8 Social Media Marketing Tips

Social media has literally taken over lives. That's what happens when everyone is walking around with what equates to a miniature computer in their pockets. According to Statista, the average person spends 136 minutes a day on social media platforms. Direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands and marketers continue to bet big on social advertising. Based on eMarketer's 2020 forecasts, advertisers are expected to increase social ad spending by 20.4% — equating to $43.53 billion. With that chunk of change being spent, it's important to develop a sound and comprehensive social strategy so that every dollar spent impacts the bottom line. So, what are some social media marketing tips that D2C brands should consider when building out their social campaigns?

Let’s go over a few social media marketing tips that will elevate your performance this year and beyond.

Social Media Marketing Tips

1. Consider when ads are posted. A brand should consider when they have the best engagement on their site and the content that’s attracting the most attention. Make sure to double down on both or look to fill the gaps at other times. Conduct an audit of previous social campaigns to see when ads receive the most engagement.

Additionally, doing a bit of research on optimal post times can be fruitful. According to Hubspot, these are the best times to post on Instagram:

• • Monday: Engagement peaks between 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
  • Tuesday: 8:00 am to 6:00 pm and again at 7:00 pm
  • Wednesday: 5:00 am and between 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
  • Thursday: 5:00 am and between 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
  • Friday: 5:00 am and between 9:00 am to 10:00 am, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, and 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
  • Saturday: 9:00 am to 11:00 am
  • Sunday: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

2. Find your way on Instagram’s Explore page. Over 200 million people visit the Explore page daily. It’s a selection of content based on your comments, likes, and the activity of the accounts you follow. It’s perfect for businesses: if your posts are featured on another user’s Explore page, you’ve increased your exposure exponentially. Plenty of engagement on your posts is the key to getting featured, which is why it’s important to create awesome content — and lots of it. Think about the types of posts your followers interact with the most and use this insight to inspire future content. And don’t forget to make good use of hashtags, tagging, and CTAs.

3. Tag people and add locations to your posts. Tagging can be useful if you partner with other businesses and want to encourage your users to connect with them — and posts that mention users see up to 56% more engagement than posts that don’t. You also have the opportunity to add a location to your post. A location can help you improve your reach and increase the visibility of your account. It also acts as a link to a Photo Map, which allows users to see more photos with the same location tag.

4. Think about using an e-commerce app. Platforms like Shopify allow users to turn their posts featuring a product into Instagram ads — so it’s a great option if you want to get the most out of your posts.

5. Utilize the power of a great caption. Algorithms tend to boost posts that receive the most likes or comments — so when it comes to audiences seeing your posts, a good caption could make all the difference. Captions should entice people with relevant and valuable information that complements the visuals. Make sure to use CTAs in your captions to drive engagement — particularly those with action-focused language like “Use,” “Start,” and “Get.”

6. Always add hashtags. Posts with at least one hashtag get 12.6% more engagement than those without. Hashtags are key to securing more exposure — without them, only your followers will see what you post. You can use up to 30 tags on a post, but 5–10 is ideal, including your brand name. It’s also better to post hashtags in the first comment of your post, rather than the caption, so the text looks neat and clutter-free.

7. Use third-party filters. The top three Instagram filters used in the US were Clarendon, Gingham, and Juno — but the most appealing profiles spruce up their photos using apps such as VSCO, a tool ranked highly by photographers. Just remember to apply the same treatment or filter to all content to create a consistent look and feel. Note that while high-quality photos are crucial, filters might not be as important for LinkedIn.

8. Keep the entire funnel in mind. Marketing campaigns tend to prioritize the bottom of the funnel — but building familiarity with new audiences is just as important. Brand awareness campaigns provide a big impact by targeting upper-funnel prospects that mirror your current audiences and customer. Pairing these campaigns with video makes perfect sense, but it’s important to know how you’re quantifying success.

Looking to level up your social media strategy? Check out our resources below!

Last updated on May 22nd, 2023.