It’s tough running a business, and tougher still to make it a successful one. But one thing is clear, it can’t be done without the help of social media. Below are some reasons why it’s important to consider social media marketing when it comes to digital marketing.
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REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
No matter how big or small your business is and no matter what type of product or service you’re going to offer, negative feedback can’t be helped, and that’s okay. As much as there are always going to be grumps who will put your brand in a negative light, there’s just as many, if not more, who are more than willing to speak positively about your brand. But without a good social media reputation management, it can be hard to see what people are talking about you.
Traditionally, managing reputation through social media involves posting strategic content on a social media platform, monitoring the different social media channels for messages and mentions, and engaging with customers who talk about your brand. Now, social media reputation management doesn’t only stick to the biggest social media platforms, it covers review sites and local business directories.
Key things to remember in managing your business’ reputation through social media include:
- resolving issues that might affect reputation immediately
- posting engaging and relevant content
- using social listening tools
- focusing on increasing reviews, not just likes and followers
DISCOVER NEW TRENDS
When I first started my clothing company, I trusted industry experts when they said that if I focus on quality, I wouldn’t have to worry about making a sale. Well, that advice isn’t exactly accurate. It takes more than just offering quality products to make a business successful.
In the age of rising social media dependence, business owners like me can turn to it to discover what customers are actually looking for. It is on these platforms that we’re able to see what people are talking about without any filter. We can see customers and brands talking to each other in real-time and accurately capture their sentiments.
A good example to spot trends on social media is through the use of hashtags. Both Instagram and Twitter display the trending hashtags globally which are more than enough information for marketers and business owners to create an effective marketing campaign quickly.
BUILD A COMMUNITY AROUND YOUR BRAND
Find the brand advocates in your niche. Look them up, examine them, and delegate them.
With social media you can kill two birds with one stone: you can address various dynamic audiences (hence you can touch masses of people) and bring new customers through simple word-of-mouth.
And given that users generate content mostly on social media, it’s wise that we win them first. A brand should be about them, not you. So make’em feel like home when deploying various actions using your tool, product, or whatever you sell. Participate actively in shaping a positive opinion of your brand. Connect with your following, check out the hashtags they are using, tie bonds, and empower them.
LEADS TO MORE SALES
When you leverage your brand to be at the forefront of customers, they will most likely buy products frequently from your store and even connect with your services. Social media not only helps present your products to your target audience but also reiterates your messaging which helps to grab their attention to your business which will, in turn, lead to more sales.
KNOW WHAT THE COMPETITION IS DOING
Another major role social media plays when it comes to digital marketing is the ability to monitor what the competition is doing. Through their social media posts and engagement, we can easily see if they’re promoting any new products, the kinds of ads they are currently running, and what kind of strategy they’re using.
Watching what the competition is doing will also lend insight into new content that we’re missing out on which we can rectify in the next marketing plan that we craft for our brand. And lastly, through social media, we are able to see if we are falling behind our competition, see what we’re doing right and what we need to improve on.
FREE
A major advantage of leveraging social media for digital marketing is it’s free. While it is smart to ask the help of a credible social media marketing agency for maximum effect, it can be done with little experience by both business owners and freelance marketers.
Learning to create a page for the business is easy enough and doesn’t require professional experience. With a little bit of effort, they can start posting amazing pictures about a product or relevant post about the brand itself. Through social media, marketers can easily connect with customers, solve their issues, comment on their feedback, do daily updates, and make improvements on the product or services without having to worry about the cost.
BETTER CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
One of the crucial foundations for any successful business is good customer service. Let’s face it, we will immediately be turned off by any business, physical or online, who fails to address any of our concerns, ignore our questions, or help resolve an issue. In fact, 69% of consumers believe that fast resolution of an issue is vital to good service. This is one reason why big companies invest in quality customer service. But for smaller businesses that don’t have the capital to invest in a team of dedicated customer service representatives, the answer is simple – social media.
The work is even easier now since more and more people are turning a brand’s social media profile when they want to voice a concern or ask questions. And unlike phone calls or emails, there is an expectation that concerns voiced on a brand’s social media profile should be acted quickly since it is visible to the public. The pressure to showcase a positive interaction with other audiences also helps boost the reputation of the brand.
BRANDING
The key to success is trust, any business owner and marketer knows this. Customers tend to favor brands that have built up trust within their industry. All the famous brands that we know of today have proven their reliability to their customers which is why they’re so successful. This was done through smart marketing tactics throughout the business’s lifespan.
The digital age that we live in today might mean some of the tactics that have proven to be effective in the past might not be as effective now. But new advancements, like social media, present a new way for businesses to showcase their products and services to their audience.
Through strategically posting relevant and valuable content on their social media page, people will start to pay more attention to the brand. Subsequent run-ins with the brand and their products on social media will bring customers closer until they make a purchase.
At this point, it’s safe to say that social media is here to stay. The people who all think that it’s a fad will have to think of a different way to approach social media since more than half of the world’s population is already on it, or at least interact with it indirectly.
AUTHOR BIO:
Eliza Brooks is a passionate blogger and informative content writer who loves to write about social media marketing, seo tips, and web designs. She is currently working with Ad fluencer, Germany’s leading agency for influencer marketing.