The first thing you need to do once you’ve hired your social media manager is make a plan. A company without any kind of schedule or plan for marketing, especially marketing on social media, is a company destined to have a rough time with it.
Social media marketing can be effective, efficient, and even fun, but only if you take a moment before launching to work out what exactly your company aims to achieve through social media.
Connect with current customers
The most basic use of social media is for connecting with people you already know. In our private lives this is usually our ex colleagues and our parents’ neighbours, but in the world of business this is most often our customers.
Customers who like your product may want to know more about the company. They may want to keep an eye out for competitions or giveaways. More users follow brands than celebrities across all platforms, which should give you an idea of just how important it is to have a great social media presence!
Social media is also the best way to share your company’s ethos. If you’re involved with a good cause, or if you have a particularly generous maternity package, these are all things that can and should be shared with your customers. These are the sorts of things customers like to know about the companies they buy from, and the information that could help build brand loyalty.
Connecting with people who already know and love your product or service is key. They may want to support your business, and clicking a ‘share’ button is a very easy way for them to do that. Smart marketing which includes links to your products or services is a must for social media.
Reach new customers
Another massive benefit to having a social media presence is having the ability to reach new customers. Word Of Mouth marketing is so important, with potential customers much more likely to take the plunge when they have a recommendation from a friend or family member. Whereas this used to mean hoping customers would pass on your number to their pals, these days Word Of Mouth applies to influencers as well.
Influencers on Instagram get a bad rep but most are just friendly, open individuals who have photography skills and a modicum of good taste. Most have large follower bases because they seem trustworthy, like someone you would love to meet for a cuppa. They have ready-made fan bases who are ready to buy a product simply because their favourite influencer told them it’s good.
Even if you decide not to work with Instagram influencers, social media is still the easiest way for your existing customer base to share your work and ethos with their network. If your social media manager comes up with a strategy for a funny campaign, or is really good at building conversations around topics that relate to your industry, your customers will naturally start to share that content in their own feeds and with their own contacts. That’s organic growth.
Engagement
The real and true benefit of social media marketing as opposed to traditional marketing, or even to long-established methods of digital marketing, is this: engagement.
Whether that’s engaging with existing customers or potential ones, a social media marketer knows how to use their skills to foster a strong connection through engagement. That can come from competitions, where social media users are encouraged to tag a friend and share the post; it can come from starting a lively debate by posting a poll; it can come from a variety of different methods.
Marketing on social media allows your brand to have a voice, and to build up a reputation. It allows for an analysis of current trends, using the stats from the back end to see what works and what doesn’t.
And it allows for one-on-one interaction, too. Providing excellent customer service on a public platform can only ever raise your profile. Addressing customers as they engage with your brand shows them you care about each and every one of them.
These are benefits to social media marketing that the traditional forms of marketing simply can’t compete with.
Conclusion
Social media marketing is something every company has to have in some form in the 21st century. It is good for engaging with new and existing customers in a way that is almost impossible through traditional forms of marketing.
A smart strategy, complete with a schedule and aims for what social media marketing needs to achieve is vital, and is something your social media manager will be able to help you with. To find the social marketer that will work best for your company and your needs, have a look who’s available on Bark.com. With local agencies, freelancers and consultants ready to meet your needs, you can’t go wrong.