Whatever you sell and whoever you sell it to, your target audience is online using social media daily, in some cases hourly, and they’re just a click away from becoming your customer.
Platforms like Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram have millions of users making billions of interactions every day and with the right social media strategy, you can use these sites to reach a wider audience and increase your conversions.
To capitalise on opportunities to grow your business with social media, you need to do the following:
Research
There are many different social media platforms out there and each one offers users something unique. Pinterest suits consumers looking for fashion and gift ideas, Facebook is great for sharing content and conversing while LinkedIn is ideal for corporate networking.
Find out which social media sites your customers use, what services they can offer your business and at what cost. Instagram and Pinterest, for example, offer ‘Buy Now’ buttons that link directly to eCommerce sites and facilitate impulse purchasing, while Facebook provide a range of targeted advertising options and make it easy engage an audience with instant articles.
Explore social media sites, see how consumers and your competitors use them and then select the most appropriate ones for your business and your budget.
Branding
To establish your business on social media, you’ll need to create a profile that is consistent with your company branding. This includes everything from your logos to the language and tone you use to communicate with your audience.
However, social media users expect more personal, informal communications on their platforms so you may need to broaden your style brief to accommodate their expectations.
Establish Goals
Why are you considering using social media? To make it really work for your business you need to establish specific targets that you can work towards. Most sites offer dashboard facilities where you can measure the impact of your social media activities and adjust your approach to achieve results.
Management
A well-managed social media account can generate viral exposure but updating posts, writing content, uploading images, responding to comments or queries and processing the orders they generate all takes time.
Before you launch a new social media account, or a number of them, consider how it will be managed and by whom.
Be Sociable
One thing that underpins all types of social media platform is sociability. They give you unique opportunities to interact with your audience and build relationships so be prepared to offer swift, friendly communications that express the personality of your business.
Imagine your business was a person; which news reports or world events would they find relevant and interesting? Which partner sites would they share information about? Which gifs, videos or memes would they find amusing?
Engaging social media profiles can make your business memorable, encourage brand loyalty and inspire your audience to recommend you via shares on their social networks; not only is this word of mouth advertising free, it’s the most credible, trusted and effective source of advertising available.
Reward Your Followers
Your business is not the only one using social media to grow its brand. Consumers have a lot of choice so encourage them to become loyal to you by offering promotional rewards and incentives such as flash sales, discount codes or free competition entry for sharing your page.
Links and SEO
Although social media platforms welcome most types of content, few are suited to full-length articles about your business. Use short, interesting statements and include keywords that search engines will recognise so new customers can find you, as well as links they can follow to learn more.
Developing and implementing a social media strategy is a smart move for any business but it’s most effective when it forms part of a wider content marketing campaign.
Find out more about integrating social media into your digital marketing plans by contacting the experienced team at Yoma.