Using Social Networks to promote your business should not be considered as an isolated action. While considering Social Networks, to start promoting your business through social networks you have to have a very clear strategy, a plan and time to develop it. Thus, getting started with social media marketing can be quite intimidating for new marketers.
FREMONT, CA: Today most purchasing decisions are made online, and you have to be where people are. Advertising on the Internet is an excellent option to reach your target audience since you can show your ad only to a segment of people who have certain demographic, location, and behavior characteristics. The great advantage of investing in advertising on the Internet is that it is cheaper, and you can control your investment. While in traditional media, you have to pay large sums of money regardless of the result. With online advertising, you can measure visits, clicks, downloads, forms, etc. Everything is under your control, which allows you to make better decisions when making new investments. Whether you decide to advertise on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google Ads, or invest in other types of digital strategies, you must have a well-defined Marketing plan to achieve satisfactory results.
Pay special attention to the type of content you generate and share because if you usually use it on any social network, you are making a severe mistake, and your followers will realize that you are so little interested in what they think. Each follower has a preference, so someone who uses Instagram more than Twitter does not want to see the same content on both social networks and vice versa.
No one will follow your profiles on social networks if they do not know who your company is and what it does. So take the time to create detailed profiles with an individual image that demonstrates your business mission. Include the basic and essential details such as your company's website, appropriate cover and profile photos, as well as some extra details such as addresses or phone numbers. If there is space depending on the social network include some information about the company and what it does.
It is also essential that you know what your audience wants and that they feel heard. Things like contests, Q&A, surveys, promotions, etc., can be the difference when it comes to positively impacting your audience versus a negative impression that your posts can have if they are only promotions without any other purpose. Remember that the public tends to follow people or entities for which they have a special interest, so it is essential that you know how to show them that you are also interested in them and that it is not just a company without human feelings or sympathy.
Facebook’s casual, friendly environment requires an active social media marketing strategy.Start by creating a Facebook Business Fan Page. You will want to pay careful attention to layout, as the visual component is a key aspect of the Facebook experience.
Facebook is a place people go to relax and chat with friends, so keep your tone light and friendly. And remember, organic reach on Facebook can be extremely limited, so consider a cost-effective Facebook ad strategy, which can have a big impact on your organic Facebook presence as well!
Google+ entered the scene as a Facebook competitor, but it now serves a more niche audience. It won't work for everybody, but some communities are very active on Google+.
On Google+ you can upload and share photos, videos, links, and view all your +1s. Also take advantage of Google+ circles, which allow you to segment your followers into smaller groups, enabling you to share information with some followers while barring others. For example, you might try creating a “super-fan” circle, and share special discounts and exclusive offers only with that group
Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social media marketing trends. Pinterest’s image-centered platform is ideal for retail, but anyone can benefit from using Pinterest for social media purposes or sales-driving ads.
Pinterest allows businesses to showcase their product offerings while also developing brand personality with eye-catching, unique pinboards. When developing your Pinterest strategy, remember that the social network's primary audience is female. If that's your demographic, you need a presence on Pinterest!
Twitter is the social media marketing tool that lets you broadcast your updates across the web. Follow tweeters in your industry or related fields, and you should gain a steady stream of followers in return.
Mix up your official tweets about specials, discounts, and news with fun, brand-building tweets. Be sure to retweet when a customer has something nice to say about you, and don’t forget to answer people’s questions when possible. Using Twitter as a social media marketing tool revolves around dialog and communication, so be sure to interact as much as possible to nurture and build your following.
LinkedIn is one of the more professional social media marketing sites. LinkedIn Groups is a great venue for entering into a professional dialog with people in similar industries and provides a place to share content with like-minded individuals. It's also great for posting jobs and general employee networking.
Encourage customers or clients to give your business a recommendation on your LinkedIn profile. Recommendations make your business appear more credible and reliable for new customers. Also browse the Questions section of LinkedIn; providing answers helps you get established as a thought leader and earns trust.
YouTube is the number one place for creating and sharing video content, and it can also be an incredibly powerful social media marketing tool. Many businesses try to create video content with the aim of having their video “go viral,” but in reality those chances are pretty slim. Instead, focus on creating useful, instructive “how-to” videos. These how-to videos also have the added benefit of ranking on the video search results of Google, so don't under-estimate the power of video content!
Social media platforms like Yelp and FourSquare are great for brick and mortar businesses looking to implement marketing on social media. Register on these sites to claim your location spot, and then consider extra incentives such as check-in rewards or special discounts. Remember, these visitors will have their phones in hand, so they will be able to write and post reviews. A lot of good reviews can significantly help sway prospective visitors to come in and build your business!
Reddit, or similar social media platforms such as Stumble Upon or Digg, are ideal for sharing compelling content. With over 2 billion page views a month, Reddit has incredible social media marketing potential, but marketers should be warned that only truly unique, interesting content will be welcomed. Posting on Reddit is playing with fire—submit spammy or overtly sales-focused content and your business could get berated by this extremely tech-savvy community.
If you have content you believe the Reddit community (majority is young, geeky, liberal, and internet-obsessed) would enjoy, you could reap tremendous benefits and earn valuable traffic.
Using social media in marketing does more than improve site traffic and help businesses reach more customers; it provides a valuable venue for better understanding and learning from your target audiences.
To recap – understand who your ideal client is, what social media platform they are on, what they want to know about and then create engaging content that answers their questions and show up consistently.
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