Any marketer knows how much time and effort it takes to create a successful social campaign. It only makes sense that you’d want to do everything possible to ensure your content reaches as many relevant consumers as possible.

Wishing and hoping your target audience finds your campaign isn’t going to cut it. You need to have a strategy and apply best practices to get your content in front of as many of the right people as conceivable. See our five steps to amplify your social campaigns and raise your marketing efforts to new levels.

Likes are great, but you need to focus on engagement if you want to amplify your campaigns. Get people talking, sharing and discussing your brand. Let your customers and biggest fans start the conversation for you.

This involves doing your homework to be sure you’ve picked the right channel and content for your promotion. Target your audience at the right time and you’ll be on your way to igniting engagement and discussion instead of just acknowledgment. Focusing on engagement also gives you a better chance at increasing conversions.

The customer voice in the form of user-generated content hasn’t always received the attention it deserves. This is a cost-effective and engaging way to build excitement around your brand. Consumers love to talk and share their experiences or personal stories. According to Smart Insights, brands need to take advantage of UGC for three reasons.

UGC establishes a dialogue between the brand and the target audience

UGC increases traffic, engagement and conversions

UGC gives your brand social proof

Expand your reach and generate creative content by collaborating with social influencers. They’ve established trust and authenticity with their followers, and the same will trickle down to your brand when they see the influencer endorse your products through the campaign. The idea is that if you take the time to identify and build relationships with the right influencers, you can leverage them to build your credibility.

It’s easy to forget that you have access to resources who can quickly amplify your social campaigns within your own company. You’ll be glad to know that some of your biggest fans are sitting right next to you in the office. Employee advocacy is an effective way to spread your message in an authentic way through social media. Put the content in their hands and give the tools and messaging they need to easily share and publicize your campaign.

Timely distribution is key to amplifying your social campaigns. Before you launch your promotion, determine the platforms and content that will be scheduled and distributed. Define your audience and metrics before you go live. Plan, prepare and execute on your detailed social strategy to make sure your content gets in the right hands. Doing this will guarantee it spreads like wildfire to an extensive network of fans and potential customers.

Cutting through the noise on social media isn’t easy. Brands and marketers everywhere are continuously learning and adjusting their tactics to get their content in front of the right audience, and then some. These five steps are sure to help you amplify your social campaigns and greatly increase reach.