Clients inquire about Social Media Marketing every day. People want to know if this is a good form of marketing. Is it worth my time, what is the payout, and can this bring me business? The answer is, Yes. If your business is set up on the right Social Media Platform, and your goals are S.M.A.R.T you can achieve what you want for your business while using Social Media Marketing.
Benefits of Social Media Marketing
To be successful in any Social Media Platform you want to make sure you understand the benefits of Social Media Marketing. Without understanding the benefits and how it can help your company you will not be able to create a tangible goal.
We are going to discuss the Benefits of Social Media Marketing and how Social Media Platforms can help you with your business.
People used platforms to network or stay connected to friends and family. Now social media is the go-to for research on goods and services. If a person needs a service or product, you will find them visiting different platforms asking for information, rather than doing a quick google search. This is where the benefits come into play. How can social media help you?
- Attract Customers: You want to show customers what you have to offer. Create an engaging platform. One that makes people want to follow you. As we go over different platforms, ask yourself “can I attract customers by using this?”
- Develop your brand: You need a way to show off what you are doing, what you are adding, and where you are succeeding. Later, think about how you want to develop your brand and market it. How can the platforms we will discuss help you meet that goal?
- Networking: Networking is important. You either should be networking with people, or with businesses. This is the best way to grow a business. If no one knows about your business, how will they know to come to you? You want to make sure to get your name out there. You want consumers to say, “Oh, I’ve heard of them” not “Who are they?”
- Increasing website traffic through social media can help boost organic searches, and help your business stay relevant in potential client’s minds. The more they see your presents on social media, the more likely they are to remember your company and tell people to go check you out. You don’t want to spend 10+ hours a week on social media, and no one ever leaves your pages to go to your website. It’s important to think about what you will post and how it will entice people to check you out.
- Helps with Market Research: As a business, you want to stay relevant and up to date. You don’t want to have a brand that goes out of style or does not keep up with market products. Make sure the platform(s) you decide to use, will help you to research what people are thinking and feeling about your brand type.
Now that we know what some benefits of Social Media Marketing are, let’s discuss what different social media platforms are out there and how they can help your business.
What Platform is right for you?
To know what Social Media Platform would be right for you, think of your goals and what you are trying to achieve. Remember the S.M.A.R.T acronym I mentioned earlier? Remember to make sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Who are you trying to reach out to, and what you are trying to convey on Social Media, is particularly important, but so is having a set time frame?
Jumping on every single social media platform and trying to keep up with weekly posts can become time-consuming and pointless. When it comes to your business time is money and should be well spent! Below you are going to find 6 Social Media Platforms that can benefit your business. Yes, there are more platforms out there, but not every one of them is going to be beneficial for your business. We wanted to provide you with Social Media Platforms that are easier to use and can be less time-consuming.
As we go over these platforms, ask yourself. Would this platform fit my needs? My S.M.A.R.T plan, or is it going to become a blocker for my day? If it is a blocker because you cannot find the time, or do not have it. Considering hiring a professional third party that can manage your accounts. When hiring someone to do this make sure the company is willing to work with you, sound like, and supply feedback to you. You want your management company to be you. When Kates Digital Marketing hires clients, for social media, we sit down with them and discuss client goals, business ethics, and so much more. We want to understand your needs and convey them on your platforms so that in return your goals can be successful. We then set time aside weekly to discuss how well the post reached its followers and how much engagement it has reached. If you are looking for someone to help with your Social Media or have other questions, click here. Now let us go back to discussing the different Platforms your business can use.
Platforms used for Social Media Marketing Presence:
Facebook reaches billions of followers and can be a perfect tool for attracting potential customers. It is a great tool for engaging current followers but can also help you learn your market and show you where your business can grow. It can also be a tool to create traffic to your website. It is important to know when to post, how to post, and what to post. You do not want to shove your business in every post. As a marketing company, we understand that our followers do not want to see a post every day about using us for branding or marketing. So we try and keep our Social Media posts about the fun things that we do, and how we give back to our community. You may find us throwing in some fun business-like posts, but for Facebook, our S.M.A.R.T goal is to stay relevant. We also like to use follower recommendations as well as groups. If your business is not checking the recommendations or joining small business groups, you need to get connected today. Networking your business is important, and having a Business page will not be good enough. It is important to keep up with your page. If someone recommends your company whether it be on Facebook or in person, depending on the peer group. They are likely to check out your social media profile so it should always be up to date. Also, remember if a peer recommends you on Facebook reach out to the person that was recommended. A lot of times we miss out on a good lead because we like a post or wait for them to come to us. Be proactive and reach out!
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Instagram can be limited, depending on your following, but it can still be beneficial to your business. Instagram can be used for showing off the branding of your company or bringing awareness to your brand. Like Facebook, Instagram can also attract customers or website traffic. So, posting relevant material is important. Sometimes, clients will use their personal Social Media for their business and this is a huge no-no for any Social Media platform. Clients or potential clients do not want to be bombarded with your personal posts and often your work posts will be lost in the feed. It’s best to have a separate social media account and share your business page from your personal page. Sure, it is a great idea to include some content that can be related to your personal life, but just be aware of the type of content you are posting for your desired audience. This also helps keep work and personal life separate.
How can you use Instagram to reach out to more potential clients and get them to your website? Make sure to have your website link listed in your bio, but when making a post. Make sure you mention your website and link. If you never mention it, how will they know it is there.
What is great about Instagram is you can use things like Hashtags, also known as a pound sign. When you use these in your post, it can help your content reach a larger following. For example, if your business is photography in New Orleans and you post a picture of your client. It is only going to reach the number of followers you currently have. Post the photo and including Hashtags that are relevant to your business, Such as #Photography, #NewOrleansPhotography, #NewOrleansWedding this allows non-followers to see your work and start following you. This goes back to the importance of making sure your followers know about your other Social Media Platforms and Website.
Like Instagram, Twitter is an easy Social Media Platform that can be used. You can use it for market research by asking questions or promoting your brand. As well as finding leads in your area. Yet, Twitter can be a very noisy place unless you have a large following, your research may be lost or overlooked.
Linkedin is a great way to connect with businesses or other like professionals. On LinkedIn, you can connect more with businesses and market your brand. From a sales perspective, sometimes it is hard to get your foot in the door with certain companies. Through LinkedIn, you can connect and work on building a report so that one day you can get that meeting you always wanted. You can follow groups that your brand is associated with and follow trends. One of the best benefits of Linkedin is that you can showcase who you are as a business professional and people can also leave recommendations. If you have done work with certain businesses/professionals that are connected to you, they can endorse you and your brand. Helping potential clients or customers want to choose you.
YouTube
Depending on what your business or brand is, YouTube can be a very beneficial marketing tool. YouTube can help you with branding your company and attracting customers. You can use videos to educate consumers on your brand or to market it in general. It can also be a helpful tool in market research. There is very little if not nothing that you cannot research on YouTube.
If you’re thinking that YouTube is not the Platform for you it doesn’t mean videos for your brand cannot be helpful. Videos can be helpful for search engine optimization. So, while YouTube, may not be the Social Media Platform you want to take part in. Don’t discount videos yet. We recommend that all our clients and potential clients create blogs and videos on their websites and share them on social media. Not only does this help promote your company it helps your SEO when being searched for. Which in return, can help you in organic searches online.
Wait, Pinterest? The place for recipes can be helpful? Yes! Pinterest is not just for bloggers, quick crockpot recipes, or pretty pictures. It can also be used to market your business. If you have a clothing brand, you can show your products, when consumers click on your post they can be taken to your website where they can purchase the products they like or browse. Thus far giving you website traffic and potential clients.
Now that you know the benefits of Social Media, and what different platforms are used for. Sit down and create a goal for your business. Don’t forget to answer key questions for yourself like, who is my audience, what is my goal for being on Social Media, how will this help my business grow?
By utilizing your Social Media Platforms, you should find your business experiencing better audience engagement, and more sales. If you are wanting to be more connected on Social Media, talk with us today.
Get in touch to find out more about our Social Media Marketing Services!
