Social media has taken the online world by storm, permanently establishing itself as one of the most frequently opened browser tabs and most frequently downloaded mobile apps. The popularity of individual platforms has changed over the years, but one thing remains constant: we love social media and what it offers. Therefore, although social media platforms were created to facilitate contact with friends, they quickly evolved into a veritable Eldorado for marketers. They have become a place where you can showcase your brand, connect with customers, and gradually build their loyalty. Today, 45,3% of Polish internet users primarily use social media to obtain brand information (according to Digital Poland 2021). Social media marketing can therefore be an excellent way to increase company profits – both for services and stores. But which channels should you choose, and how can you leverage their potential?
The most popular social media in Poland
First, let's review the social media platforms most frequently used by Poles. It may come as a surprise that the most popular platform in Poland isn't Facebook at all, but YouTube – used by a staggering 92,8% of internet users aged 16-64 (source: Digital Poland 2021). Facebook comes in second, followed by Facebook Messenger. Next in line are platforms such as:
- Instagram
- WhatsApp
- Twitter
- Skype or Whatsapp
- Snapchat
- TikTok
- Pinterest
- LinkedIn
These social media platforms have a much smaller reach than the top three giants, but they are still used by a huge group of internet users – from 60% to approximately 25% of internet users. Such numbers are quite impressive, which is why social media marketing continues to gain popularity. However, it's important to approach it methodically and with a well-developed strategy.
Social media marketing – channel selection
First and foremost, it's worth realizing that effective marketing doesn't mean your brand has to be present on all available social media channels. Of course, if you have the time and resources, you can invest in activities on various platforms, but it's worth considering how profitable it will be. First, analyze the habits of your target audience. Consider which types of users fit into this group and where they spend the most time. This will help you identify the social media channels that are best suited for your business. Sometimes the choice is quite obvious – it's common knowledge that business partners aren't likely to be found on TikTok, and plumbing services aren't an "Instagram-friendly" industry. However, when conducting analysis, it's worth considering not only your own intuition and experience, but also available statistics from various sources – there's a good chance you'll find audiences you previously didn't have access to. We wrote about how different generations use social media in a separate article.
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After the initial sifting, it's time to assess whether the budget will allow for a presence on all the channels we've identified as useful. It's also worth considering whether we have the time to actively pursue each of them or whether we can afford to outsource social media management to an external agency. The best approach, of course, is omnichannel, supporting sales wherever our customers are. With skillful use of various social media and a consistent message, we can expect synergies that will significantly increase profits. However, if we have relatively limited resources, it's better to focus on a smaller number of platforms. This will allow us to maintain high-quality ads and posts, making promotion more effective than disorganized efforts across multiple channels.
What does effective social media marketing look like?
The essence of effective social media marketing is understanding the specifics of each channel we operate in. Online promotion differs significantly from what might be considered traditional advertising—television, radio, print, or billboards. Its essence is that audiences aren't passive; they engage with the brand, can comment on its posts, ask questions, post reactions, or share content to share with their friends. Furthermore, we only have a fraction of a second to engage a recipient—whether it's an ad or an unpromoted post. Users are bombarded with a variety of information online, and only a small percentage of it holds their attention for long. Therefore, social media posts should be, above all:
- eye-catching – this doesn't mean we should use a rainbow of colors and dozens of emojis. The point is to somehow capture the audience's attention. You can do this with an interesting photo composition, an intriguing slogan, or any other method – the more creative, the better.
- engaging – On social media, it's not enough to showcase your products or services and wait for applause. It's important to publish content that compels users to take action. We can ask our audience for their opinions and preferences (e.g., their favorite brand product), encourage them to respond to posts, or organize contests with prizes. Sometimes, to engage a recipient, simply showing the brand behind the scenes is enough: describing how it works or introducing its employees. Such posts generate significant engagement and increase brand credibility.
- adaptation to the medium – Each social media platform has its own specifics. On Instagram, we operate almost exclusively through images, and we build reach with carefully selected hashtags. On Facebook, we often combine images or videos with text. LinkedIn is a medium for industry publications, where the substantive value of the post is valued. TikTok uses short videos that have nothing in common with polished, polished TV commercials – they are spontaneous, natural, and amateur, but in a positive, relaxed way. If we don't adhere to these unwritten rules, our communication will be artificial and, as a result, ineffective.
- current Not every post has to be about the current situation, but it's worth referencing events that are relevant to society, though only if they can be linked to the brand's offerings or its business profile. This includes regular events like holidays, vacations, the start of the school year, Black Friday, sporting events (Olympics, Euros, etc.), but also less obvious events. When searching for ideas, you can consult calendars of unusual holidays or even news portals. Often, a funny politician's blunder, an unusual event, or a comical photo become fodder for internet users and the basis for viral videos. However, when using real-time marketing, you need to act quickly and creatively. Only an immediate and brilliant response to an event will be met with applause from the online community. Late "rehashes" will only bring boredom and irritation.
- valuable for the recipient A common mistake among social media marketing companies is to write about themselves instead of the user. Often, the solution is simply to change the narrative. For example, if a cosmetics company boasts about creating a new hair conditioner, the value of this message to the user will be negligible. However, it's a different story if they announce a unique solution for people struggling with difficult-to-detangle hair. Then our target audience will feel that the post is relevant to them and worth engaging with.
Advantages of social media marketing
Social media marketing has many advantages that a good specialist can skillfully utilize. These include:
- variety of formats – using social media we can publish texts, videos, photos, collages, slideshows, create groups, events, add locations, moods and many other elements that enrich the message.
- direct contact with recipients – Social media, unlike anywhere else, allows us to build customer relationships with a brand and explore their needs. Thanks to social media, recipients have faster, more direct contact with a company than with emails or forms.
- the ability to direct traffic to a website – we can include links to the blog, offers or individual products from the assortment in entries, which means that social media can be valuable sources of traffic.
- large range – As we've already mentioned, social media is used by a huge number of people from all age groups. A brand from virtually any industry can find the most relevant audience for its marketing goals.
- speed of information dissemination – If time is of the essence, social media is an ideal way to communicate messages. We can post information about promotions, sales, changes to our offerings, and even unplanned situations, such as a restaurant temporarily closing due to a malfunction or a last-minute appointment for a cosmetic procedure that can be taken over by someone else.
- the ability to conduct both organic and paid activities – you don't have to pay to run company social media profiles. This means you can build your audience without incurring any costs. However, it's important to remember the tendency to reduce organic reach on social media – as a result, a regular post may only reach a small percentage of people who have shown interest in the brand's profile. However, free activities can be supported. paid advertising campaigns, which will reach a very well-selected target group. After all, who knows more about us than the social media we actively use?
- opportunity to build brand awareness Social media marketing is often used to increase brand recognition, build a narrative around it, and communicate company values. This allows potential customers to develop a strong bond with the brand, which in turn helps ensure loyalty.
Social media marketing – what should you watch out for?
Social media is a tool that must be used carefully, as the slightest mistake can have a wide resonance. A misunderstood post or ad will be widely commented on and shared, which in turn increases publicity and damages the brand's image. A prime example is a post from Orange from several years ago, which still serves as a warning to most marketers. The brand published a post on its Facebook page asking: "What surprised you most about Orange in recent years?" Users began commenting en masse about the unpleasant surprises they encountered in the offer and when dealing with consultants. A seemingly innocent post turned into a storm that left long-lasting scars on the brand's image. Therefore, when using social media , it's important to anticipate potential crises and, in the event of unexpected situations, react quickly to minimize damage.
It's also important to note that social media marketing is time-consuming. It requires not only preparing content for publication but also monitoring comments and private messages, and building community engagement, which requires high levels of accessibility. Another downside is that content published on social media is more fleeting than elsewhere. Therefore, a significant number of people may miss the information posted there due to overlap with other posts and advertisements. For this reason, it's worth posting important messages not only on social media but also in other places—for example, on your website.
Frequently asked questions about social media marketing
It encompasses all activities conducted on social media platforms (such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Pinterest). The goal of SMM isn't just to gain "likes," but primarily to build a strong brand image, engage the community, drive traffic to the website, and ultimately, drive sales.
The foundation is creating a well-thought-out strategy. Before publishing your first post, you need to define your target audience (who they are and what they need), establish measurable business goals, select appropriate channels, and establish a consistent communication style (tone of voice).
Absolutely not. Trying to be everywhere often wastes time and budget. Your choice of platforms should be based directly on the specifics of your industry and the behavior of your target audience. LinkedIn is an ideal environment for B2B activities, TikTok and Instagram dominate visual industries and reach younger generations, and Facebook remains a universal channel with an extremely precise advertising system.
The key to success is the synergy of these two activities. Organic (unpaid) publications build relationships, credibility, and a loyal community around the brand. Paid campaigns (e.g., Meta Ads) are now essential to breaking through algorithm limitations, precisely reaching new target groups, and generating measurable sales on a large scale.
The main sins of brands include: lack of regularity in publishing, treating the profile as a bulletin board (too many purely sales posts compared to educational or entertainment content), lack of interaction with users (ignoring comments and messages) and lack of data analysis, which means that actions are carried out "blindly".
It's worth moving away from focusing on vanity metrics, i.e., the mere number of followers. Much more important for business are engagement metrics (number of shares, saved posts, and substantive comments), link click-through rate (CTR), and direct page visits and conversions, which can be precisely tracked using analytical tools (e.g., Google Analytics 4).
Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- which social media are most frequently used by Poles,
- why social media marketing requires a well-thought-out strategy and matching channels to audiences,
- selecting appropriate social media channels for the target group and budget,
- risks associated with conducting activities on social media.
