media update’s Christine Beukes answers seven of the most frequently asked questions about social media marketing in South Africa.

Although much is known about online marketing, many are still enchanted by the mystery that is social media. Especially in a country like South Africa, where traditional marketing is still holding its own.

South Africans thus often wonder: Do I really need social media? Well, according to a 2020 survey done by market research intelligence company AskAfrika, the number of South Africans who are using social media at least once a day, even during lockdown, is 87%. So to answer the question, yes you do!

And, as digital continues to rise, brands are shifting their efforts to social and all the questions that come with it.

That’s why we’ve taken it upon ourselves to answer some of these:

1. What type of content should I post?

As a general rule of thumb for most South African brands, remember: Local is lekker. Find out what makes your customers tick and align your posts with that.

For example, if your audience consists of entrepreneurs from Johannesburg who are between the ages of 24 to 34, you’re going to want to appeal to them by keeping your posts ‘Mzansi-fresh’ and ‘on-trend’. You could do this by ensuring that your campaigns showcase popular hotspots in the area filled with young business people.

2. How often should I post?

According to recent studies, brands should post as follows:
  • Facebook: Once per day is optimal
  • Twitter: Three to 30 times per day, but find what works for your brand
  • Instagram: Once or twice per day, three at most
  • YouTube: One video per week but be consistent
  • LinkedIn: Once per business day and at least twice a week

3. Which platforms should I post on?

Although this is dependent on your brand voice and personality, as well as who your target audience is, we do have a list of South Africa’s top three most-loved platforms:

1. Facebook – 24 100 000 users
2. LinkedIn – 8 240 000 users
3. Instagram – 5 152 000 users

4. How do I find my target audience?

Do research and check out your competitor’s pages to see who they’re talking to. Beyond that, make use of social listening. This tool picks up on conversations about your brand and associated keywords.

This allows you to see who is talking about you and the products and services you have on offer, allowing you to find the correct target audience.

5. How do I handle negative comments online?

Respond to the comment as quickly as possible. Don’t leave it to fester, as news on social media spreads fast. The best thing to do is find out why the negative comment was made and to respond accordingly, either by apologising or by offering a solution.
To learn more about how to manage your reputation online, check out our guide to responding to negative reviews.

6. How do I get people to engage with my content?

Create posts that your audience finds relatable. Additionally, you can entice your followers with beautiful imagery and videos (visual content excels on social media) to accompany posts.

You can also try running polls on your platforms that ask them engaging questions related to the products and services you have on offer.
Still feeling stumped? You can find more tips in our Infographic: Five rules for writing engaging social media posts.

7. How do I know if my campaign is doing well?

The best way to know if your social media campaign is successful is to keep track of the number of engagements (clicks, likes and shares) and, of course, to see who’s talking about it! The best way to do this is to make use of social media monitoring services, like amaSocial.

These services will tell you exactly who’s mentioning your campaign, where they mentioned it and how they’re mentioning it. And by that, we mean you’ll be able to see whether the overall sentiment is positive, negative or neutral. If it’s positive, you’re ‘A-for-away’!

Are there any more questions you feel need to be answered when it comes to social media marketing? Let us know in the comment section below.

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Now that you know all there is to know about social media marketing, it’s time to get some answers about LinkedIn influencers.
*Image courtesy of Vecteezy