August 05, 2016
5 Reasons why your business needs a social media presence
“In the world we live in today, we no longer have a choice on whether to engage in social media or not.The question is, how well we do it.”
You can buy attention. You can beg for attention from the media. Or you can earn attention by creating something interesting and valuable and then publishing it online for free. When it comes to marketing, what are the uses of social media and why it would do you good to hire a social media marketing agency? Why use this platform?
Marketing is no longer about YOU but about the STORIES you tell.A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is – it is what consumers tell each other. And what could be a better platform to achieve these objectives than social media and by the very people who specialize in exactly this!
At this point in the game, not having an active social media presence is kind of like pulling out a flip phone at a business meeting and then not understanding why your boss keeps giving Ramesh all the new accounts. But some people still own flip phones, and some people dig in their heels and say, what is social media marketing going to do for me? Do I really need it? Yes. Yes you do — and here are some of the most compelling reasons why:
Know your customer base\ Part of what makes things like Twitter and Instagram marketing so cool is the interaction you get to have with your customer base — you can read their tweets and status updates to get insights into their daily lives (and maybe adjust your marketing strategy as a result). What products are they buying and why? What are they doing on the weekend? What kind of posts do they love to share, and from what websites? You can also use social media as a tool for connecting with complementary, non-competing businesses, thought leaders and taste makers in your space, as well as journalists who cover your industry. Sometimes, becoming besties starts with a simple retweet.
Respond to customer complaints
If you make customers unhappy in the physical world, they might each tell 6 friends. If you make customers unhappy on the Internet, they can each tell 6,000 friends.
If there’s a problem with your product or service, you want to know about it right away. With the feedback you get in the process of social media marketing, you’ll be the first to know when there are issues – and you can take steps to resolve them right away. Study after study has shown that consumers appreciate companies that respond to customer complaints (and don’t hesitate to rant online to anyone who will listen when companies don’t take the time to make things right).
Stay ahead of competition\ Did you know that 91% of brands are using more than one social media platform? This isn’t something you want to fall behind the competition on because it’s much harder (and more expensive) to play catch up than it is to get in on the game early. If your competitors get to your potential customers first, they’ll earn their loyalty and you’ll have a hard time winning them over. If you’re active and engaging on a variety of networks, you can gain those friends and followers first and your competition will be playing catch up instead of the other way around.
Tap your potential Customer\ Customers, you didn’t know existed will find (and buy from) you.In the process of marketing with Facebook, you’ll probably join a ton of groups related to your products, industry and customer base. By posting links on these groups, you’ll help influence customers to check out your site. Answering questions You Can’t Beat the Price (or ROI) of Social Media.
Get featured on a trending topic
When it comes to newsjacking, social media is king. Sometimes your brand is mentioned on a cable TV show. Sometimes it’s not, but you know just how to slide your product into the story to aim the spotlight in your direction. Facebook, Twitter, and even Reddit marketing gives you a front row seat to the news that’s becoming viral right as it’s happening. Jump in at just the right time and you’ll earn some major media attention — and that’s something you just can’t do with a traditional ad campaign.
Get website traffic/Store Walk-ins
People view Twitter and Facebook as social networks, not marketing machines. As a result, they’re less likely to see what you post as an advertisement and will be more likely to hear what you have to say. This translates to serious web traffic when you link to your site and posts that market themselves as your friends and followers share what you’ve posted.
Simply put, social media marketing is part of doing business in the new millennium. If your business isn’t already active on social networking sites, now is the time to start. Before you go blindly winging your way into the social media sphere, a word of warning if you will: PLAN YOUR ATTACK!! You can waste hours on social media marketing to no positive effect, therefore allocate some marketing budget to dip your toe and get some assistance if you are not 100% sure of how to approach the medium. That is to say, hire the social media marketing guys to do it for you.
Written by Social Monks.
