Out of 7.8 billion people living in the world today, there are 3.725 billion active social-media users. But social media for businesses is of utmost on top. Undeniably, it is the world’s hotspot for finding the right prospects for any business. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social-media platforms go hand-in-hand in providing the best digital campaigns, marketing opportunities, visibility and even making a whole lot of money. However, the critical question for businesses in modern times is to find out which social media for business platform would bring the most opportunities.
Sherpa Marketing, a leading digital marketing agency in relevant research found out that more people follow brands on social media than they follow celebrities. Brands should take this as a serious opportunity and take advantage of various possible benefits that social media proffer. This blog is your way to discover the endless possibilities of social media and do not forget to contact one of our representatives to get to know, how we can bring value additions to your business.
#Faster & Effective Communication
The perk of having more media platforms is that communication gets smoother and faster. Gone are the days of long emails and formal time-based conversations. On social media, a simple and informal conversation can end up in a sales closure.
Business can make use of review platforms and it is necessary for an organization’s positive growth. An unsatisfied customer or client can communicate faster with others over social media on how bad a service or a business is, that is why each organization should be extra cautious on review platforms. Creating replies, comments and other content for these platforms require faster introspection before action. Responding to both positive and negative reviews is a must to maintain an open organizational culture.
Marketing communications on social-media-platforms is crucial too to nail business success. Sometimes, a brand must be having umpteen number of followers on social media, yet unable to find the right leads or prospects. Communication cut offs, automated conversations, addition of irrelevant people, lack of right Social Media for Businesses marketing strategies, not maintaining constant brand image are all reasons on why social media efforts pathetically fail.
Observing, understanding and then taking actions on social media is what one needs to do on these public platforms. Perhaps, e-books on social media is the most widely popular entrepreneurial read and is ubiquitous. However, reading those books wouldn’t make any of you a great strategist. One needs to practice on a daily basis, even if it is a small business. Social media creates kinships that will slowly lead to purchase intentions.
#Enhanced Search Engine Rankings
A couple of years into social media, businesses figure out the importance of coming first on search engine results. Search engine optimization or SEO, is about people as much as it is about search engines itself. If your content needs to be discovered and catalogued by algorithms, it is important to provide relevant content. Social media, gives everyone a chance to rank better. Churn out meaningful content and post consistently to reach the right target audience. Do not forget to include the right keywords as they are the anchors to reach more people.
More likes and shares a business social media profile would earn, more visibility the brand gets. Quality content can be anything ranging from an effective blog to infographic, whitepapers, advertisements, eBooks, video advertorials or even a campaign. There is no hard and fast rule on which platform to use, so one can be as creative as possible. Some of the current trends are:
Following valuable metrics: Social media engagements needs to be measured, to understand what works and what doesn’t. Each likes & shares, revenue attributions, ad spend, emotional responses and other factors matters. Brands are using tools that help them get clarity on their social media usage. Zoho, Hootsuite, AgoraPulse, Keyhole, TapInfluence, etc. are some of the most widely used tools.
Organizations can use 1 tool for each site or have a single tool that cover all of the platforms. Even if one doesn’t have a dedicated analytical tool, most of these social media platforms come with inbuilt analytics platform. Facebook has one, so does Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other popular platforms.
Reliance on influencer marketing: It is marketers next big thing. Taking the age-old tactic of celebrity endorsements and placing it into a modern-day content driven marketing campaign, you get the right influencer marketing format. Here, the collaboration is not with celebrities, it is with influencers larger followers on social media platforms. For example, if you are in a restaurant or a catering business, you can collaborate with Gordon Ramsay, the famous British chef to reach his 7.75 million followers.
This would increase sales numbers, social media followers and number of positive social media response from diverse consumer base. In an insightful survey conducted by Mediakix, an influencer marketing agency; 89% of the respondents said that the ROI generated from influencer marketing is comparable to or better than other channels.
Diversification of Social Media Usage:Â In the beginning, brand focus was mostly on popular platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram etc. However, businesses realized sooner than later that these platforms are getting obsolete. Also, more people are opting for digital detox. The only solution to this problem is to diversify on to newer platforms used by people. It can be TikTok, Reddit or Snapchat.
Gen Z customers media consumption pattern is totally different from that of the previous generation. They have had exposure to media since young age and so, impressing them is quite difficult. Unlike millennials, they use multiple platforms with ease. Brands should be smart enough to dive into conversations where the Gen Z exists.
Story telling mode on: Dominance of Instagram stories silently indicates people’s love for stories. Facebook stories are also not far behind. Interactive stories are the new cool on social media platforms. So, brands are uploading short and long-form videos narrating what they have got to say in a very special way.
#Assured Long-term AudienceÂ
Consider email communication or a telephonic conversation, the possibilities to engage a prospect or a customer is quite short. However, social media platforms are a means to attract your audience and engage them for as long as your company profiles existence. Moreover, most social media platforms are free and instantaneously, one can reach thousands and thousands of viewers, readers and listeners. Engaging audience is not a cake walk; one should follow best practices.
Talking always about the brand is old school, talking about everything related to the industry in which the brand belongs is the new school. If you are an active member of twitter, you would have noticed various discussion queries strategically posted by brands to connect influencers with the prospects. Gifts, polls, discussions, referral programs and other creative marketing strategies are deployed by digital marketers to gain the maximum of various social media platforms.
If you are a new entrepreneur, a small business or an individual trying to build a brand, a presence in social media is a necessity rather than an option. As of 2020, there are 50 plus social media platforms that a marketer can use. Some of the less popular ones are Vine, Periscope, BizSugar, StumbleUpon, Viber, Delicious, Digg and it is a never-ending list.
Hope this blog gave you an epiphany to start your social media journey today. We are here to help and so, if you want valuable suggestions on the usage of best social media platforms, write to us at info@ossisto.com.
