Everywhere we turn we are constantly reminded of the importance of Social Media. Everybody is buzzing about it, but do you know what the buzz is all about? Surely there must be more to it than posting a status update or a Tweet that entices customers to purchase from you. So what is the secret?
Well, to put it simply, the secret is the fact that Social Media is not a stand-alone tool but only part of an overall strategy. And as a part of something bigger, social media should (ideally) complement your other marketing efforts. Confused? Not sure what I’m talking about? Here are 5 simple ways to make your social accounts work towards your marketing goals.
#1 Web Sign-up forms
Put links to your website sign up forms on social media profiles. This works in 2 ways: firstly, you will gain another reader of your eNewsletter, secondly, the information form the sign up form will be directly transferred to your database, and therefore growing your contacts list.
This way you integrate social media marketing with email marketing and database marketing. In return, add social sharing buttons at the bottom of your newsletters so that content is easy to share.
#2 Announcement board
Social Media is a great way to make an announcement. Whether it is a sale (offer an exclusive discount code or announce the arrival of new stock including photographs), a new blog post (direct followers to your blog), or the arrival of a new member of staff, social media is perfect for announcements! Just don’t forget that they need to be relevant to your audience!
#3 Segment
When it comes to contacts, social media followers and customers, we understand that fitting everybody into one box is not always possible. That is why Google Plus has introduced Circles, and Twitter has introduced Lists.
Keep your contacts organized (for example, customers, suppliers, employees etc.). This way you can keep an eye on the activities of different clusters of people or share content to a specific segment only.
#4 Comments and reviews
According to a research 53% of people recommend brands in their Tweets, while a staggering 93% of shoppers’ buying decisions are influenced by social media. So make a good use of those comments and recommendations, re-share them and even use them in your printed advertising!
#5 Listen
It is easy to push content out and not stop and listen but don’t forget that Social media is the perfect ‘observation tower’. It is perfect for research! Follow influencers, join industry discussion groups, listen and look for emerging trends. As they say, if there is a band wagon for you to jump on, you are already late!
This list is by no means complete, so help me expand it! How do you leverage your Social media accounts for marketing purposes?