Meet Joey Hickson: An Influencer With 30-Million Instagram Followers. Here Are His 4 Key Takeaways:

It's far too easy to get caught up in the hype and hoopla of social media and forget that it's part of a larger strategy.

To business owners, the whole idea of content marketing and social media must be confusing. How do you know it's working? Is there a direct measurable return on investment? These are fundamental questions that every business owner must address before spending their hard-earned cash on social media marketing services.

In content marketing, you always have to keep your eye on the end game: turning readers into revenue. Building and engaging your audience is an important part of a good digital marketing strategy, but it's only the beginning.

When you use social media properly, you get to know potential customers, and they get to know you. You build trust and authority with your responses and build loyalty by getting personal (but not creepy). This may result in a sale today or years down the line.

I had a chance to catch up with Joey Hickson, Hickson earned the number 1 spot on this list because of his 30 million follower network on Instagram and media agency Integrate social. As CEO of a top media agency based out of California, Hickson works on many musical artists, influencers, athletes, and brands. Joey has grown such a large network over the past 7 years and is responsible for the rise of many peoples' stardom to fame.

Hickson shed light on all things social media and how to integrate social media with your marketing.

Your payoff is content

Social media is useless unless there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Your content is the cornerstone of your marketing. When you share graphics and engage in witty repartee, the purpose is to gain interest and to entice people to want to learn more. But while a great visual may get you lots of shares, it's not going to convert customers. When they get to your site, your content has to be as interesting as the post that attracted them. While social media is often compared to fishing, people are not fish. A shiny lure might get their attention, but the hook has to be baited with the real thing or the fish swims away. Content is the real thing.

Target your ads

Targeting can be tricky. You have to really know your audience. One of the most powerful and often overlooked weapons for brick-and-mortar businesses or event campaigns is Facebook's local ad targeting. When you know who and where your potential customers are, the ROI on Facebook ads can be insane.

Create an opt-in landing page

Build your email list with opt-in for your most valuable content. If you've targeted correctly and your content is excellent, most people will not mind handing over an email address. An effective landing page is the key to conversion.

Integrate your email marketing

If you're doing social media right, you're encouraging readers to sign up for your email list, sending out targeted emails and offering valuable content. In addition, your emails should contain links back to your social media, in order to encourage Twitter followers to connect with you on Facebook or Instagram. Campaign Monitor calls integrating email marketing and social media taking a holistic view, the perfect description of an all-in marketing strategy.

To learn more about Joey make sure to connect with him on Instagram.