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Week 1

Introduction to: from likes to leads: Interact with customers online

You will study the importance of social media marketing in promoting a business or product. Next, you’ll explore common social media platforms used in digital marketing and how to choose the best platform for a campaign. Then, you’ll discover the five core pillars of social media marketing: strategy, planning and publishing, listening and engagement, analytics and reporting, and paid social media.

Dedication to study

  • Videos: 29 min

  • Leitura: 50 min

  • Teste: 1 Teste com avaliação

Learning Objectives

  • Define social media marketing and describe its purpose.
  • Describe the benefits of social media marketing.
  • Identify the five core pillars of social media marketing: strategy, planning and publishing, listening and engagement, analytics and reporting, and advertising.
  • Understand the difference between paid, owned, and earned social media marketing.
  • Describe how social media marketing fits into the marketing funnel.

Content

  1. Getting started with the course
  2. Understanding social media marketing
  3. Review. Introduction to from likes to leads. Interact with customers online

1. Getting Started with the Course

In this section, you’ll find a detailed breakdown of the initial steps and activities to kickstart your learning journey. Let’s explore the key components:

Introduction to Course 3

  • Video Duration: 2 minutes
Welcome to Social Media Marketing
Introduction

Hi there, and welcome to this exciting course on social media marketing! In this course, we’ll dive into one of the largest and fastest-growing digital marketing channels – social media. Did you know that over 3.5 billion people use social media worldwide, and they spend an average of over two hours per day on these platforms? With such a vast audience, digital marketers have a fantastic opportunity to attract and engage potential customers.

Meet Your Instructor

Before we begin, let me introduce myself. I’m Cindy, and I’ll be your instructor for this course. I currently work as a Product Marketing Manager at Google. My role involves bringing new innovations to the market by championing our customers’ needs and sharing the magic of Google’s products.

In my capacity as a product marketing manager, I’ve used social media marketing to share insights and solutions that help our customers connect with their users and grow their businesses.

Building on Your Digital Marketing Knowledge

You’ve already gained a solid understanding of the basics of digital marketing and how to optimize SEO, SEM, and display advertising to attract and engage customers online. Now, in this course, we’ll take a deep dive into leveraging social media marketing to promote your business, product, or service.

Course Structure

Let’s outline what you can expect to learn in this course:

  1. Five Key Pillars of Social Media Marketing: We’ll explore the fundamental pillars of social media marketing, setting the stage for your journey.
  2. Earned, Owned, and Paid Media: Learn how to effectively use earned, owned, and paid media in your social media campaigns.
  3. Social Media and the Marketing Funnel: Understand where social media marketing fits into the broader marketing funnel.
  4. Creating a Social Media Strategy: Dive into creating a comprehensive strategy, including setting campaign goals and defining your target audience.
  5. Content Planning and Publishing: Discover how to plan and publish content effectively, considering timing and frequency.
  6. Social Media Management Tools: Get acquainted with tools to help streamline your social media management efforts.
  7. Listening and Engaging: Learn how to actively listen to and engage with your social media audience.
  8. Content Creation and Design: Understand content creation and design techniques to build strong customer relationships.
  9. Measuring Success: Explore essential social media metrics and gain the ability to create compelling reports based on your data.
  10. Paid Social Media Campaigns: Finally, you’ll delve into running paid social media campaigns, including remarketing and budgeting.

I’m thrilled to guide you through this exciting part of your digital marketing journey. Let’s get started!

Course 3 Overview

  • Reading Duration: 20 minutes

Hello, and welcome to the third course in the program, From Likes to Leads: Interact with Customers Online. Social media is a key digital marketing channel for many organizations because of the large number of people who use social media platforms to socialize, interact with businesses, and share content. Social media can help engage customers with your brand and drive them towards action. By the end of this course, you will be able to develop a strategy for your social media campaign, plan and publish content at the right time and frequency, listen to and engage your social media audience, measure and report on the success of your campaigns, and run a paid social media campaign.

Course progress

The entire program has seven courses. From Likes to Leads: Interact with Customers Online is the third course in the series.

  1. Foundations of Digital Marketing and E-commerce —(current course) Learn about the fields of digital marketing and e-commerce and the skills needed for associate-level roles.

  2. Attract and Engage Customers with Digital Marketing —Apply the marketing funnel concept to stages of the customer journey, including engagement, conversion, and loyalty. Learn methods for search engine optimization so potential customers find your products or services.

  3. From Likes to Leads: Interact with Customers Online —Learn how to create marketing content and ads on social media platforms and evaluate their effectiveness using social media analytics data.

  4. Think Outside the Inbox: Email Marketing —Learn how to execute email campaigns, use mailing lists, and automate customer communication and workflows.

  5. Assess for Success: Marketing Analytics and Measurement —Learn how to collect, monitor, analyze, and present data from marketing campaigns using analytics and presentation tools.

  6. Make the Sale: Build, Launch, and Manage E-commerce Stores —Learn the process to create a new e-commerce store and drive traffic to the online business through advertising campaigns.

  7. Satisfaction Guaranteed: Develop Customer Loyalty Online —Learn strategies to build customer loyalty in e-commerce and use specific tools to help develop and maintain client relationships. This course also closes out the program with professional development topics to help you prepare for a job search.

    Course 3 content This course has regular assignments. You can complete them at your own pace; however, the assignments are designed to help you finish the program in six months or fewer. Refer to the information below about progression for this course. Good luck as you continue towards completion of the program!

Module 1: Introduction to From likes to leads: Interact with customers online

You will study the importance of social media marketing in promoting a business or product. Next, you’ll explore common social media platforms used in digital marketing and how to choose the best platform for a campaign. Then, you’ll discover the five core pillars of social media marketing: strategy, planning and publishing, listening and engagement, analytics and reporting, and paid social media.

Module 2: Social media strategy, planning, and publishing

You will focus on the first two core pillars of social media marketing: strategy, and planning and publishing. You’ll also learn how to accomplish business goals with a social media marketing campaign and how to identify a target audience while building a brand identity on social media. Then, you’ll learn the differences between paid, owned, earned, and organic social media marketing. Then, you’ll determine how to publish content at the right time and with the right frequency.

Module 3: Listening and engagement on social media

You will focus on the third core pillar of social media marketing: listening and engagement. You’ll learn the importance of social listening and how to use popular social listening tools. Then, you’ll explore ways to develop relationships with customers and build brand authority.

Module 4: Social media analytics and reporting

You will focus on the fourth core pillar of social media marketing: analytics and reporting. You’ll explore the importance of social media analytics and describe different analytics segments. Next, you’ll learn about popular analytics tools and understand how to use the data gathered to make decisions and improvements. Then, you’ll examine the importance of social media reports and practice creating one.

Module 5: Paid social media

You will focus on the fifth core pillar of social media marketing: paid social media. You’ll learn about the benefits of paid advertising on social media and how to choose the best platforms for your ads. You’ll also explore ad formats and content types for different social media platforms and measure the impact of an ad campaign on a social media platform. You’ll end the course by describing common types of social testing and how to run a social test.

What to expect

Each course offers a series of lessons with many types of learning opportunities. These include:

  • Videos for instructors to teach new concepts and demonstrate the use of tools

  • Readings to introduce new ideas and build on the concepts from the videos

  • Discussion forums to share, explore, and reinforce lesson topics for better understanding

  • Discussion prompts to promote thinking and engagement in the discussion forums

  • Self reviews to practice tasks and check your results for accuracy or correctness

  • In-video quizzes to help your comprehension of content presented in videos

  • Practice quizzes to prepare you for graded quizzes

  • Graded quizzes to measure your progress, give you valuable feedback, and satisfy program completion to obtain a certificate—Following program guidelines, you can take a graded quiz multiple times to achieve a passing score of 80% or higher.

Tips for success

  • It is strongly recommended to take these courses—and go through the items in each lesson—in the order they appear because new information and concepts build on previous knowledge.

  • Participate in all learning opportunities to gain as much knowledge and experience as possible.

  • If something is confusing, don’t hesitate to replay a video, review a reading, or repeat a self-review activity.

  • Use the additional resources that are referenced throughout the program. They are designed to support your learning.

  • When you encounter useful links in a course, remember to bookmark them so you can refer to the information later for study or review.

  • Understand and follow the Coursera Code of Conduct to ensure that the learning community remains a welcoming, friendly, and supportive place for all members.

Helpful Resources to Get Started

  • Reading Duration: 20 minutes

As a learner, you can complete this course only. However, to obtain a certificate, you must complete all the courses in the program. This reading describes what is required to obtain a certificate and best practices for you to have a good learning experience on the platform.

Course completion to obtain a certificate

To receive your official Google Digital Marketing and E-commerce Certificate, you must:

  • Pass all graded assignments in all 7 courses of the certificate program. Each graded assignment is part of a cumulative graded score for the course, and the passing grade for each course is 80%.

AND one of the following:

  • Pay the course certificate fee,

  • Be approved for Coursera Financial Aid, or

  • Complete the certificate through an educational institution, employer, or agency that’s sponsoring your participation.

Healthy habits for course completion

Here is a list of best practices that will help you complete the courses in the program in a timely manner:

  • Plan your time: Setting regular study times and sticking with them each week can help you make learning a part of your routine. Use a calendar or timetable to create a schedule, and list what you plan to do each day in order to break your work down into achievable goals. Create a quiet place to watch the videos, review the readings, and complete the activities so you can really focus on the material.

  • Work at your own pace: Everyone learns differently, so this program has been designed to let you work at your own pace. Although your personalized deadlines start when you enroll, they are just a guide. Feel free to move through the program at the speed that works best for you. There is no penalty for late assignments; to earn your certificate, all you have to do is complete all of the work. If you prefer, you can extend your deadlines by returning to Overview in the navigation panel to click Switch Sessions. If you already missed previous deadlines, click Reset my deadlines instead.

  • Be curious: If you find an idea that gets you excited, act on it! Ask questions, search for more details online, check out the links that interest you, and take notes on your discoveries. The little things you do to support your learning along the way will take your knowledge even further, open more doors in this high-growth field, and help you qualify for jobs.

  • Take notes: Notes are useful-to-remember information that you think might be important in the future, especially as you’re preparing to enter a new job field. In addition, taking notes is an effective way to make connections between topics and gain a better understanding of those topics.

  • Chat (responsibly) with other learners: If you have a question, chances are, you’re not alone. Reach out in the discussion forum to ask for help from other learners in this program. You can also visit Coursera’s Global Online

  • Community: Other important things to know while learning with virtual classmates can be found in the Coursera Honor Code and Code of Conduct.

  • Update your profile: Consider updating your profile on Coursera. This link appears in the menu when you click on your name at the top-right corner of this screen. When classmates find you in the discussion forums, they can click on your name to view your profile and get to know you more.

Documents, spreadsheets, and presentations for course activities

To complete certain activities in the program, you will need to use digital documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Marketing professionals use these software tools to collaborate within their teams and organizations. If you need more information about using a particular tool, refer to these resources:

  • Microsoft Word: Help and learning: Microsoft Support page for Word

  • Google Docs: Help Center page for Google Docs

  • Microsoft Excel: Help and learning: Microsoft Support page for Excel

  • Google Sheets: Help Center page for Google Sheets

  • Microsoft PowerPoint: Help and learning: Microsoft Support page for PowerPoint

  • How to use Google Slides: Help Center page for Google Slides

Course glossary

This course will cover a lot of terms and concepts, some of which you may already know and some of which will be new. To remind yourself about what a term means, or to help you review concepts for graded quizzes, refer to the Glossary for this course.

Course feedback

Providing feedback on videos, readings, and other materials is easy. With the resource open in your browser, look for the thumbs-up and thumbs-down symbols.

  • Click thumbs-up for materials that are helpful.

  • Click thumbs-down for materials that are not helpful.

If you want to flag a specific issue with an item, click the flag icon, select a category, and enter an explanation in the text box. This feedback goes back to the course development team and isn’t visible to other learners. All feedback received helps to create even better certificate programs in the future.

Meet and Greet

  • Discussion Prompt Duration: 10 minutes

I’m absolutely thrilled to embark on this exciting journey with all of you in the Course Introduction to from likes to leads in Digital Marketing. The world of interacting with customers online has always held a special fascination for me. As a Web developer based in the vibrant city of Lisbon, Portugal, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing the transformative power of digital marketing within our rapidly evolving tech landscape.

My decision to enroll in this program stems from a firm belief in the essential role that e-commerce and digital marketing play in today’s digital age. With my background as a web developer, I’ve seen firsthand how these skills have the capacity to enhance user experiences and foster deep and meaningful engagement. Naturally, I hold high expectations for this course and am eager to gain valuable insights into customer behavior, effective marketing strategies, and the latest trends within the digital realm.

I am Looking ahead, my goal post-course is to seamlessly integrate these newfound skills into my web development projects. I aim to create websites and platforms that not only boast a great visual appeal but also possess the ability to convert visitors into devoted, loyal customers.

I genuinely look forward to the prospect of learning from each of you and exchanging ideas as we navigate this course together. Please, feel free to connect and share your thoughts. Together, let’s make the most of this incredible learning experience!

Wishing you all the utmost success in your endeavors!

2. Understanding Social Media Marketing

This section introduces you to the fundamental concepts of social media marketing, providing insights into its benefits and core pillars.

Welcome to week 1

  • Video Duration: 1 minute

In this course, we’re diving into the world of social media marketing. Social media encompasses various digital platforms that enable users to create and share content with a global audience. With billions of people actively engaging on these platforms, it’s highly likely that your current and potential customers are among them. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram serve various purposes, including staying connected with friends and family, sharing multimedia content, conducting product research, staying informed about current events, and discovering entertaining articles.

The Reach of Social Media

Social media provides an unparalleled opportunity to connect with these vast user bases in numerous ways. In the upcoming sections, we will explore the essence of social media marketing and how it can significantly benefit your marketing endeavors. You’ll be introduced to the five fundamental pillars of social media marketing, which include:

  1. Strategy: Formulating a solid plan for your social media campaigns.
  2. Planning and Publishing: Creating content and schedules for effective online presence.
  3. Listening and Engagement: Actively engaging with your audience and understanding their preferences.
  4. Analytics and Reporting: Monitoring performance and extracting valuable insights.
  5. Paid Social Media: Leveraging paid advertising for broader reach.
Guiding Customers through the Marketing Funnel

Moreover, you’ll delve into the various types of digital media and explore how they integrate into your social media strategy. Beyond this, you’ll learn how to use social media as a powerful tool to guide potential customers through the marketing funnel. The marketing funnel represents the journey a potential customer embarks on, starting from the initial brand awareness stage and progressing towards the ultimate goal of making a purchase and beyond.

Are you ready to embark on this exciting journey into the realm of social media marketing? Let’s get started on this insightful exploration. 🚀

The Benefits of Social Media Marketing

  • Video Duration: 4 minutes

In this video, we’re delving into the realm of social media marketing. You’ll gain a clear understanding of what it encompasses and why it holds tremendous importance for the success of your marketing campaigns.

Defining Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is the process of creating content specifically tailored for various social media platforms with the primary aim of fostering engagement and promoting a business or product. It’s a powerful tool that enables you to connect with your customers, ultimately allowing them to gain a deeper insight into your brand.

The Significance of Social Media

But what makes social media such a potent marketing tool? There are numerous compelling reasons:

  1. Boosting Brand Awareness: Social media is an exceptional means of increasing brand awareness. It’s all about making your brand or product known to the public. Remember that post from a previously unfamiliar brand that captured your interest? If you can recall it now, that’s a testament to brand awareness.

  2. Vast User Engagement: Social media platforms engage with over half of the world’s population. A Pew Research study found that over 70 percent of social media users check their accounts daily. This active user base presents a prime opportunity to connect with potential customers whenever they log in.

  3. Fostering Customer Relationships: Social media enables you to build stronger relationships with your existing customers. It provides a platform to instill trust, assist in problem-solving, and convey your genuine concern for their needs and opinions.

  4. Driving Traffic to Your Website: It’s a great means of driving more traffic to your website. By sharing website content across your social media platforms, you can funnel users to your site every time you publish a new post. Additionally, you can include your website address in all your social media profiles, simplifying user access to more information about you.

  5. Generating Leads: Social media is one of the most powerful channels for lead generation. A lead represents a potential customer. On social media, a lead is someone who takes a specific action that transforms them into a potential customer, such as filling out a form, subscribing to a free trial, or clicking on a discount code link. Many social platforms offer advertising formats explicitly designed for lead collection.

  6. Gaining Valuable Insights: Social media allows you to gather valuable insights to inform your marketing strategy. Learning about your target audience’s preferences, dislikes, and interests through social media can help you fine-tune your marketing approach. Furthermore, the analytics tools available on most platforms provide extensive data about your audience.

  7. Competitor Analysis: It presents an opportunity to learn about your competitors. Analyzing your competitors’ strategies can help you emulate what’s working for them and refine areas where they fall short.

  8. Cost-Effective Marketing: Most social networking platforms offer free registration and profile creation. Moreover, you can reach users based not only on their interests and hobbies but also on their chosen demographic and personal information. This precision allows you to target the exact customer profile you desire without overspending your budget.

Personal Insight

I’ve personally experienced the significant benefits of social media marketing in my campaigns at Google. For instance, I recently introduced a new product feature and needed to connect with users who could benefit from it. Social media facilitated the dissemination of digestible information, raising awareness about the product and guiding users to the Google Ads Help Center for further exploration.

Universal Applicability

It’s important to note that businesses of all sizes can reap the rewards of a social media presence. Strategies may vary, depending on the company’s scale. In a larger corporation, you might work with a team of designers, copywriters, or even an agency to craft content. On the other hand, in a smaller enterprise, you might find yourself taking on more responsibilities or collaborating with a compact in-house team.

The benefits discussed here are just a glimpse of why this marketing channel holds such significance. As a result, social media marketing has become a pivotal element in the business development strategies of many companies. In the next section, we will delve into the fundamental principles of social media marketing.

Let’s keep the learning momentum going! 🚀

Cindy - A Day in the Life of a Product Marketing Manager

  • Video Duration: 2 minutes

Hello, I’m Cindy, and I currently hold the role of Product Marketing Manager at Google. A typical day in my profession is a dynamic mix of various responsibilities that revolve around understanding customer needs, product innovations, communication, and strategy development.

Key Focus Areas

My daily activities encompass three essential areas of focus:

1. Customer Insights
  • Engaging with Research Agencies and Sellers: I work closely with research agencies and sellers to gain insights into our customers’ perspectives. It’s crucial to understand their challenges and what’s top of mind for them. This information forms the foundation for our strategies.
2. Product Understanding

  • Collaboration with Product Managers: To ensure I comprehend the latest innovations, I collaborate with our product managers. This often involves delving into technical jargon and papers. I invest a significant amount of time digesting and studying these materials. Scheduled discussions with the product manager are vital to grasp the intricacies of the product.

  • Effective Communication: Communicating effectively is key. Establishing connections and fostering relationships is integral to achieving our common objectives. We are all working towards the same goals.

3. Marketing Strategy Development
  • Creating a Strategic Document: My day also includes time spent crafting our marketing strategy. This involves consolidating the insights I’ve gathered and conversations I’ve had earlier in the day. The outcome is a structured document that guides my activities for the rest of the week or month.
Skill Refinement

In the realm of product management, I’ve learned that working with various products sharpens one’s skills. Some products are inherently more complex than others. Diverse experiences across products enable the enhancement of communication skills and the ability to effectively bring a product to market.

Career Progression

In the journey of a product marketing manager, there may come a point where one transitions from an individual contributor to a team leader. As a team leader, the focus shifts towards strategic thinking and cross-functional collaboration with various teams.

Advice for Aspiring Professionals

The most valuable advice I can offer to anyone embarking on a new career is to embrace curiosity and never shy away from asking questions. No question is ever too dull. Curiosity, proactivity, and a genuine thirst for learning are your greatest assets. The sky’s the limit, and my career is a testament to how a desire to learn and grow can lead to unexpected opportunities.

I look forward to the exciting journey that each day brings in the world of product marketing. Feel free to ask any questions you may have or share your own experiences.

How Do You Respond to Marketing on Social Media?

  • Discussion Prompt Duration: 10 minutes

Lately, you’ve focused on learning how social media marketing can help you promote a business, product, or service. Social media marketing has many benefits and can be a key element of many companies’ business development strategies. Now it’s time to bring this knowledge into your everyday life to practice thinking like a social media marketer.

Think of a recent interaction you had with a business or as a consumer on social media. An interaction could have been when you made a purchase, posted a review, took a poll from a company, shared an ad or post with a friend, or entered a contest.

For this discussion prompt, consider the following questions:

  • What made you decide to interact with that business?

  • Why do you think that business chose to market on that platform?

  • What audience were they trying to reach?

Please write a response of 5–10 sentences (100–200 words). Then, go to the discussion forums and, applying what you’ve learned, comment on at least two posts from other learners.

In a recent interaction on social media, I engaged with an advertisement from a local bakery. I was searchin the internet for local bakeries in south portugal. What prompted me to interact with this business was a combination of appealing content and timing. I believe they posted a mouthwatering image of a freshly baked cake along with a limited-time offer for a discount.

The business chose to market on Instagram in this case, because it’s an image-centric platform known for its visual appeal. The bakery effectively used the platform’s strengths by showcasing their delectable cakes. Instagram’s audience is often composed of people who appreciate art, aesthetics, and food, aligning perfectly with the bakery’s products. I believe this platform allowed them to reach a wider demographic interested in such visually appealing offerings.

The business was likely targeting a diverse audience, especially tourists, including local customers looking for sweet treats, cake enthusiasts, and people seeking last-minute dessert options. Additionally, the discount offer was likely meant to attract budget-conscious consumers and drive more immediate purchases.

Overall, this interaction demonstrated the bakery’s effective use of Instagram as a marketing tool, utilizing compelling visuals and an enticing offer to engage and convert potential customers.

The Five Core Pillars of Social Media Marketing

  • Video Duration: 6 minutes

In this section, we’ll delve into the essential components that make up a robust social media marketing strategy. These five core pillars serve as the foundation for any successful campaign:

1. Strategy

The foundation of your social media marketing campaign begins with a well-thought-out strategy:

  • Define your primary goals, whether it’s increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic and sales, providing customer support, building a community, or other objectives.
  • Research and select the most suitable social media platforms based on your target audience.
  • Determine the type of content your audience values, whether it’s educational, inspirational, or entertaining.
  • Experiment with different content formats like images, videos, or articles.
2. Planning and Publishing

To maintain a consistent presence and engage potential customers, planning and publishing are crucial:

  • Schedule your posts in advance to ensure a regular presence.
  • Consider the timing and frequency of your posts to align with your audience’s engagement habits.
  • Utilize social media scheduling tools to automate content publication.
3. Listening and Engagement

As your following grows, it’s essential to listen and engage with your audience:

  • Practice social listening to track conversations and trends related to your brand.
  • Respond to comments, mentions, and messages promptly to foster engagement.
  • Learn from your audience’s interactions to refine your content and engagement strategy.
4. Analytics and Reporting

Data collection and analysis are vital to evaluate your campaign’s performance:

  • Collect data from your social media platforms to assess key metrics.
  • Analyze the data to understand how your campaign is performing.
  • Share social media reports with stakeholders to inform them about the campaign’s results.
5. Paid Social Media

Incorporate paid social media into your strategy for more targeted and controlled marketing efforts:

  • Complement your organic content with paid advertising to reach a broader audience.
  • Utilize the insights gathered from organic efforts to inform your paid social media strategy.
  • Enhance brand visibility and presence through paid social media advertising.

These five pillars work together to help you create a successful and well-rounded social media marketing campaign. In the following lessons, we’ll dive deeper into each pillar to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of how to leverage them effectively.

Identify: The Core Pillars of Social Media Marketing

  • Ungraded Plugin Duration: 30 minutes

Exercise: Categorize each marketing activity under one of the five core pillars of social media marketing

  1. Give a quarterly update about social media growth to stakeholders. - Analytics & Reporting

  2. Schedule a series of posts to promote a specific product. - Planning and Publishing

  3. Host a kick-off meeting to define business goals for an upcoming campaign. - Strategy

  4. Use target audience data to identify social platforms for an upcoming campaign. - Strategy

  5. Buy social media ads to reach people who don’t follow the company. - Paid social media

  6. Monitor online comments for each post. - Listening & Engagement

  7. Respond to comments that mention important topics. - Listening & Engagement

  8. Create a content series for next month, when the audience is most engaged. - Planning and Publishing

  9. Buy social media ads when current campaign engagement drops. - Paid social media

  10. Review engagement data to identify popular content. - Analytics & Reporting

Earned, Owned, and Paid Social Media

  • Video Duration: 4 minutes

Now that you’ve gained an understanding of the five pillars of social media marketing, it’s time to explore the different types of digital media and how they can enhance your social media campaigns. In particular, we’ll delve into earned, owned, and paid media, and discuss how each contributes to building brand awareness, engaging your audience, and boosting sales.

1. Earned Media

Earned media is essentially the word-of-mouth promotion of your brand or product by individuals. This type of media is created by your customers and the broader public. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Earned media is often generated when a customer recommends your product to a friend, posts about it on social media, writes a blog post, or leaves a review.
  • It’s a powerful marketing channel that includes customer reviews, mentions and comments on social platforms, shares, retweets, and likes on your posts.
  • User-generated content (UGC) is a notable form of earned media. UGC encompasses text, videos, images, reviews, and more, created by people rather than brands.
  • For instance, when customers post pictures of themselves using your product on social media, this is a prime example of UGC.

The significant advantage of earned media is its organic nature, making it a foundational element of your social media strategy.

2. Owned Media

Owned media represents the digital content that your brand has complete control over. Common examples include:

  • Websites, which serve as a central owned media property.
  • Blog sites that allow you to publish content under your brand.
  • Social media profiles like those on Facebook and Instagram.
  • Community forums created and managed by your brand.

Key advantages of owned media:

  • Control: You have control over the content, publishing frequency, and user interaction.
  • Marketing: It provides a platform for marketing your products or services.
  • Earned Media Generator: Consistently compelling owned media can lead to more earned media.
3. Paid Media

Paid media involves any form of digital promotion for which your brand pays to display online. Remember that paid social media is the fifth pillar of social media marketing. Examples include:

  • Image ads
  • Video ads
  • Story ads
  • Influencer marketing

Paid media offers several benefits:

  • Targeted Reach: It allows you to reach potential customers who may not actively seek your brand.
  • Specific Audience Targeting: You can tailor your paid campaigns to reach specific groups interested in your products and services.
  • Boosting Content: Paid media can promote your content to increase earned media and direct traffic to owned media properties.

The synergy of earned, owned, and paid social media is instrumental in achieving brand awareness, lead generation, and increased sales. This course will provide you with in-depth insights on how to effectively incorporate these media types into your social media marketing strategies.

Earned, Owned, and Paid Social Media

  • Video Duration: 4 minutes
Types of Digital Media in Social Media Marketing

In this section, we’ll explore the different types of digital media—earned, owned, and paid—and how they integrate into your social media campaigns.

1. Earned Media

Earned media is the unsolicited promotion of your brand by customers. It includes:

  • Customer-generated Content: Customers posting on social media, blogs, or reviews about your product.
  • Social Media Mentions: Any mentions, comments, shares, retweets, or likes related to your posts or content.
  • User-Generated Content (UGC): Content created by users, such as images, videos, and reviews.

Example: Customers sharing pictures wearing your products on social media.

Advantages:

  • Organic Reach: It’s organic and doesn’t require paid promotions.
  • Credibility: Recommendations from real users enhance brand credibility.
2. Owned Media

Owned media refers to the digital assets fully controlled by your brand, including:

  • Websites: Your official website.
  • Social Media Profiles: Your brand’s profiles on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
  • Blogs: Content you publish on your own blog.

Example: Your company’s official website and social media profiles.

Benefits:

  • Control: You have complete control over the content, frequency, and user interaction.
  • Promotion: You can market specific products or services directly.
3. Paid Media

Paid media involves any digital promotion your brand pays for, including:

  • Image Ads: Static image-based advertisements.
  • Video Ads: Promotional videos to engage the audience.
  • Story Ads: Short, engaging visual stories.
  • Influencer Marketing: Collaborations with influencers for promotion.

Example: Promoted posts on social media or collaborations with influencers.

Advantages:

  • Targeted Reach: Allows you to target specific audience segments.
  • Promotion: Drives traffic to owned media and boosts earned media.

Integration of Media Types:

By strategically integrating earned, owned, and paid social media, you can:

  • Boost Brand Awareness: Utilize earned media’s authenticity, drive traffic via paid media, and maintain a consistent presence through owned media.
  • Generate Leads: Engage users with compelling owned media, encourage user-generated content for earned media, and amplify reach through paid promotions.
  • Increase Sales: Combine the credibility of earned media, the control of owned media, and the outreach of paid media to drive sales.

Throughout this course, you’ll learn in-depth strategies on how to effectively incorporate these media types into your social media campaigns, enhancing your brand’s online presence and engagement. Stay tuned for more insights!

Test Your Knowledge: Understand Social Media Marketing

  • Practice Quiz with 5 Questions. Grade: 100%

The Social Media Marketing Funnel

  • Video Duration: 5 minutes

In this section, we’ll explore how to apply the principles of the marketing funnel to your social media marketing campaigns. Here’s a breakdown of the key concepts:

Understanding the Marketing Funnel

The marketing funnel is a visual representation of the customer’s journey, from brand discovery to becoming a loyal customer. It consists of four main stages:

  1. Awareness: When potential customers first encounter a brand.
  2. Consideration: When they actively seek more information.
  3. Conversion: The stage where they decide to make a purchase.
  4. Loyalty: When customers choose to purchase from the brand again.
Adapting the Funnel to Social Media

The social media marketing funnel begins in the awareness stage:

1. Awareness Stage
  • Goal: Capture the audience’s attention.
  • Strategies:
    • Target key phrases related to your audience’s interests.
    • Create content such as guides, videos, and blogs around these topics.
  • Example: If your company offers career guidance services, create content on interview tips and how to interview.
  • Tip: Use paid ads to boost brand awareness among specific target audiences.
2. Consideration Stage
  • Objective: Provide detailed information and set your brand apart from the competition.
  • Content: Case studies, customer testimonials, product reviews, and in-depth tutorials.
  • The “Rule of Seven”: Potential customers should see your message multiple times before taking action.
  • Social Media Advantage: Each appearance in someone’s feed makes them more familiar with your brand.
3. Conversion Stage
  • Goal: Capitalize on the interest your potential customers have already shown.
  • Tactics: Utilize paid remarketing campaigns to reach those who’ve expressed interest.
  • Remarketing (Retargeting): Use paid ads to target users who’ve visited your website, app, or social media profile.
  • Incentives: Offer discounts or free shipping to nudge them towards a purchase.
4. Loyalty Stage
  • Crucial Importance: It’s more cost-effective to retain existing customers than acquire new ones.
  • Strategies:
    • Use remarketing ads to encourage repeat purchases.
    • Foster a sense of community by creating social media content related to customers’ previous purchases.
  • Example: Prompt customers to share their success stories on your community forum.

This wraps up the application of the marketing funnel to your social media marketing campaigns, where each stage plays a vital role in guiding prospective customers to becoming loyal brand advocates. In the next section, we’ll review what you’ve learned and provide insights into what to expect next.

3. Review: “From Likes to Leads: Interact with Customers Online”

In this concluding segment, you’ll review and wrap up the key points covered in Module 1 of “From Likes to Leads.” Additionally, you’ll find a challenge to apply what you’ve learned.

Wrap-up

  • Video Duration: 1 minute

Let’s take a moment to review the key insights from what we’ve covered in this course:

The Power of Social Media Marketing
  • Social media marketing can benefit your campaigns by:
    • Increasing brand awareness.
    • Targeting new customers and nurturing relationships with existing ones.
    • Generating leads.
Core Pillars of Social Media Marketing

We discussed the five core pillars essential for a successful social media campaign.

1. Strategy
  • Goal Setting: Define your primary objectives, aligning them with your broader marketing and business goals.
  • Platform Selection: Research and choose the social media platforms most suitable for your target audience.
  • Content Planning: Craft a content strategy tailored to your audience’s preferences and your brand’s identity.
2. Planning and Publishing
  • Consistency: Maintain a steady online presence by scheduling posts.
  • Diverse Content: Utilize a variety of content formats, such as images, videos, and articles, to engage your audience effectively.
  • Scheduling Tools: Leverage social media scheduling tools for efficient content management.
3. Listening and Engagement
  • Social Listening: Monitor and analyze conversations, trends, and sentiments related to your brand.
  • Audience Interaction: Engage with your audience, responding to comments, likes, and shares.
  • Building Positive Experiences: Enhance your brand’s reputation by addressing customer needs and feedback.
4. Analytics and Reporting
  • Data Collection: Gather data from your social media platforms to evaluate campaign performance.
  • Data Analysis: Analyze key metrics like engagement, reach, and conversions to refine your marketing strategy.
  • Stakeholder Communication: Share social media reports with stakeholders to inform them about campaign results.
5. Incorporating Earned, Owned, and Paid Media

We explored the benefits of integrating different types of media into your social media strategy:

Earned Media
  • Generated by your customers through activities like reviews, mentions, shares, and user-generated content.
  • A powerful tool for building brand trust and credibility.
Owned Media
  • Fully controlled by your brand, such as your website, blog, and social media profiles.
  • Allows you to control your brand’s narrative and showcase specific products or services.
  • Involves digital promotions for which your brand pays, like ads and influencer marketing.
  • Effective in reaching audiences not actively seeking your brand and driving more earned media.
Guiding Customers Through the Marketing Funnel via Social Media

We discussed strategies for each stage of the marketing funnel using social media:

Awareness Stage
  • Goal: Capture the audience’s attention with targeted content and paid ads.
  • Example: Creating content like guides, videos, and blogs to pique interest.
Consideration Stage
  • Objective: Provide detailed information, build trust, and set your brand apart from competitors.
  • Content: Case studies, testimonials, product reviews, and tutorials.
Conversion Stage
  • Goal: Capitalize on the interest people have shown.
  • Tactics: Utilize paid remarketing campaigns, offer incentives, and encourage purchases.
Loyalty Stage
  • Crucial Importance: Retaining existing customers is cost-effective.
  • Strategies: Use remarketing to encourage repeat purchases and foster a sense of community.

While the social media landscape is continually evolving, the principles and tactics you’ve learned in this course provide a solid foundation to navigate this dynamic field.

In the upcoming lessons, we’ll delve deeper into the first two pillars of social media marketing: “Strategy” and “Planning and Publishing.” Stay tuned for more valuable insights and practical guidance.

Glossary Terms from Module 1

  • Reading Duration: 10 minutes
Terms and definitions from Course 3, Module 1

Module 1 Challenge

  • Due Date: October 29, 11:59 PM. Grade: 100%

END! - Week 1 - Course 3