Social media marketing has quickly become an essential piece of an organization's marketing strategy. With millions of potential customers trafficking the Internet on a daily basis, social media platforms serve as centralized hubs for conversation and content sharing. Engaging with social media allows organizations to add their voices to the conversation and ultimately increase sales, promote brand recognition, and foster customer loyalty.

A clear strategy is the essential foundation for any successful digital marketing effort. Our latest Skye Learning video outlines the five key questions you need to ask as you develop your digital marketing strategy.

In December 2000, 20th Century Fox released the inexplicably successful Dude, Where’s My Car?, a motion picture so puerile that the Chicago Tribune suggested audiences would leave the theater exclaiming, “Dude, I can’t believe I sat through that movie!” During that same week, a tech startup named Google released its toolbar extension, integrating its cutting-edge “page rank” search engine into browsers.

Google’s subsequent meteoric rise gave us the industry of search engine optimization, whose practitioners soon discovered a principle long embraced by Hollywood: You’ll never go broke giving people what they want.

Marketers today understand that most of their target audience is using some type of social media platform. Social media is a great way for people to connect with one another, and it also provides an opportunity for businesses to connect with their consumers. Marketers use different forms of social media marketing to advertise to their target markets. By using various social platforms, they can create partnerships with social media influencers, post engaging videos, and use strategic hashtags, among other things. For more on social media marketing, check out our latest infographic that covers some of the most popular social media advertising tactics.

When someone types your name into an online search engine, what will they find? Your social media profiles--which might include your professional accomplishments, awards, charitable activities, and more--all contribute to your personal brand. Carefully marketing yourself online allows you to showcase your personality and highlight the skills and experience you have to offer. Don’t make the mistake of neglecting your online image. Answer the four branding questions to help identify and define your personal brand.