With social media becoming such a staple of daily life over the last few years, it is no wonder that businesses all over the world have begun to integrate social media into their marketing strategies. However, social media accounts for a very small portion of overall sales for many businesses. Why then, should companies devote time and effort to social media, if it does not engage sales in the way that traditional marketing tactics do?
When thinking about a social media strategy for your business, it is important to think about what the purpose of social media truly is. To do this, begin thinking about what you use your social media account for (if you have one). Chances are, you utilize social media in order to stay connected to the things and people in your life that you care about. You engage in conversations, share interesting content from around the web, and seek to nurture relationships between yourself and those you care about. Interestingly enough, that is exactly how your customers utilize social media as well. Therefore, it is not really a place where people go to buy products or services, and as such, many people are turned off my companies that constantly try to drive sales through social media.
Instead of constantly marketing products and services, companies should instead use social media as a way to foster connections with and engage customers. Tactics to engage customers can include posting open-ended posts asking customers for their opinions and encouraging open discussion in comments. Also, regularly sharing interesting articles or other content that pertain to your business or industry gives customers a reason to seek out your company's profile on a social media network, rather than simply coming across a post every so often on the customer's home page. It will also increase social sharing such as retweets on Twitter, likes and shares on Facebook and +1's on Google+ that can help to boost your site's SEO. By boosting your SEO, your sales will be boosted through search engines, which at the end of the day account for much more sales than social media.
Finally, and perhaps most important of all, having a social media presence that seeks to engage customers rather than sell to them helps build trust in your brand, which is the ultimate sales motivator. When a customer trusts your company, they become a customer for life, and may ultimately subscribe to an e-mail list, rewards program, etc. They will also be more likely to recommend your business to others, both of which can help your company exponentially in the long run.
At the end of the day, social media marketing accounts for just a small part of your overall marketing plan. However, your business would be at a huge disadvantage if you did not take the opportunity of creating a social media presence. This is because so many people are committed to social media, and access it every single day. Although you may not be able to drive sales with social media, you can build relationships with your customers, as well as reach new customers. When you engage with these people, you build trust in your business, which will increase sales in the future.
About The Author: Hannah Marr is the Content Director for BizBrag, a small business marketing platform. BizBrag helps small businesses, enterprises, and franchises to push their content to a larger customer base through social media and search engines. Hannah develops content for these businesses and would love to help your small business, enterprise, or franchise to reach a wider audience through BizBrag technology.
Did you find this article helpful? Please let Hannah and myself know by leaving us your valued comments below.
Related articles:
Engaging Consumers Through Social Media
Social Media Day Meet-ups: How Can They Work For You
5 Do's And 5 Don'ts In Social Media
Building Your Business With Social Media
The 10 Basic Rules Of Social Media Marketing
Top 14 Benefits Of Social Media Marketing
How To Use Facebook For Your Small Business
9 Tips For More Effective Facebook Marketing
If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to +1 or share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.
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Until my next post on Monday, have a fabulous weekend!
When thinking about a social media strategy for your business, it is important to think about what the purpose of social media truly is. To do this, begin thinking about what you use your social media account for (if you have one). Chances are, you utilize social media in order to stay connected to the things and people in your life that you care about. You engage in conversations, share interesting content from around the web, and seek to nurture relationships between yourself and those you care about. Interestingly enough, that is exactly how your customers utilize social media as well. Therefore, it is not really a place where people go to buy products or services, and as such, many people are turned off my companies that constantly try to drive sales through social media.
Instead of constantly marketing products and services, companies should instead use social media as a way to foster connections with and engage customers. Tactics to engage customers can include posting open-ended posts asking customers for their opinions and encouraging open discussion in comments. Also, regularly sharing interesting articles or other content that pertain to your business or industry gives customers a reason to seek out your company's profile on a social media network, rather than simply coming across a post every so often on the customer's home page. It will also increase social sharing such as retweets on Twitter, likes and shares on Facebook and +1's on Google+ that can help to boost your site's SEO. By boosting your SEO, your sales will be boosted through search engines, which at the end of the day account for much more sales than social media.
Finally, and perhaps most important of all, having a social media presence that seeks to engage customers rather than sell to them helps build trust in your brand, which is the ultimate sales motivator. When a customer trusts your company, they become a customer for life, and may ultimately subscribe to an e-mail list, rewards program, etc. They will also be more likely to recommend your business to others, both of which can help your company exponentially in the long run.
At the end of the day, social media marketing accounts for just a small part of your overall marketing plan. However, your business would be at a huge disadvantage if you did not take the opportunity of creating a social media presence. This is because so many people are committed to social media, and access it every single day. Although you may not be able to drive sales with social media, you can build relationships with your customers, as well as reach new customers. When you engage with these people, you build trust in your business, which will increase sales in the future.
About The Author: Hannah Marr is the Content Director for BizBrag, a small business marketing platform. BizBrag helps small businesses, enterprises, and franchises to push their content to a larger customer base through social media and search engines. Hannah develops content for these businesses and would love to help your small business, enterprise, or franchise to reach a wider audience through BizBrag technology.
Did you find this article helpful? Please let Hannah and myself know by leaving us your valued comments below.
Related articles:
Engaging Consumers Through Social Media
Social Media Day Meet-ups: How Can They Work For You
5 Do's And 5 Don'ts In Social Media
Building Your Business With Social Media
The 10 Basic Rules Of Social Media Marketing
Top 14 Benefits Of Social Media Marketing
How To Use Facebook For Your Small Business
9 Tips For More Effective Facebook Marketing
If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to +1 or share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.
As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/DereksHomeAndBusinessBlog
You can also follow me on Twitter @djones1509, Google+ and on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/djones1509
https://plus.google.com/104849975941505117776
Until my next post on Monday, have a fabulous weekend!
Fantastic post am loving every bit of this engagement story.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. As a social media strategist, getting clients to buy in to social media engagement can be a challenge.
ReplyDeleteThank you both for your kind words! It's not enough to just be on social media.. you have to use it the way it was meant to be used, and that means engaging customers every step of the way.
ReplyDeleteGreat article. I would like to add some methods for it, they are: Guest Blogging, submitting the websites in web directories helps you in increasing traffic and also in learning new things.
ReplyDeleteVery true! It's important to be careful about which directories you use these days, while they can be very helpful if they are a reputable directory, there are still some from the more black-hat days of SEO that could be harmful to your content. Guest blogging is always a great tactic, and can help cultivate relationships that benefit both the guest blogger and the poster. Thanks for your comment! -Hannah, BizBrag Team
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