These days, it is not enough to have a website for your business. Businesses have definitely realized the power of social media and accepted that social media marketing has to be part of their Marketing and PR mix.
The most popular social media channels are the following: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram! If your company does not have a Facebook account or fan page, it’s time to get with the program or risk falling behind your competition.
The cool part of social media is the interaction you get to have with the customer base. You can read their status updates (Facebook), tweets (Twitter) to get insights into their daily lives. When someone follows you, you’ll simultaneously have access to old customers, new customers and recent ones, and you’ll be able to interact with all of them. Everything you share like a picture, video or comment is an opportunity for someone to react, and every reaction could lead to a site visit.
Another important thing to mention here, is that you can respond to customers immediately. If there is a problem with your product or service you’ll be the first to know it through customer’s feedback. That means you can take steps to resolve them immediately. Or, if a customer compliments your company, you can thank them and recommend additional products or services.
Your social media channels are your brand’s voice and contents. If you regularly update your site with new content, a frequent social media user could constantly see your updates after checking the newsfeed. On the other hand, a ‘stranger’ might become better acquainted with your business after seeing your presence on different networks.
It can be difficult to stay in touch with all of your customers, but social media gives you the opportunity to do that. By getting to know the people, customers will feel more loyalty towards your company.Invest time in your social media relationships, as the more you invest the more valuable these relationships become.
The best news is that social media is FREE! Other than the time participating, social media does not have to cost you a thing, which can help to reduce your marketing budget. Do not forget to keep measuring your success. If something is not working then don’t be afraid to change it or try another type of social media.
Along with building relationships with your customers, businesses also use social media to connect with other people in their industry. Good contacts are key to successful businesses and social media offers the opportunity to find events to attend and forge relationships that you can then continue in face-to-face networking.
Furthermore, most media organizations got wise to the power of posting early on and now use it as a source of interesting stories. Why miss an opportunity to be found by a journalist who can mention your business in a newspaper or famous blog?
You can find customers you didn’t know existed. For example, if you follow specific keywords on Twitter, you can find people who are looking for the products you sell. On the other hand, you can also join a ton of groups on Facebook, where you can post links and help influence customers to check out your site.
Social media marketing also gives you the opportunity to constantly give customers incentives to buy. Try posting discounts using coupon codes and you’ll be surprised at how many people buy products using these codes.
Please note that if you do not interact and build relationships with people before they will buy from your business, don’t expect the sales to roll in.
Making social media a priority for your business will allow your business to be found, establish a stronger brand, boost sales, interact and receive valuable customer feedback! Oh and it’s free!Make Social Media definitely a part of your marketing mix!
If you are interested in finding out more, Contact Us, for a FREE consultation.