The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Marketing

Since I’ve been involved in the marketing world for so long, there are many insights I’ve learned over the years. This is especially true when it comes to the social media world. In this quick guide, I’ll give you some of the best posts on my blog with regards to general social media marketing, which are areas related to social media marketing for which there is no specific category.

In case you were wondering, these are the additional categories related to social media marketing for which content is available on this site:

General Marketing Advice

Before we can specialize our discussion of marketing, there are some general principles that need to be discussed. For example, everyone wants customer loyalty, because it keeps marketing costs down and profits high. And, it’s always a good idea to try and meet customers where they are. These posts fill in the details.

Definition of Customer Loyalty in Marketing

In marketing, a loyal customer is something beyond just the repeat customer. Whereas repeat customers might keep buying for a number of variable reasons, loyal customers feel a connection to your brand. Loyal customers are more valuable, because they will spend more and recommend you more often. Loyalty marketing is a discipline that focuses on gaining customer loyalty. I discuss two famous brands that have done it well: Starbucks and Amazon. Both have built a loyal customer base. I argue that you should try this too, and give pointers for implementation.

What is So(Social) Lo(Local) Mo(Mobile) and Why is It Important to Marketers?

Joe Ruiz talks about the importance of marketing via social channels, while taking advantage of location-based customer targeting and the (then still emerging) power of smartphones for customer engagement. At the heart of this post is the fact that people tend to consult other people about products and services before buying. Long over are the days when only advertising from a company was enough. Now, you need to be conscious of review sites like Yelp and Google business pages.

Customer Experience Marketing

Do you enjoy going into a business with surly employees, long lines, and poor products? I didn’t think so. The following posts serve up some advice on how to make customer experiences the best possible. Then, your business will be free to grow.

5 Ways Panera Bread Creates an Engaging Customer Experience – A Case Study

Panera Bread is a master at customer experience, according to Joe Ruiz. Here’s how they did it. First, they listened to customers and found ways of adjusting their food offerings so that it would be more appealing. This included making options healthier, including by providing ingredient and calorie information. Second, they worked to reduce wait times at the counter. In other words, they became quick service without the “fast food” vibe. Third, they improved customer choice in how they ordered food, including mobile ordering options that reduce the wait. Fourth, they build connections with their customers through quality content marketing. And fifth, they’ve built an online community around their brand, leveraging social media. Overall, this strategy has been highly successful.

Personal Branding

As a sales, marketing, or media professional, you need a good personal brand. This can also be said of freelance professionals and solopreneurs. Here, I have some constructive tips on how you can build your personal brand. Then, there’s a discussion about what not to do.

How to Network Effectively for Your Personal Brand

Karin Sebelin points out that networking is one of the most important things you can do to build your personal brand. Yet, there is so much more to networking than just getting out there and collecting business cards, or adding people to your LinkedIn. Instead, networking involves building genuine and trusting relationships. Don’t be afraid to compliment people you’ve met: they’ll like that. Be polite, and respect their time. Take the time to support others, but don’t expect anything back in return. Don’t waste time on annoying people, but do spend time on the people who are willing to give back. Lastly, don’t underestimate your weak ties: they’re often people who work in a different industry or social circle, and they sometimes provide needed perspective. 

Employee Advocacy

Once upon a time, employers were scared of social media. However, they’ve always believed in some form of employee advocacy. For instance, employees who take pride in their work and appreciate how they’re being treated tell their family and friends. These posts talk about how the divide between social media and employee advocacy is being bridged.

10 Stats That Prove the Importance of Employee Advocacy

Is your HR department still paranoid about what employees say about your company online? They may want to lighten up. According to Venkatesh Raman, employee advocacy is critical for the modern brand. That’s because studies show that consumers turn to their friends for information about companies, brands, and even job openings. As a result, if someone loves their job and gushes about how they’re treated at work, you can expect to have an easier time attracting quality job applicants. People also love to shop at businesses where their friends work, among other things. The bottom line is that if you aren’t using employee advocacy, you’re missing out.

(Social Media) Marketing Books

Want some great reading? Check out these posts about books to consider.

The 50 Best Marketing Books to Read

Every now and then, I like to dive into the world of marketing books. After all, once in a while it’s nice to read something that teaches us something new. More than that, there’s nothing like reading a good book while on a business trip. “Please shut off your electronic devices,” anyone? Some of the books I discuss here are brand new, and a few are a bit older but still good. If you’re looking for inspiration, you’ll find it here.

Social Media Marketing Conferences

Conferences are one of the best ways to learn new things and expand your network. Here are a few to consider.

The 15 Best Social Media & Digital Marketing Conferences to Attend in 2026

If you love conferences like I do, here’s a plethora of quality options for this year. I’ll even tell you which ones I was scheduled to appear at. Unfortunately, with the pandemic a number of them have been cancelled. Nonetheless, check out this post for a listing, because many conferences are recurring. You never know if you’ll find your next favorite this way.

Social Media Marketing Podcasts

Want to learn something on the go? Think about podcasts, which you can just download and enjoy on a variety of devices. 

The Top 25 Podcast Statistics You Need to Know in 2026

What’s your impression of podcasting? Nowadays we know that this once geeky medium is both growing and highly effective. In fact, half of Americans listen to podcasts at least occasionally, and they’re available in many foreign languages too. Increasingly, podcasting is becoming an important medium for advertising, because people like to experience products they’ve heard about from podcasts.

21 Marketing Podcasts to Inspire You in 2026

Once upon a time, I didn’t like listening to podcasts. After all, they had a young-and-hip image that didn’t necessarily suit me. However, after listening to a number of great episodes, I’ve become a believer in this new medium. A podcaster myself, I’ve found this is a great way to reach out to my followers and teach something new. It also allows for a change of pace from my blog. So, to share my experience with you I have compiled a list of 10 great podcasts that you can try. What a great way to take advantage of downtime, such as that provided by train and airplane rides.

Social Media Strategy

There’s no such thing as social media success without a strategy. Here are some tips for forming an effective one.

The 9 Fundamental Social Media Marketing Tips You Must Follow for Business Succes

As a marketer, it’s important to ensure that your social media involvement is strategic in order to boost its chances of success. Here are some tips. First, know your audience, because it will help tailor your postings. Second, pick and choose which platforms to use based on your audience and needs. Third, make content an important part of your strategy. Fourth, get some social media management software so you can automate many of the tasks. Finally, find and engage with influencers within your industry. This is especially crucial if you want to integrate them into your marketing strategy.

How to Create a Rock-Solid Social Media Marketing Strategy for 2026 in 9 Steps

If you’re going to engage in social media marketing, you need a plan. After all, the only way to ensure you’re being effective is to measure it against the goals you’ve set. Furthermore, it’s unlikely that you will succeed if everything is being done somewhat randomly. Therefore, I’ve listed 11 things that successful marketing plans need to contain. Briefly, these are branding, content, curation, channels, frequency, engagement, listening, campaign, influencers, brand ambassadors and employee advocates, and finally crisis management. Each of these fit together to ensure that your plan is both comprehensive and sustainable.

Social Media Marketing Advice

This is a broad category of advice that my guests and I have given over the last few years. Feel free to pick and choose what is useful to you.

Top 20 Social Media Quotes for Business to Inspire You to Do MORE with Social Media

As a popular conference speaker and college professor, I do a lot of public speaking. And when you do this, you’ll eventually end up with quotes that are unique to you. In this blog post, I give you some of my favorites, accompanied by the pictures I use to showcase them on Instagram. Along with them, I tell my readers what’s meant by each quote. In addition, you’ll get a look into my travels through the pictures.

7 Brilliant Ideas to Include in Your Holiday Social Media Posts

We marketers don’t often give holiday posts the respect they deserve. After all, to many of us they seem like fluff that we just have to put up because if we didn’t, we’d be ignored. However, holiday posts are a great way to build emotional appeal. What young man in love doesn’t like to give presents to his sweetheart for Valentine’s day? And winter holidays are common to many faiths, often accompanying some form of gift giving. You need holiday posts to capitalize on these trends. Not only that, but they’re easy to make and readily shareable. Don’t overlook them.

The Business of Social Media Marketing

Like everything else, social media marketing is an important part of business. For some people, it’s also their principle business. Here are some tips.

How to Launch a Social Media Consultant Business in 10 Steps

Since not all competition is bad, I thought I’d give people my tips for starting a consulting business. First, make sure you’re a credible source of information. Second, make sure you have marketable experience. Third, show you can build an online brand by doing it yourself. Fourth, be sure to produce and share plenty of your own content. Fifth, expand your network of professionals, both online and in person. Finally, learn by doing. Literally. Start with pro bono work and then use some of that (with permission) as a portfolio to get paid clients. 

Pinterest Marketing

Pinterest is a niche marketing platform that mostly appeals to younger, educated women. If you think your business can benefit, read on.

The 23 Pinterest Statistics for Marketing You Need to Know in 2026

For companies in the right niche, Pinterest is a marketer’s dream. Statistics show that Pinterest is full of younger women with plenty of disposable income, and that they use the platform to plan vacations and craft projects, or decide which clothes or accessories to buy this time. Men are starting to move in too, with topics like model building and vacations. Pictures posted on Pinterest often lead to purchases, as people go there to find something new. Even better, the people who use Pinterest for product discovery and ideas buy things that are featured fairly frequently. Check out the post to see specifics.

Reddit Marketing

Like Pinterest, Reddit is more of a niche network. However, in this case it appeals more to lower income young men. With that said, there are some great opportunities. 

A 15 Actionable Tips Reddit Guide for Newbies

Reddit isn’t the first place we marketers think about when considering a new forum for marketing. However, it’s a useful tool for introducing other Redditors to your products and services. To help you get started, there are a number of tips that I’m sharing. For instance, Reddit has its own etiquette, and you’ll want to familiarize yourself with it before beginning. Furthermore, Reddit is quite different from other social networks, so you’ll basically have to relearn a lot of your usual techniques. Carefully weigh when you need to stay completely anonymous, and when to reveal your role (but not personal info). In an anonymous community, things work very differently, so you’ll need a totally different strategy. The rest of my tips help you do that.

What is a subreddit on Reddit … and Why Should You Care?

Jesse Aaron shares with us the ins and outs of subreddits. In short, these are niche forums that cover a particular topic, and the rules for posting in one are strict. For instance, if you put a sales pitch in a related subreddit that isn’t sales related, it will get deleted. In order to be effective, you need to not only know which subreddits are relevant to your brand, but what types of posts to place in each. Moderators strictly enforce the “rules,” so not knowing them is a recipe for disaster. On the other hand, if you know what you’re doing then Reddit generates some great branding opportunities. 

How to Easily Create a Subreddit for Your Own Business, Service, or Program

Aaron continues his discussion of subreddits by teaching you how to make one that’s tailored to your needs. There are a few reasons to do this: startups can use them as a great way to build brand recognition, while larger brands can leverage them for feedback and ideas. Another use is to stage contests, which are wildly popular on Reddit. Making one is easy: there’s a button on your Reddit account’s homepage that simply says, “make your own subreddit.” Click on this, choose the customized options, and create a theme. You can do the latter either with a program like Naut, or manually. Aaron gives basic instructions for manual customization.

TikTok

TikTok is so new to the West that we don’t know a lot about how it will behave in the US market long term. However, I do have some guest posts that weigh in on the subject.

So there you have it! Your complete guide to social media marketing! If there are any topics that you are interested in that you don’t find here, please use the search bar or category drop down menu on the sidebar to access additional topics. If you still can’t find what you are looking for, please contact me!

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