Social media marketing is probably one of the most frustrating types of marketing. It can quickly drive traffic to your website yet getting people to convert and buy, or subscribe, is often very difficult.

If you are just starting out, then here is a social media marketing for dummies article to help instruct you on the first steps.

Create A Facebook Profile Under A Fake Name

You have to create it under a fake name because they will not allow you to start it under your business name unless your business name is something that sounds human.

For example, if you have started an entertainment website that you call, “Terry Nipple”, then Facebook will not allow you to start a Facebook account under that name because they figure it is fake. Start it under your business name and you are also likely to hit the same spam filter.

It is probably a good idea to create a free email address beforehand because your regular email address probably already has a Facebook account linked to it.

Start your Facebook profile with your new email address. You can use your own picture and own name if you wish.

Create A Facebook Fan Page Under Your Business, Brand, or Product Name

Once you have your fake Facebook profile, which you may also call your work-Facebook profile, you may start a fan page.

The fan page should be all about your product, your business, or your brand (or maybe all three). It should link back to your website and should offer plenty of details about your business.

Whenever you feel like posting on Facebook, it is your Facebook fan page that you should post to. For example, if you write a new blog post, you should create a Facebook fan page post to go with it. If you have a new product or deal, then details should be posted on your Facebook fan page.

Don’t Buy Advertising for Facebook Yet

Facebook is going to try to punk you into buying their affiliate advertising. They will say how you have unused credits or how they can help you spread the word about your fan page. Do not buy it yet.

Your Facebook fan page will take a long time to grow organically and it is not worth advertising it when you barely have anything on it worth showing. Once you have months and months of content, then you can start advertising your fan page. Run ads if you are stuck for other ways to get people to visit it. However, Facebook ads are not always the best.

It may be easier to attract your target consumer if you use Google Ads, especially if you are trying to attract businesses or people who are not frequent Facebook users. Using Google advertising can help you reach demographics that Facebook advertising cannot.

Join One Or More Groups on Facebook

Look for Facebook groups that attract your target audience. The groups do not have to be directly associated with your type of product, they just need to attract people who enjoy your product. For example, if you are marketing a book, then the many book clubs may be worth visiting.

You can post things to these groups and you can even link back to your website, but you have to give people a reason to want to click the link. If the link is there for the sake of being there, then it is considered spam.

Create posts that the groups can engage with and that the group members will be interested in.

Twitter is Both Easy And Difficult

Remember earlier when you set up a new email address just for your new Facebook account? You need to use the same email address to set up your fake/work Twitter profile.

Again, you can use your own name and face image if you wish; just try to ensure that people do not mix it up with your actual-personal Twitter account.

Twitter is difficult to crack but very easy to use. It is difficult to crack because it takes a long time to build up a following. This is mostly because Twitter follower acquisition has a snowball effect. The more people who already follow you, then the easier it is to get new followers.

That is why people who have fewer than 1,000 followers have a hard time getting more.

Persistence Pays With Twitter

What you need to do is make Twitter as easy as possible for yourself. Engaging with it is only rewarding (as a marketer) when you have over 1,000 followers.

One way to make it easy is to use a tool like Buffer. Sign up for the free, no trial version. It will only allow you to sign up with one social media account. Choose Twitter.

It enables you to schedule tweets, so schedule them and set them running. All you have to do is keep going back and loading up some new tweets, and then let Buffer do the tweeting throughout the week. You should be tweeting daily, at least.

Twitter And Hashtags

In the beginning, the only way you will get attention on Twitter is hashtags. When you create a post, follow it with popular applicable hashtags. Write your Tweet, add your image, and then add hashtags before adding your link.

Look up some of the most popular hashtags that relate to your Tweet because they are going help draw people into your Twitter profile.

Twitter’s Social Media Marketing for Dummies

Write your comment first, and then add an image. Adding an image means that your tweet takes up more room and so is more easily noticed. Add in around three hashtags, and then add in your link.

Do not let programs like Buffer or Hootsuite shorten the links to your website because many people do not trust shortened links.

It is Not Difficult; It Is Time Consuming

Any social media marketing for dummies article will probably point out that social media is not difficult. This is why it is so popular with younger people.

Social media marketing is tough because it takes a long time to produce any usable results and takes a lot of time to do right. But, most things take work, so it shouldn’t dissuade you from trying.

Feeling overwhelmed? We got you. Let us walk you through it. Contact us now and begin your journey to social media marketing prowess.