Around a decade ago social media was only used for side marketing strategies- however so much has changed since then, with many social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram becoming a significant part of marketing endeavours for both small and large businesses alike. Social media can prove to be a convenient and cost-effective marketing tool ideal for small businesses, since initial investments are quite minimal, and if designed and executed accordingly, social media marketing efforts can help your business grow substantially.
Do you understand the true meaning of “social media marketing?” Want to know how you can take advantage of it to grow your business?
It Takes a Great Amount of Dedication
If you have no experience in social media marketing, you may be under the impression that you can magically grow your business through a good number of “likes” and “followers,” or through daily updates and blog posts. The truth is it takes a great amount of dedication and real planning to grow and promote your business effectively, therefore if you want to take advantage of social media’s optimum potential, you’ll need to be able to incorporate the following techniques:
- Knowing what your audience wants and needs
- Sharing quality and relevant content
- Motivating your audience to share your content
It goes without saying that for your social media marketing to be effective, you’ll have to produce quality content. A good social media marketing campaign always stems from a solid content marketing strategy. When you have valuable content, your audience will be engaged and potentially share it with their own circle, meaning you’ll be widening your reach and opening your business to a whole new world of potential customers, friends or fans.
If you’re running a small business, using social media can be an inexpensive way to market your brand and at the same time, build authority and trust, which in turn can help you exponentially grow your company. The following are some of the reasons why social media marketing is perfect for your business:
It Makes your Business Accessible
Throughout the years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of smartphone users around the world, and with that said, more businesses are also providing mobile-friendly experiences. As mobile activities get more and more integrated in our daily lives, it makes it easier for small to large businesses to reach us.
The great thing about social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest is that they have downloadable apps that are free. Even when business owners are always travelling, they can still efficiently manage their online presence.
Aside from that, apps also allow customers to connect to their favourite sites no matter where they go. These days, consumers don’t merely use social media to share updates about their lives, but also as a platform to search for businesses, services and products. These social channels allow them to connect with brands, meaning that when your business establishes social media presence, your chances of being found by potential customers are increased.
It Promotes Brand Awareness
No matter how good the products or services you offer are, it wouldn’t matter if your potential customers can’t find you. Social media is a great venue for getting the word out there about your business. Above the exposure you get, this platform also gives you the opportunity to build relationships with your target audience. Your connections, fans and followers are people who know your business or who have worked with you in the past, and needless to say, are most likely going to tell their friends about you.
When it comes to promoting brand awareness, social media has continued to deliver good results, therefore dismissing this platform also means giving your competitors a great advantage. Throughout the years, leaders in the marketing industry have agreed how social media has provided a definite impact on brand awareness.
Here at Lollipop Digital, we always want our readers and customers to get the information they need to promote brand awareness. Here are some tips you can follow:
- Know your Audience – Before you select the social media platforms you want to focus on, you have to determine whether your target audience is active on it. For instance, if you’re running a B2B company, it might be better for you to focus on LinkedIn rather than Facebook.
- Catch their Attention – Remember to use interesting and eye-catching visuals with your content to grab the attention of your target audience. You can grow brand awareness on various social media channels by using images and videos. Not only does this increases engagement, it also improves social shares.
- Build Conversations – Conversation and engagement are important in social media. This platform is not meant for one-way communication. What’s important is you grab your audience’s attention and listen to them. You can build better engagement when you become a little bit personal and relatable to your customers.
- Track the Results – It is important to measure your marketing efforts by using the tracking tools provided by the social media platforms. You can also use external tools like Google Analytics and URL shorteners, among others. Instead of just aiming in the dark, you should use the insights to understand which works for you best.
- Build Authority – You can expect better brand awareness and higher engagement rates when you put an effort into building your authority. You can do this by sharing valuable, quality content. Aside from sharing borrowed content, it is also important to have something original. Doing so adds to your credibility, making you a trustworthy source of information.
It’s Effective in Helping you Gain Loyal Customers
As we’ve mentioned, social media is a great platform to communicate with customers. If an irate customer complains through social media platforms, you will be immediately alerted of their concern, and therefore be able to instantly assist them and work to repair your relationship with them. With that said, social media can also be a good platform for happy customers to share your brand within their network.
Social Media Marketing is Effective When It’s Done Right
There’s no denying that managing social media campaigns can be complicated and time-consuming. Without the right techniques, you might just end up wasting your precious time and resources; and that is why we recommend you turn to Lollipop Digital, where we offer experience backed expertise and skills, and are always dedicated to producing measurable results.
Let us help you build your brand online! Contact Lollipop Digital today for more information!
