We are great believers in using social media as part of an overall marketing strategy, generally in B2B solely relying on it to deliver customers to your door is a huge ask. Also, if we just start with a word of caution about social media and the benefits it can bring, there are just a few myths and bumps in the road we’d like to point out before we start singing its praises.
Firstly, the effectiveness of any platform relies on your target market engaging with it – every demographic is different, and careful consideration of which platform to invest in is needed from the off. Creating effective social media relies on creating valuable content – posting what cakes you had for someone’s birthday in the organisation just doesn’t cut it. Social media isn’t free – its free to post, but it can be very time consuming, and someone has to either spend their time inhouse, or you need to pay professionals to run your accounts. The last thing is that once created, your platforms need feeding – you can’t post randomly once a month, regular feeds are essential to keep them healthy!
All that said, social media marketing can be an invaluable weapon in your marketing armoury. It helps to validate your brand and it’s no longer optional. It’s an essential way for companies to reach consumers, and when done correctly, tells those consumers that their brand is active and focused on communication. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty on how it can help you communicate with your customers:
Branding
Portraying your business’ personality through social media is one of the best ways to connect with your target audience. Your social media channels are just expanded opportunities for your brand’s voice, content, and interactions. A new customer may stumble upon your Instagram feed if they’re an avid Instagram user or a customer might be more likely to become a repeat purchaser if your online brand presence becomes more consistent and recognisable.
Customer Loyalty
Brands are placing a bigger emphasis on customer experience because of the impact it has on reputation. Brands who engage on social media channels receive higher loyalty from their customers. More than 50% of Americans who follow their favourite brands on social media are more loyal customers than those who don’t.
Conversion
Every post, ad, follower, blog post, and email is an opportunity for customers to convert. Whether you’re a B2C or B2B company, social media can be a very effective tool for gaining new leads and moving people through your sales funnel.
Humanisation
Faceless corporations are a thing of the past. These days, consumers care not only about what they buy, but also the type of company they’re buying from. Social Media has a 100% higher lead to close rate than outbound marketing. With this advantage, you can practice rapid response to build a connection with a customer, rather than putting them through the automatic recording steps via telephone.
Customer Insights
Social media allows you to gain valuable insights about your customers’ interests and behaviours. Check out reviews or comments to see what people think of your business. Look at engagement rates on each social media post to measure what types of content generates the most interest. Track conversions through your purchase or lead ads to find out what type of audience benefits the best from your product or service.
Customer Service
The best place for customer care lies on social media. Before brands got involved, it was created solely for communication, and that is still its core foundation. Customer interactions allow for the public opportunity to put gripes, misconceptions and complaints right. It’s also a place to enhance your relationship with them further by following them back, recommending additional products, and creating an open line of communication.
Inbound Traffic
Last but not least, the reason that is most likely to lead to ROI: increased inbound traffic. Without social media, your leads are limited to people who are familiar with your brand and people who find you by searching ranked keywords. By increasing your social media content frequency and expanding your social media channel presence, you are adding another path back to your site. And as a result, you’ll receive higher traffic, as well as more conversions.
Social media is a long term approach, meaning, you won’t be reaping these benefits overnight. But if you can effectively see why social media marketing is important, then get ready to dive into why creating a social media marketing strategy only enhances these benefits.
We always take a measured approach when it comes to social media with our clients. Our make sure you do it right without wasting time, so you communicate with your customers, and get more business. It’s that simple.
