Social media marketing refers to gaining traffic or attention through social media sites. Marketers make posts, pictures, and videos to share on these sites. They want people to learn about their brand, get more customers, and sell more products. 

Marketers test different types of content to see what people like. They also pay to promote some of their posts. Marketers watch how many people see, like, and share their content. This helps them know which messages and sites are best for talking to customers.

Here are a few factors to consider when choosing social media channels for your marketing:

• Audience demographics – Where does your target customer spend their time online? Look at platforms popular among your audience’s age, gender, location, etc.
• Industry/ niche – Certain platforms may be more relevant for certain industries. For example, Pinterest is great for lifestyle brands, while LinkedIn excels for B2B.
• Content format – Consider how your brand communicates – with images, videos, and long-form articles. Choose platforms that fit your preferred content types.
• Measurement goals – What do you want social media to achieve – brand awareness, leads, sales? Channels vary in metrics that matter most.
• Budget and resources – Managing multiple networks requires time/money. Given your constraints, start with the top 1-2 that fit the above factors.

Organic vs paid – Some platforms are better for organic reach, others more pay-to-play. Consider a strategy for both.

Here are some key ways to assess the success of your social media marketing campaigns:

• Engagement rates – Look at likes, comments, and shares for organic posts. Aim to increase these metrics over time.
• Follower/fan growth – Are your channels gaining more followers each month? This shows interest is growing.
• Link clicks – Track how many clicks your social ads and posts get on destination URLs/landing pages.
• Conversions – Monitor sales, signups, or other goals directly attributed to social campaigns.
• Sentiment analysis – Gauge positive vs negative feedback on brand mentions across platforms.
• Traffic sources – Check what percentage of site visits come from social networks in your analytics.
• Lead/list growth – Are qualified leads or email subscribers increasing from social promotions?
• Cost per lead/conversion – Measure ROI by calculating costs against ultimate conversion values.
• Viral spread – Successful campaigns will be shared more organically by followers, too.
• Contextual metrics – Benchmark against industry/category averages when available.

Qualitative feedback – Get input from customers interacting with your presence.