Make 2024 the year your finally master social media marketing. Search Engine Journal says there are 4.8 billion social media users worldwide; that’s 59.9% of the global population and 92.7% of all internet users. Every day, 410,000 new users join social media. To widen your reach and grow your business, learn how to tap into this massive audience.
Consumers Want to Interact with You on Social Media
As social media has become more entrenched in daily life, people expect to hear from companies online. Sprout Social found that 64% of consumers want brands to connect with them, and 70% of consumers report feeling more connected to brands when the CEO is active on social media.
Social media also plays an important role is product research. According to Think with Google, 53% of shoppers say they always do research online before shopping. With a high stakes purchase like insurance, it’s reasonable to assume that online research is even more common. Although some people may use search engines to research, many people use social media. In fact, Frontier found that 82% of people prefer to search on social media instead of a search engine. This makes a strong social media presence critical.
But Social Media Is Becoming More Fragmented
In 2024, social media will no doubt continue to play a big role in marketing and life in general. However, it’s also increasingly fragmented. New platforms – including Threads and BlueSky – are giving people more social media options. Digiday says some advertisers are experimenting with these alternative platforms.
The plethora of options can make it more difficult for marketers to decide which social media platforms to use. However, despite the rise of new platforms, big names like Facebook still dominate the social media scene. According to HubSpot, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter are the most popular platforms in the U.S. in 2023. LinkedIn also continues to be popular in its business-focused niched.
- 69% of U.S. adults use Facebook.
- 57% use YouTube.
- 45% use Instagram.
- 33% use TikTok.
- 30% use Twitter (rebranded as X).
- 18% use LinkedIn.
Overall, HubSpot says 84% of U.S. adults use social media. That’s a huge audience, and you can access it with just a little effort.
Select Your Social Media Platforms
One of the most critical steps in social media marketing is selecting the social media platforms that will yield the best results. Ask yourself:
- Where is your audience? Facebook still reigns as the most popular site, so it continues to be a great option. If you’re trying to sell insurance to other businesses or professionals, LinkedIn also deserves your attention.
- Which sites do you like? You’ll need to spend time of the platforms you choose, so your comfort level matters. For example, if you have a personal Twitter/X account, know how to use the platform and enjoy the way it’s set up, creating a professional Twitter/X account makes sense. (But you DON’T want to use your personal account for marketing.)
Be Active on the Site
Opening an account won’t help you find prospects if you don’t actually use your account. You need to stay active on the site.
- Set up your profile. Before you do anything else, you need to upload a profile picture and fill out your bio.
- Interact with other users. Start following other accounts and interact with their posts. If you’re not sure where to start, focus on building centers of influence by following professionals who complement your business, such as real estate agents and accountants. You can also follow people in your target audience, such as doctors and business owners.
- Decide what to post. You need to post information that appeals to your audience and educates people on your services. High-quality images can also help your posts stand out. To help you, we’ve put together some ready-to-share social posts that you can use.
- Post regularly. According to Hootsuite, the ideal posting frequency depends on the site. At a minimum, you need to post once a week, and on sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, it’s better to post around two times a day.
Make Social Media Part of Your Bigger Marketing Strategy
Your social media marketing strategy should complement your other marketing strategies. For example, your social media profile should link to your website, and your website should link to your social media profile. You should also include your social media platforms in your email signature and on your business cards. If you blog, you can add buttons that make it easy for readers to share the content on social media.
For more tips, read 10 ways to integrate social media into your insurance marketing.
DIS Can Help
If you’re ready to master social media marketing in 2024, DIS can help. Download our free social media marketing guide.
