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| Social Media Marketing |
Social media marketing is not just about Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and the much newer and more visual platforms like Pinterest and Instagram, it can encompass your blog where you have a medium to convey much longer brand and product messages too. Social media marketing aims to engage, turning potential customers into participants instead of just readers of your information. Replacing the traditional “word of mouth” referral, a social media endorsement, share, retweet or positive interaction is a way to gain the recommendations a new and growing business requires to survive.
Build your reputation and brand identity
Gaining valuable followers and potential ambassadors of your business, through the new “word of mouth” referral can quickly accelerate a brand, and build a reputation. 72% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations (Source: Search Engine Journal via Social Media Today). The content posted on social media platforms and blogs builds a brand and business identity, simply sharing key company messages, product and service offerings can grow a business identity fast and with little cost.
It’s worth noting that 78% of consumers say the posts made on social media influence their purchases (Source: Forbes via Social Media Today) and many buyers will actively check social media profiles before buying from a new firm.
Promote a product or service
Social media is a fantastic medium for sharing snippets of product or service information to entice potential customers and encourage your network of followers and “friends” to share with their networks. Short, sharp and often witty anecdotes for Facebook and Twitter can quickly build a following. LinkedIn is great for business networking and B2B sales where you can build authority with your peers and solve their problems whilst softly selling your wares. Visuals, product images, final result snapshots, training and event video’s all lend perfectly to social media and in particular Facebook, You Tube, Instagram and Pinterest where everyone loves to share a stunning image or a useful or interesting video, passing on key company messages in pictures which are proven better remembered than just text.
Most social media networks now offer paid advertising options and the ability to run Pay Per Click campaigns to attract more followers and reach more customers, although it’s easy as a small business to let costs run high and it can quickly work out expensive. A pay per click agency will charge, but may be much more efficient for a dedicated campaign than a director or business owner who already has many hats to wear.
Aid the SEO of your website
Sharing key company messages, those snippets of product or service information accompanied with links to your website or blog are now invaluable to Search Engine Optimisation. It is widely recognised that SEO should not only be the domain of the search marketing specialists but include the activities of every business member and every piece of website or social content broadcasted.
Post Author and Courtesy: Duncan Cumming
