“There has been a lot of talk about social media marketing lately. Is this social media “thing” just a big hype? Do I really need a “social media strategy”?
The answer really depends on your own business model. If your target group extensively uses the Internet to buy products related to your business, search for solutions or just communicate online, you do need a social media strategy.
“I am terrified by lack of control of social media. I am afraid that very few unhappy customers can present a substantial risk for my company’s reputation.”
This is probably the most common concern that we regularly get, particularly from business people with strong and established businesses. Of course, you do want to control your marketing. Do keep in mind, however, that your customers will communicate online anyway. By using your own social media platform, you can better channel and control their communication. Furthermore, you can more quickly address their concerns, perhaps even turning your once unsatisfied customers to the most loyal ones, while demonstrating to other customers that you care.
“Where do I start when planning my social media strategy?”
As always with marketing planning, start with the situation analysis. First, check out what the competition does: maybe they have already found out an intelligent way to leverage the power of social media. Also, learn more about your customers’ online behavior. How do they communicate online? What social media platforms do they use most? Then think how to better connect with your customers and create value through social media.
“What social media should I use for my business?”
There are many available media such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr, LinkedIn, Google Plus… To help you choose, check out this extensive list of various social networking sites: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites.
Again, think about where your customers are. Facebook and Twitter may be a good start. We actually recommend using both of them, so you can get access to more people: note that some customers may be on Facebook but not on Twitter, and vice versa. In our opinion, Facebook is usually more convenient to reach a broader B2C audience, while Twitter may be particularly effective when reaching business professionals (B2B).
“I am sold on social media. Where do I start my social media marketing campaign? What are the social media marketing DOs and DON’Ts?”
DO:
- know your specific social marketing objectives;
- plan enough time and effort to succeed in your social media marketing strategy;
- monitor your social media on a regular basis; stay on top of all communication;
- hire someone in your company and/or in an outside agency to spend a certain number of hours on social media each week;
DON’T:
- try to do too much at once: focus on your most important social media platforms first;
- forget to track your success on a regular time basis (e.g. number of likes, followers, etc.);
- forget to engage in online conversation with your customers. Don’t just use social media to send one-way messages to your customers. Make sure to create “wow” by personally responding to all customers’ questions, concerns and requests.
Written by Dr. Ivan Surjanovic and Cyri Jones,
adapted from BizTech101 column in Business in Vancouver
Photo by dole777 on UnsplashUnsplashh