Marketing Focus – Getting to Grips with Social Media
There are a plethora of social media tools which are increasing all the time. The essence of using social media well, is providing free and interesting information which readers want to engage with, drawing readers into your online world and allowing them to make a connection with your company.
The fastest growth demographic among social media users is the mid thirties age group – a prime target audience for businesses. Here are the main Social Media tools which should be used to gain maximum online exposure –
The Blog – is an online journal, ideally containing anything above 200 words. It is the key to keeping the web site updated and linked to other media. It needs to be interesting, engaging and relevant. In blog posts you can explain issues relevant to your business which will inform your target market, be helpful and position you as an expert in your field. This is a place for anecdotes, stories, warnings and useful information. The blog journals can be fed to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to draw people back to the website. Read more about blogging
Facebook – Businesses can create Fan Pages which are low cost, high profile marketing and Branding tools. People can ‘become fans’ of your business, sharing their “like” of items with others, and thus showing the recommendation of your company to their family, friends and contacts. The more “likes” you have, the greater the credibility.
It maintains a professional profile in the market place that feeds people to the web site, and importantly, it helps promote search engine placement. This form of interaction and accessibility maintains the relationship with existing clients and allows them to demonstrate “I trust this business, you should too”.
Twitter can be compared to SMS for the Internet. It allows you to communicate directly with a group of people who have shared interests, or want to understand a certain issue. Users choose to follow the messages, or ‘tweets’ of others.
They are persuaded to do this by the lure of the content. A trusted relationship is built with the follower over time as the tweets create interest, and conversations lead to referrals and further interaction, mostly in the form of attracting the user back to the website, blog or video. Read more about Twitter
LinkedIn – This is the world’s largest professional network and growing rapidly. It connects members to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals. Users with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn by connecting with someone, either known directly or through a friend. The business can also set up a corporate page; a chance to showcase its services and link back to its web site. It can also interact with Groups to actively show its knowledge of certain topics. Because this is a professional status-based information network, a business person giving information will attract a lot of interested potential Clients.
YouTube – A video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos, YouTube is now the second most searched source after Google. For some things, the proof is in the seeing, so many will prefer to choose their supplier or service provider on video rather than by reading about them. Such videos can be thought of as an open invitation to speak, to present oneself and show why they should use your company rather than another. Videos on YouTube can be embedded into the company’s website or blog. On video a senior partner can be interviewed on the kind of subject matter that will make a connection with potential clients.
Social Media is a great tool for promotion, but it is time consuming and can be counterproductive if not managed carefully. Shaw Marketing Services can set-up your social media profiles, write blogs, manage your accounts and maximise the success of your social media activity. Email info@shawmarketingservices.com for more information.