your
content and find it useful enough that they plan to return to it
later.
6. Average engagement rate
• This metric divide all the engagement a post receives — including
likes, comments, saves and shares — by the total number of
followers on your social account.
(Total interactions ÷ Total followers) × 100, measuring overall audience
interaction.
7. Amplification rate
• This is a measure of how much your followers extend your reach
by sharing your content with their own followers.
B. Conversion KPIs
• Conversion KPIs on social media reveal whether your social
strategy is leading to real-world outcomes beyond the social
sphere.
1. Click-through rate (CTR)
• CTR is the percentage of people who viewed your post and
clicked on the CTA (call to action) it included.

2. Conversion rate
• This is the number of users who perform the action in your social
media CTA (visit your website or landing page, subscribe to a
mailing list, make a purchase, etc.) compared to the total number
of clicks on a given post.

3. Bounce rate
• Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who clicked on a link in your
social post, but then quickly left that page without taking any action.
4. Cost per click (CPC)
• CPC is the amount you pay for each individual click on your social
media ad. Track this to see if the amount you’re spending is a
worthwhile investment.
5. Cost per thousand impressions (CPM)
 • This is the amount you pay every time 1,000 people are served
your social media ad.

C. Social customer service KPIs

• Customer service KPIs track how social media users feel about
their experiences with your brand.
1. Response Time – Measures how quickly a brand responds to
customer inquiries.
2. Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) – Measures how satisfied
customers are with brand interactions.
3. Net Promoter Score (NPS) – Measures customer loyalty and
likelihood of recommending the brand.
4. Sentiment Analysis – Analyzes positive, neutral, and negative
mentions about the brand.

What are the best social media analytics tools?

To effectively track social media performance, businesses and marketers use analytics tools
that provide insights into engagement, audience behavior, and campaign success. Here are
some of the best social media analytics tools:

1. Sprout Social 🌱

• Comprehensive social media management and analytics platform.

• Tracks engagement, performance, and brand sentiment across multiple platforms.
• Offers advanced reporting and competitive analysis.

2. Hootsuite 🦉

• Monitors social media metrics across various networks in one dashboard.

• Provides insights into engagement, reach, and post-performance.
• Allows scheduling and automated reporting.

3. Google Analytics 📊

• Tracks social media traffic to your website.

• Measures conversions and ROI from social campaigns.
• Integrates with UTM tracking for detailed performance analysis.
How to craft an effective social media content strategy

1. Identify and set goals

• The first step toward a long-term social media strategy is to set
your content goals.
• Common goals include:
o Increasing brand awareness
o Driving website traffic
o Generating leads and conversions
o Boosting engagement and community building
o Enhancing customer support

2. Research your audience

Having buyer personas for social—or representations of your ideal customers—will
help guide your social media content plan. Consider:

• Demographics (age, gender, location, interests)

• Pain points and needs
• Preferred content formats (videos, infographics, blogs)
• Social media platforms they use most

3. Know your networks

Not every social media platform is suitable for your business. Choose based on:

• Facebook & Instagram – Great for B2C brands, visual content, and ads.
• LinkedIn – Best for B2B networking and professional content.
• Twitter (X) – Ideal for real-time updates and conversations.
• YouTube– Perfect for video content and storytelling.
• Pinterest – Works well for lifestyle, fashion, and DIY brands.

4. Develop a social media content plan

Plan your content in advance to ensure consistency. Consider:

• Content types: Educational posts, entertainment, testimonials, promotions, behind-

the-scenes, etc.
• Content calendar: Schedule posts weekly or monthly to maintain consistency.
• Posting frequency: Balance quality and quantity; avoid over-posting.

5. Promote and distribute your content

 • Social media tools, like Sprout’s scheduling and publishing features,
make content distribution a no-brainer—especially if you post
multiple times a day, like Netflix does on X.

Drive conversions

"Drive conversions" is a common term in marketing that refers to encouraging

potential customers to take a specific, desired action that aligns with your business
goals. A conversion is the point at which a user completes this action, turning them
from a prospect into a customer or lead.

What is a Conversion?

A conversion can be any action that you want the user to take, such as:

• Making a purchase (e.g., buying a product or service).

• Signing up for a newsletter or free trial.
• Filling out a form (e.g., for a quote, consultation, or download).
• Downloading an app or resource (e.g., an eBook or whitepaper).
• Clicking on a link (e.g., to learn more about a product).
• Engaging with your content (e.g., watching a video, sharing a post, or
commenting).

What Is Paid Social?

• Paid social uses social media channels to display advertising content
to a targeted audience interested in your product or service.
• Paid social media advertising can appear in several formats. For
example, images, videos, and carousels. Paid social ads are typically
shown with tags like “sponsored,” “promotion,” or simply “ad.”
• Paid social is a part of effective social media management
• Unlike traditional advertising (like direct mail, television ads, and
billboards), paid ads on social media give you direct access to
audience and campaign data.

They can then measure the success of campaigns by looking at the

following metrics:

• Cost per click (CPC)

• Cost per action (CPA)
• Return on ad spend (ROAS)
• Return on investment (ROI)
Platforms for Running Paid Social Campaigns
1. Facebook

• Facebook is the most-used social media platform worldwide, with

over 3 billion monthly active users.
• Which signals a huge opportunity for brands to put their products in
front of a large, diverse audience.
• You can share ads in various formats, including images, video,
carousels, polls, and slideshows.
• Facebook is best for ecommerce, direct-to-consumer (DTC), and
business-to-consumer (B2C)

Facebook allows you to set a choice of six campaign objectives for your
paid social media advertising:

• Awareness: Improve brand recognition and make potential new

customers aware of your business
• Traffic: Increase traffic from social media to your website or landing
page to continue on their customer journey
• Engagement: Encourage likes, comments, shares, and saves of your
ad
• Leads: Get your audience to take action (e.g., fill out a form, share an
email address, or register for an event)
• App Promotion: Increase downloads of your app
• Sales: Gain more customers, increase sales, and generate revenue

2. Instagram

• Ads can appear in feeds, Stories, Reels, the Explore page, and other
locations on the Instagram platform.
• Design your ads for mobile viewing

3. LinkedIn
• Using LinkedIn for paid social advertising puts your business in front
of an audience of over 950 million professionals.
• Which makes the social media platform perfect for running paid
social advertising campaigns that target knowledge workers,
decision-makers, executives, and industry experts.
• Types of ads on LinkedIn include in-feed ads, sponsored messages,
dynamic ads (personalized ads based on user profile data), and text
ads
4. X (Formerly Twitter)

• X gives advertisers the opportunity to place ads using a variety of

different formats. Including image, video, text, and carousel ads.

# Budgeting for social media marketing

• A social media budget is a document that specifies how much you

plan to spend on social media over a specific time.
• It’s usually annual, but could also be broken down by month, by
quarter, or even for a specific campaign.
• Budget information is typically presented in a simple spreadsheet.

Importance of Social Media Budget :

1. Helps Allocate Resources: Ensures funds are spent wisely on

activities that drive results.
2. Maximizes ROI: Allows businesses to track spending and measure
the return on investment (ROI) of social media efforts.
3. Supports Strategic Planning: Helps align social media activities with
broader business goals.
4. Prevents Overspending: Keeps expenses within a defined limit.

Components of a Social Media Budget

1. Paid Advertising

• Social Media Ads: Budget for running paid campaigns on platforms like
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc
• The amount allocated to pay for impressions, clicks, or conversions.
• Funds used to promote organic posts to a larger audience.
2. Content Creation
• Visual Content: Costs for creating images, videos, infographics, and
animations.
• Copywriting: Fees for professional writers to create engaging captions,
blogs, or ad copy.

3. Tools and Software

• Scheduling Tools: Platforms like Hootsuite, Buffer, or Sprout Social for

scheduling and managing posts.
 • Analytics Tools: Tools like Google Analytics for tracking performance.
• Listening Tools: Software like Brandwatch or Mention for monitoring
brand mentions and sentiment.

4. Influencer Marketing

• Influencer Fees: Payments to influencers for sponsored posts or

collaborations.
• Gifting: Sending free products to influencers in exchange for promotion.

5. Contests and Giveaways

• Budget for gifts or rewards offered in contests.

6. Employee Costs
• Salaries: Paying social media managers, content creators, or community
managers.

Search engine optimization (SEO)

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing a website

or online content to improve its visibility and ranking on search engine
results pages (SERPs).
• The goal of SEO is to attract organic (non-paid) traffic from search engines
like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

Types of SEO

• On-Page SEO: Optimizing elements on your website (e.g., content, meta tags,
headings).
• Off-Page SEO: Building authority through backlinks and external signals.