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I started my business, Hunk-O-Mania, before the era of social media and during the early days of internet marketing. While building my company, I neglected my own personal brand.

Nowadays, consumers shop online for just about everything. So you’ve likely experienced the stinging disappointment when a TV, piece of furniture or something else you ordered finally arrives on your doorstep — damaged.

For marketers, digital commerce is becoming a more critical element for business growth and retention, surpassing investment in digital advertising for the first time this year, according to a report from Gartner.

In the report, “2019 Digital Commerce Trends for Marketing Leaders,” Gartner says that marketing leaders now allocate 9.2 percent of their budgets to digital commerce, making it the largest area of marketing investment, ahead of even digital advertising.

“We were surprised by that,” says Jennifer Polk, a Gartner vice president and research director.

Those numbers were pretty much reversed in 2017, when digital commerce accounted for just 8.1 percent of the average marketing budget, according to the research.

By Larry KimCEO of MobileMonkey

Businesses and brands are constantly competing for attention on social media, and with all the noise and incessant messaging, how can you make your voice heard?

You have to find ways to cut through the noise and stand out like a unicorn in a sea of donkeys.

But how?

Here, I’m revealing a few of my favorite social media marketing tactics that have helped me grow my businesses and stand out on social.

1. Plan a content strategy and create an editorial calendar for your social channels.
Marketers are sometimes at a loss at what to post on social media.

Successful social media marketing doesn’t happen on accident — there’s a strategy in place, just as there is with a blog.

Look at the big picture and come up with social content that will resonate with your audience.

Map out seasonal content, as well as content related to events or launches your company is planning.

Work closely with your editorial and marketing teams to know what’s coming down the pipeline and strategize the best ways to promote it.

2. Invest in the right social channels.
It’s not just about what social content you share — it’s also about where you share it.

Not all social platforms are created equally, and where one business gets amazing engagement, another might fall flat.

B2Bs, for example, might do very well on LinkedIn, but not so hot on Instagram.

Meanwhile, B2Cs usually thrive on Instagram.

Find the platform that aligns with your audience.