With the development of the commercialization of the Internet, a large number of new speci alties have appeared. What is SMM - many have already figured it out. Well, for those who first encountered this abbreviation, we will tell you more.
Marketing
Internet marketing has evolved so rapidly that all the aspects that companies previously used in the real world have moved into the virtual. But the main goal remains the same: selling and managing goods and services.
What is SMM - they will explain it to you at internet marketing courses. It now occupies a significant part of all e-commerce. Sometimes it is called online marketing, but the essence of this does not change.
This segment is growing every year in the consumer sector. On this account, figures indicating the number of open online stores can tell. It is also becoming popular in the B2B segment. The main advantage of this speci alty is its interactivity. In addition, it is possible to select the target audience of the product as successfully as possible, target it, get a post-click and increase conversions.
It was Internet marketing that influenced the development of a huge number of new speci alties,which are closely related:
- Display and contextual advertising.
- Search marketing, which refers to SEO.
- Promotion in social networks (SMM and SMO).
- Direct marketing.
- Viral.
- Partisan.
- "Email" marketing.
- Content marketing.
Social networks
Social media marketing has become very popular. People have learned how to advertise their business on social platforms, and in return they have received an increase in conversions. SMM is Social Media Marketing, that is, social media marketing.
This is a kind of tool that draws attention to the product through social platforms. There are no set rules, of course. It all depends on the subject, goals, audience, etc. Nevertheless, the main points have already been formed, according to which this branch of Internet marketing can be distinguished.
The main goal is to develop quality content that users will want to share, and, accordingly, distribute it themselves. Studies have shown that messages from social networks have a high level of trust. This is most likely due to a popular recommendation.
SMM promotion helps to influence users pointwise, to find platforms where representatives of the target audience “live”. Thanks to social networks, professionals have good ways to communicate.
In addition to everything else, information companies also participate in promotions. So, you can sell not just a product or service, but also news. Dueposting part of an article on a social network, you can increase traffic on the site itself.
Specialist
The main actor in this process is the SMM manager. It is not difficult to guess what he must understand about everything related to this topic. It uses a set of measures to promote websites, products or services, referring to social channels. The latter include social networks, as well as blogs and thematic resources (forums).
This speci alty is not narrowly focused. The fact is that an SMM manager needs to understand both marketing and IT. Accordingly, sometimes you have to work with a number of other, indirect tasks:
- Publish content on the site.
- Cases and strategies.
- Programming languages.
- Graphic editors.
- Online applications.
The process of SMM promotion itself is very creative and active. To succeed, it is important to constantly look for something, study and analyze.
Features of the speci alty
Like any profession, this one has its own characteristics. For the SMM manager, both complex tasks and functional responsibilities are available. In the first case, he can help the entire department or supplement the available data, in the second, he follows the job description.
I must warn you right away that depending on the company in which the manager works, his tasks can vary significantly. But in general, he must:
- Shape and promote the product through presentations, specific formats and pricing.
- Prepare and launch advertising campaigns in social networks and blogs. It is desirable to use the maximum number of channels.
- Keep in touch with potential buyers and customers.
- Analyze competitors and their advertising campaigns, use their most effective promotion methods in your project.
- Build a positive company image by posting comments on forums.
Know everything
Of course, these are not all tasks. Training in CMM will definitely open up even more of your responsibilities. Something you will use in one company, something in another.
For example, you might want to develop strategies. In this case, you will be taught to identify your target audience, to draw up a detailed portrait. After that, you need to analyze behavioral factors and look for places with the highest concentration of target audience.
The courses teach you how to manage advertising. In this case, you need to come up with interesting contests and flash mobs to constantly maintain interest in the product. You will have to learn how to write flattering posts about yourself. Such support for the company's image is very important, because it is in the reviews and on the forums that people's opinion about new products is formed.
During the CMM training, you will meet a community manager. Sometimes this is a separate position, sometimes an SMM manager does this. The main task in this case is to maintain a conversation under the posts and direct it in the right direction.
Of course, you need to learn how to work with all social network accounts, andalso manage freelancers. Often you have to adapt content to a brand and certain platforms. You need to be able to create advertising posts that are not intrusive. This includes hidden marketing.
Dignity
Understanding what CMM is, over time you will be able to determine for yourself the advantages and disadvantages of such work. Among the advantages, one can clearly distinguish demand. Since the profession is only developing, the demand for specialists in this industry is growing.
Potential customers are much more likely to perceive such product advertising, because it is "calmer". Social networks are a cool tool for accurately choosing the target audience. There are many options for customizing marketing by location, gender, age, and queries.
The cost of promotions itself is small. Although everything will depend on the promotion channels. If you write posts yourself, then it will not cost you anything. If you want to use an opinion leader (blogger), you will have to pay him an impressive fee.
Thanks to the "word of mouth" effect, the news of a new quality product will quickly spread through the network.
Flaws
It is important to understand that due to insufficient knowledge and lack of regulated rules, SMM marketing has its drawbacks. Chief among them is the incompetence of specialists.
Not all business leaders clearly understand the goals and objectives of social promotion. This results in the hiring of less qualified professionals who are similarlyunderstand their responsibilities. Therefore, the effectiveness of SMM is extremely low and not advisable.
Tools
Most of the "smms" have already acquired some programs that help them in their work. For example, one of them was the SMM glider. This service will help you stay in touch all the time and use delayed posting.
This feature works great if you have a content plan. You will be able to make a schedule and publish posts on time.
This service works with most popular social networks. It uses pictures, links, videos, and even emoticons. There is a built-in graphics editor. You can set a time limit for when a post will automatically disappear. This is necessary if you are using promotional content that is paid for for a certain period.
Despite the fact that the SMM planner is almost always a paid tool, it gives the user a lot of bonuses. Thanks to him, you can get 100 free posts for VKontakte subscriptions and likes on Facebook. As a result, a simple young project can be promoted for free.
Through such a program, you can distribute the frequency of posts and originality. Automation of work in this area is very important, especially if you are working on several projects at once.
Conclusions
What is SMM is not immediately clear. This is because, despite its clear distinction from other online marketing speci alties, the profession often has to deal with even traditional marketing.
Working with socialnetworks - at the moment an effective way to promote a product, service or information. People largely trust social networks and forums, reading the reviews and comments of other users.
The main task of a specialist in this field is interaction with the audience. He needs to become part of the community and best friend. It is important to be open, honest and funny. Then potential customers will trust and buy.
