That’s a great question.

Almost all marketers agree that social media plays a critical role in their marketing strategy, so you also want to make sure you know all the techniques that can help you maximize it.

Here are five of my go tos:

1. Use the right social media platforms

Once upon a time, we only had to worry about posting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. But these days, there are so many social media platforms that it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

Resist the urge to go on all of them. You’ll only end up managing too many platforms that only serve to muddle or dilute your message. Instead, find out what platforms your target audience is most likely to be on and focus your effort there to maximize engagement.

2. Give live videos a try

Social media is a great way to be more accessible and relatable to your audience. Live videos are one of the best tools you can use to boost engagement. Platforms that are often used for raising brand awareness (like Facebook), offer this feature.

For ideas, try streaming live events, hosting live Q&As, conducting interviews, or taking your audience for a behind-the-scenes look at your business.

3. Engage with your audience

Audience engagement isn’t a one-way street. If you take the time to reply to your readers’ comments and engage in relevant banter and exchange of ideas, you’ll be able to create a positive impact among your users.

Be sure to reply to comments, ask questions to spur discussions, pose follow-up questions, and share additional insights and information that can further boost your brand presence.

4. Maximize advertising features

Most social media platforms are built with advertising features that help make marketing your posts easier and more affordable. Make the most of these features. They’re easy to learn and pretty scalable. You can dedicate as much or as little as your budget can afford and still get pretty solid returns on your investment. For example, you can easily expand your audience by promoting posts.

5. Track your success

Social media platforms have built-in performance metrics and tracking. While the specific metrics will vary from one platform to the next, the general idea here is to give you a better idea of what you can do to improve your social media marketing. Depending on the reports, you can easily adjust and tweak your strategies to maximize your results.

Bottom line…

When it comes to social media marketing, you can’t just create content, post it on social media, and expect to generate engagement and awareness. You need to put thought and strategy behind your efforts. Hopefully, the five techniques mentioned above can help you get started. If you have any more to add, I’d be happy to hear all about it. Join the conversation on our Twitter or LinkedIn or leave a comment below.