Social media is no longer a want, but a need. The reach of the biggest social media networks leaves no doubt: Facebook has 2 billion monthly users, YouTube has 1.5 billion, and Instagram has 800 million. While the time people spend on these sites makes them very appealing for businesses, we still have to ask: How can a business take maximum advantage of social media? The social media landscape is constantly changing, but one thing is for sure: These changes are influencing sales, marketing, and advertising.
Targeted Audience
When you’re watching your favorite show on TV, you also have to watch TV commercials. You have zero control over the selection of brands featured during the interval, so you likely won’t be interested in all of them. However, these companies are wasting money delivering ads to an uninterested audience. One of the main advantages of social media over traditional mass media is the ability to target specific segments. In the land of social media, you can choose which profiles and pages you want to follow. That’s good not only for you but also for brands because they can select their ideal audience and attract more potential customers.
Website Traffic
Google is a powerful search engine, and it plays a significant role in increasing your website’s traffic. At the same time, you have to face high competition if you want to feature your website in the first page of Google. SEO is a long-term strategy, and not everyone has the budget for that. However, when it comes to social media, you have your own space to showcase your website every once in a while. Let’s say that you’re a car wash owner: If your website has a blog section with car washing tips, you can promote the link on social media to get more traffic.
Social Media Reputation Management
Social media also has changed the way that businesses are handling reputation management. You have to think and act fast when dealing with a crisis because you get more exposure and feedback is immediate. Keep in mind that your business’s social media profiles are extensions of your brand. Giving an improper answer to a complaint on your Facebook page could potentially harm your brand’s image. Don’t forget: effective social media reputation management helps you turn regular customers into brand advocates!
New Sales Strategy
Social media reshaped marketing and the way businesses sell their products. If you’re selling a piano, you can’t just make a post with the model, description, and price. While this is all important information, you need to draw attention to your business first. Instead of pushy sales tactics, invest in content. Ask people about their favorite songs and record a video of someone playing them on your piano. You can drive more sales through social media, but you need to find the right approach for this channel. If you need some inspiration, here are five Facebook marketing case studies that prove the power of social media.
Long-term Relationships
While some businesses treat their customers as merely transactions, you should invest in building a long-term relationship to increase customer loyalty. Someone who just started following you on social media might not be ready to become a client and make a purchase—yet. Keep nurturing your followers with valuable and engaging content to move them through the sales funnel. Remember: People don’t want to know about you, they want to know how you can help solve their problems and make their lives easier. Learn about the benefits of influencer marketing and make sure you have a presence on the social networks that matter for your audience.
Customer Interaction
Social media gives you a unique opportunity to interact with your customers in a way that you can’t at a store or through a website. Besides being a two-way street, your social media channels are your best weapon to provide valuable and timely relevant content to your customers. Everything in social media is trackable, so you can evaluate the performance of your posts and campaigns to see what delivers better results. Most social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have analytical tools that you can use to gather data about your audience. Your findings can help you understand your customers a little bit more. If you have a young audience, check out our blog on millennials and social media for some tips!
Brand’s Personality
Social media is a more relaxing and personal channel to engage with your customers. Use that as an opportunity to show the human side of your business by adding personality to your social media profiles. Even if your brand embraces values, you won’t stand out among the competition if your communication is cold and robotic. Find the middle ground between being creative and professional. A good tip is to pop up a few posts about your team and their interests. Also, you can try incorporating storytelling into your posts and going behind the scenes into what goes on at your business.
Competitor Monitoring
You might have the best products and services. You might have lots of happy customers. But if you’re not monitoring your competitors, you’re missing out on one essential part of the equation. While competition is an inherent part of the business landscape, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel if you want to succeed in social media. Identify your competitors, analyze their content, and pay attention to their engagement rate. You still want to be original, but there is nothing wrong with incorporating successful strategies that your competitors used in the past.
We hope this article helps you understand how social media has changed marketing landscape and the way we do business. Digital marketing is a universe in itself, and we know that it takes a lot of time to build and calibrate your marketing strategy. If you need expert advice on social media marketing, SEM, PPC advertising, or reputation management, we’re at your disposal! Quick Marketing Group has offices in Toronto, New York, Miami, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. Contact us through our website to get started!
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