You have kick-started your own business and created social media pages for your company. Unfortunately, you did not receive the response you were seeking. Does the scenario ring a bell? We all have been there at both a personal and professional level. With media highlighting social media sensations, we dream of making it there one day as well, but how? To help you unearth this mystery, we look towards social media experts for some nuggets of wisdom.

Nikhilesh Ponde, the head of global travel strategy at Facebook, impart some great lessons to help businesses achieve social media success at the Phocuswright Europe Conference in Amsterdam. In this article, you will learn the art of achieving social media marketing success despite cutthroat competition and amid waves of digital noise. Let’s hear his two cents:

1. Make “People-Based Marketing” Your Priority

For businesses to achieve social media marketing success in particular or digital marketing success in general, it is crucial to know where your target audience is spending their greater chunk of time. Professional digital marketing companies in Dubai focus diligently on that.

Ponde highlights one of the biggest slipups that businesses fall prey to, “There is a disparity between where customers are and where and how we are choosing to reach them. We need to rethink how we speak to people in personal and meaningful ways.”

Pondeimploresbrands to implement a mobile-first social strategy that puts their customers in focus. Only then could they hope to drive growth, distinguish their brand from others and reach out to customers on platforms they hang out on the most.

2. Video is here to stay

Akin to platforms, you also have to dish out social media content in a format your target audience likes to consume it in. Video is a becoming the next big format as hinted at by statistics. 79% people would prefer to watch a social video by a brand as compared to drudging through text-intensive blog posts. With each social media platform incorporating their personal dedicated live video feature, you can easily predict video graph go up in the future.

NikhileshPondegives his nod to that notion as well, “Video is quickly becoming the most important form of merchandising.” With AR and VR headsets going mainstream, the social video will evolve quicker. To make the most of social video, social media marketers should focus more on delivering an immersive experience through video instead of brazenly promoting their products. There are different types of social videos, and you are the best judge of which ones to test the waters of social media marketing with.

3. Change Is the New Norm

“The only thing that is constant is change”—Heraclitus

According to Ponde, “People’s behavior changes every day as mobile become more embedded into our lives.” As a business, you should always be ready to embrace change in today’s dynamic social media landscape. Keep an eye on the ever-wavering social media trends and customer behaviors and create a flexible digital marketing strategy to adapt to on-the-minute developments. Tweak and test the social media marketing strategy with every fluctuation. Assess the effectiveness of social media tools in real time.

4. Have a Messaging Strategy

Did you know that consumers and businesses exchange more than two billion messages every month overFacebook Messenger? Yes, you read that right. With chatbots basking in the limelight, messaging platforms are transforming businesses in unprecedented ways. Ponde is of the opinion that, “People prefer to shop with businesses that are available on messaging platforms. Users want businesses to be available on demand through the platform and apps they already use.” Extend your messaging strategy beyond customer service and incorporate popular messaging platforms to increase its effectiveness.

5. Dive into the World of Data

Data is the new oil. Tech companies have overtaken oil companies. Big data and data science are two of the hottest industries trending on the market. As a business, you need to harness the power of data to target audience effectively. Ponde said, “People signal intent through the actions they take.” This Facebook executive believes if you want to make it big on social media, you will have to take a proactive approach. Do not wait for people to reach out to you and find your products; instead, use data from social media tools such as Facebook Pixel to target and retarget customers effectively.

Which is the best tip you received that helped you achieve social media marketing success? Feel free to share it with us in the comments section below.