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There is a lot of work to do when it comes to running your own business. Marketing is essential, and there are so many ways to get the word out. Social media marketing will be something you hear a lot about.

People will tell you to market your business on Facebook and to utilize the newest social media platform TikTok. There’s a lot to do, and things get overwhelming.

Before you even jump into anything, you need to know if social media marketing even works. Why waste time and effort on something that isn’t any good? With over 1 billion users, advertisers have been rushing to Tiktok. But many end up making content that flops. It would be better to know about tiktok ad statistics. Another way is to see what’s working and copy that. To do that, you need to use a tiktok spy tool to spy on your competitor’s ads.

This form of marketing can be hit and miss. I’m not going to tell you to forget about it completely, but you will need to do other forms of marketing as well. There’s also an element of trial and error when it comes to marketing, so you need to be like Goldilocks.

Social media marketing is all about timing

One of the biggest issues is that social media runs so quickly in a person’s life. Just look at Twitter. How fast do you lose something that someone has shared? Even when you use hashtags, the content is quickly buried by everything else people are sharing.

It’s difficult to make something stand out, unless you get the timing perfect. This is something I’m working on, but it will take time to manage. I’ve been working on it for years and had it just right back in the UK. Now I’ve moved to Canada I need to take time zones into account to make sure I share at the right time.

And it’s not just Twitter that’s affected. Every social media network moves by so quickly. Consider using services from themarketingheaven.com if you want to receive real shares on Threads from active and engaged users.

Most people just read the headline

Did you know that people who share your content may not have even read your piece? If you’re sharing a blog post from your business, those social media shares don’t equal the views you’ll get.

Why? Because people use it to quickly share something they think their followers will like. Or they’ll share it to save it for later (I know I’ve been guilty of that because of how fast newsfeeds can run.)

You can use this to your advantage though. Think about the headline and the hashtags you use. Make sure you get in front of the right audience. Even if they don’t read, encourage them to share. They get the content in front of their followers and you have more chance of getting eyes on the page.

I will say that email marketing is much more powerful for conversation rates than social media marketing, very much because of this.

You need to get the right platform for your business

When you do opt for social media marketing, you need to know where your audience is going to be. This includes places on the networks and the actual networks themselves

Think about the target customers of your business. Take the time to find out where you can find them, what type of social networks they like to use, and the hashtags they will likely incorporate. It really does take patience but it is so worth it in the end.

You’re more likely to get your content read by getting it in front of the right eyes. People are more likely to buy your products. They’ll then share with their friends, getting it in front of more right eyes.

So, when you have a business, don’t rely on one type of marketing. Social media marketing works for many, but it is important to get your content in the right audience and know how social media users work. Build your knowledge to make it work for you.

MORE: 3 top tips for managing your time on social media

What types of marketing are you involved in yet? Have you tested out social media marketing? Share your thoughts in the comments below.