Social media marketing is more than just blogging and social networking. These days, nearly every business like Total Paving and professional service providers like Witkowski Dental has a Facebook page, Twitter handle, Instagram account and more. While these avenues are not necessarily marketed to businesses as social media marketing channels, they still provide insight into what people are interested in across the web.
Benefits of social media marketing
1. It’s free
Greg Macon runs the marketing for IPA Applications and also for True Medspa Center and notes “Social media marketing is an excellent way to promote your business without having to pay for expensive television or newspaper advertising campaigns. The only thing you have to spend money on is a computer, phone and the social networks themselves. This cost is far less than other types of marketing and can yield better results by giving you valuable insight into customer behavior and needs.”
2. It reaches a wide audience in one place
Rather than driving all over town handing out flyers or spending thousands on local advertising, social media marketing allows your business to target people all over the world from one location. Because of this, you can accomplish more in your own community with social media alone than with traditional advertising methods.
3. It’s highly interactive
Ted Soloman runs the websites for Bodytech Total Fitness and also for Elderwerks and says “Social media marketing allows people to interact with each other and you on a 24/7 basis. This means that your business has the opportunity to gain a form of customer loyalty that is more valuable than relying solely on advertising campaigns. The ability to respond to customers, interact with them and gain insight into their thoughts and behaviors is invaluable and provides more value than traditional methods.”
How to use social media marketing
1. Be proactive in how you use social media channels
Social media is an effective way for businesses like Gift Check Program to get customers to notice them and reach them directly through interaction via these channels. While there are many ways to do this, the most effective way is to be proactive instead of reactive. Don’t just post your products and wait for customers to find you. Instead, post relevant information that is beneficial or interesting to your audience while also providing valuable insights into what you know about their behavior and needs.
2. Post valuable information on a regular basis
Having a social media presence isn’t enough. You must have interesting, valuable content that keeps people coming back to read or like your posts or they will move on. This can be almost anything from links to articles you think they might enjoy, pictures of an event you have coming up or even just pictures of employees having fun at work. Content is king and if you want people to see your business through a positive lens, post quality content regularly.
3. Get involved with others’ posts
Most importantly, engage with your audience in a meaningful way and that means getting involved when people post about you or your business. Don’t just respond to praise or complaints either; get involved in the conversation by posting links to relevant articles or other valuable content that is on the same topic. This will entice more of your audience to join the conversation and bring them into an ongoing dialogue about what they are interested in online.