Social media use has dramatically increased over the last decade, with Facebook pulling in nearly 900 million users, and Twitter posting an average of 250 million tweets per day. When looking at these staggering figures, it is easy to see the online marketing potential with social media networks. The problem many business owners face is that there are so many different social media marketing techniques available, but only a limited amount of time and resources. The question quickly becomes, how to properly use these viable social media outlets to promote the company brand, build a customer base, and increase profits. It is important for business owners to understand that their social media exposure, such as Facebook pages, Twitter accounts or Pinterest profiles, can actually be used to improve a company’s brand and spread a message to millions of people instantly.
Clear Communication
According to a recent study performed by Socialbackers, only 5% of the comments posted on businesses’ social media walls ever receive a response. In today’s world where more and more people are turning to social media networks for answers, this response rate is too low. Socialbackers recommends that businesses reply to at least 65% of the comments on its social media walls for good communication. The good news is that with so few companies actually making this type of consumer communication a priority, it gives other businesses a chance to pull ahead of their competitors and gain some potential customers. In this fast-paced society, people are looking for instant answers to their questions, and they are more likely to patronize the business that helps them find the answers. Business owners should develop a comprehensive communication strategy that includes a well-trained response team, and a clear set of goals with measurable outcomes.
Engage with Customers
Awareness, Inc. recently reported that more than 32 billion search queries are performed by Twitter members every month, which is more than Bing and Yahoo! combined. This shows that people are using social media networks to search for information. The important question for business owners is how easily can their business be found on the various social media networks? In order to make a brand page more visible, owners must use the right SEO keywords, know what the major trending topics are, and participate in conversations. Branding is not always about pushing the latest product line or regularly offering specials; it is more about engaging with the customer and gaining their trust. Businesses should engage in conversations about various trending topics as a means to increase their following and build their brand. Study suggest that people connect better to a business if they feel it shares their cares and concerns.
The Power of Social Media
Companies can easily reach more people through social media marketing than they can through their own website. Social media has become such a powerful marketing tool that businesses cannot expect to stay competitive without some visibility on these networks. It is important for businesses to understand the difference between proper marketing tools and spamming, which can annoy customers rather than make a sale. It is recommended that businesses post a maximum of one to two posts per day, so it does not overload followers. Including either a picture or a video can boost the life of the post by as much as 16%, meaning more people will see the post. Finally, a majority of a business’ posts or comments should include a call to action asking the reader to repost or share with their social media friends