5 Benefits of Social Media Marketing
While most companies are accepting that social media marketing is a great way to stay in touch with the thoughts and feelings of their customers, many still don’t exactly understand why it works. Gathering a following on social media is now a powerful key factor in having your company’s voice heard, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. The goal of social media marketing isn’t just about getting more likes on facebook, followers or retweets on twitter but it's also about good marketing practices that benefit businesses in major ways to create online sales and achieve the same impact of traditional advertising. Below we've listed 5 major benefits to social media marketing.
1. Brand Awareness:
Social media is one of the best ways to introduce people to a new brand or product. It can also help reintroduce an existing brand to a new audience as well as strengthen your relationship with your current costumers. Utilizing social media, which over two thirds of the United States’ population uses, is one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways to get your company’s name into people’s mind which can then lead to traffic to your website or place of business, which is the ultimate goal of many social media marketing strategies.
2. Brand Legitimacy:
In the same way employers run background checks for new hires, consumers also a do a bit of research to verify if a company does exist and has quality services or products. Now-a-days it’s easier than ever for anyone to create a website for just about anything, a product, an event, an idea, or anything you can imagine. Smart consumers want to make sure that the place they plan to interact with is who or what they say they are. Social media marketing suggests that new customers may be driven away if a business’ social media accounts appear to be inactive because they assume that the company may no longer be in business. Social Media marketing can benefit your brand legitimacy by showing that you are a company that keeps up to date in your industry and that you know what is going on in your industry.
3. Increase Sales:
Once you've established yourself as a legitimate brand, this audience that you have built creates trust between your business and potential consumers. This connection can generate sales by allowing them easy access to your new and existing products with a simple post. One of the best parts of social media marketing is the ability to create content tailored specifically to your audience. Engaged followers on social media can help you gain more exposure by liking or sharing your posts which could be indirectly advertising your product or services to their network of friends and followers. This can help increase your sales through direct website conversions or through spreading awareness of promotions that you run as special offers to social media followers. Most social media platforms now have designed special tools for businesses to help promote themselves through various ad placement integrations that do not interrupt the users' experience on that specific social network. These non-disruptive ads, such as in-stream facebook ads, are very important as followers who are bombarded with online ads may be put off by the company running them and may result in a negative reaction towards the brand. In the end it is possible to lose trust you worked so hard to earn if you practice social media marketing in ways that users don't appreciate.
4. Improved Customer Service:
Social media is all about connections; connecting people with people who have similar interests or experiences. So it makes sense that companies are now using social media to connect with their consumers. This can allow your business to benefit from direct customer feedback or from past clients with the ability to immediately respond to any requests made, thereby improving the customer service experience.
5. Content Distribution:
Social media plays an integral part in any marketing strategy as it becomes one of the main sources of content distribution. In the past, the challenge was the need to ensure that your content reached your customers in the shortest time possible. With social media there are so many tools at your disposal to get real-time news about your company (or industry) in the hands of your customers with ease. A simple click is all it takes to get your brand's new products or services shared with hundreds of thousands of people.
**BONUS FACT** Social Media also includes Yelp and Google+, so make sure to update your company's information and images on networks like those too.
Take a moment to address your company’s social media marketing. What are the strengths in your social media strategy and where can improvements be made? If you need assistance creating or optimizing your social media profiles to nurture customer relationships, then All in Web Pro is here to help.
Web Design Tips: 5 Ways to Make Your Social Media Matter
To harness the full power of social networks and leverage the exponential reach available through social networking, here are 5 best practices.
Social media is a powerful tool for generating brand awareness and building trust. An effective social media strategy integrates seamlessly with your web design so that your online presence represents your company with professionalism and your SEO is boosted. If you do social media the right way you can build relationships with fans and followers that will build long-term relationships by creating content that engages and brings value your audience. Your web development strategy should always include a social element so your social networks are easily visible and your content is easily shared by those interested in your brand and content.
1. Use your social networks to listen, not just talk.
The social interaction between people is what brings the “social” element to social media. People interested in your brand will fan you on Facebook, follow you on twitter and subscribe to you on YouTube to interact with the person behind the company. They aren't always finding you on social channels to hear a one-way message that talks at them. Rather, thanks to social media, marketing and advertising is now a conversation and consumers will demand that you talk with them in a conversation. This is an exciting evolution that allows you to develop genuine connections with your audience that were not available before.
2. Your content should create value for your audience.
Only if you entertain, inform, or in some way provide value, with your social posts and updates will your fans and followers like your posts, share your blog content and videos and retweet your tweets. How can those interested in your brand join the conversation if you are not initiating one? No one wants to be sold to all the time, not in person and not on the net. If you consistently provide content that is of educational, social, or useful value you will build a following that is loyal, engaged and enthusiastic about your brand.
3. Social is not about selling, it’s about building relationships.
You get out of social what you put in. If you use it as a platform to always be selling, making it all about you, visitors will be less motivated to come back to your sites. But the good news is that building relationships is actually more powerful than sales! If you’re a dentist you’re not trying to use your blog to sell one pair of braces. If you blog on interesting subjects related to your business, such as how to ask for a second opinion or, for those that are terrified of the dentist, a 5 minute mediation to put you at ease before you enter the dentist chair, you will begin to build trust with your audience. This trust is the first step to building a lasting relationship. You will become a trusted resource that can develop into a client bond that will outlast a one-time procedure and continue for 5, 10, or 20 years or longer.
4. Use social networks to build relationships with industry leaders, colleagues and mentors.
Social is not only about reaching out to potential consumers, it's also about participating in the conversation among your peers and industry thought leaders. Follow those agencies and individuals that are driving innovation in your field or who have influence with many people. These people have much to teach and they give away valuable information and insights through social media. Are you listening or are you missing out? LinkedIn is optimal for engaging with industry giants and experts. You can join LinkedIn groups representing your field to keep up on the latest news, updates and industry trends. Be a part of the conversation so you too can establish yourself as a leading voice in your market.
5. Track your metrics to develop and fine tune your strategy.
In order to know what you are doing right, and which strategies are not benefiting you, you need to track your performance. There are many tools, both paid and free, that will generate reports which let you know when your content resonates with your audience and when it falls flat and fails to generate interest and engagement. By playing to your strengths and understanding your weaknesses, you can develop a winning social media plan that will increase your presence, raise your SEO ranking and establish your business as a leader in your market.
We have been in the Las Vegas web design and web development industry for years and we have experienced the power of social media to make connections and create partnerships and clients in our community. It’s not rocket science, all it takes is knowledge, a passion for engaging with your audience, and a consistent dedication to the effort and consistency required to create value and build genuine long-term connections.
