Use Social Media Effectively in Mobile Marketing

Published on January 4, 2022
Written by
Filed under Shipping Basics
Read time 7 Minutes

One of the biggest trends of recent years is that more and more people are going online using smartphones and other mobile devices. This means that if you’re doing any kind of online marketing, you have to assume that many of your customers are using mobile devices. Furthermore, people are now very active on social media with their mobile devices. In fact, we’ve reached the point where more mobile than PC users are active on social media sites. Here are some ideas for getting the most out of these two huge and overlapping trends – social media and mobile marketing.

1. Connect With Your Audience in a Personal Way

People enjoy connecting in a casual and friendly manner on their smartphones and tablets. Whether your messages are to pre-sell products, get more opt-ins to your mailing list, or build your brand, remember to engage with people in a personal way. A short message accompanying a selfie or a video taken on your webcam is often more effective in this context than a slick but generic looking image. When possible, incorporate humor into your messages.

2. Make Your Content Mobile-Friendly

Create your social media content with mobile users in mind. Remember, people on mobile devices are now extremely active on social media. It’s now common for Facebook users to update their statuses from their smartphones and other mobile devices. To reach such users, make sure you supply them with lots of mobile-friendly content. Remember that people don’t want to read long articles on mobile devices, so focus mainly on short-form content. Mobile users also tend to favor images, infographics, memes, and videos over text. They are also more likely to share visual content. There are some good image apps to help you create professional looking social media content.

3. Cover Popular Topics

Talking about popular events, people and products is a good way to connect with mobile audiences. This includes holidays, sporting events, popular TV shows, and celebrity news. Even if these don’t relate directly to your brand, it helps you engage with people. This gives you a chance to use popular hashtags when posting to Twitter or Instagram. You can always find a way to tie in these topics to your business.

4. Target the Right Social Media Sites

There are many social media platforms and more are coming along all the time. It’s better to focus on a few that are appropriate for your needs rather than trying to establish a presence on all of them. Figure out where your audience spends time and choose these sites. A high percentage of people on mobile devices have apps for Facebook and Twitter. LinkedIn is for B2B marketing. Instagram and Pinterest are the most visual platforms. Pinterest is especially good for selling physical products. Snapchat is growing fast with millennials. At the same time, you have to identify what works best for your business. Always test your results and stick with the sites that are providing you with the best ROI.

5. Create the Right Kind of Content for Each Social Media Site

Remember to tailor your content for each social media site. Be aware of how everything looks on mobile screens. Each platform has its own quirks when it comes to displaying images. Twitter, for example, is designed for rectangular rather than square images. Instagram now lets you post landscape and portrait formats for images. For Facebook, keep in mind that mobile users see everything as one column, unlike the desktop version where you can see a variety of posts and features.

6. Engage People With Videos

Videos are getting more popular all the time and recent evidence suggests that most people now watch online videos on mobile devices. At the same time, mobile users have short attention spans. That’s why you’re better off making videos that are short and that get straight to the point. Instagram makes it easy to create short videos. Both Snapchat and Instagram have a Stories feature that lets you post videos that only appear for 24 hours. Another fast-growing trend is live streaming video, with Facebook, YouTube, Livestream and others competing for dominance. Of course, ordinary videos you take on your smartphone and upload to YouTube are also great for sharing on social media.

7. Track your Analytics for Mobile Users

In addition to tracking overall social media analytics, it’s important to focus on mobile analytics in particular. Google Analytics, as well as many other data tracking tools, lets you do this. This ensures that you’re generating the right kind of content for mobile users.

As mobile devices get ever more popular, social media channels present mobile marketers with a huge opportunity for getting more targeted leads, selling more products, and building brand awareness. Make sure you keep these tips in mind so that you claim your share of the profits from the mobile marketing revolution.

Written by

Joey

I'm Joey, ShipStation's Content & Social Media Coordinator. I spent over a year on ShipStation's Support team which has given me great insight into our product and our customers. Outside of work, you'll find me writing, getting into one of Austin's great microbrews, or relaxing on a trail with my mutt.

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