Competition and a great variety of offers, presented by many different companies, is more than visible within today’s economy, and it’s important to stand out somehow – given that your products and services are of the highest quality and impact, there still has to be that special something that will separate your company from the others.
This is even more noticeable with small businesses that are only now booming and rising, and you either get into the race, making your competition aware of who you are, or just do nothing, hoping that clients will come to you. If you choose to opt for the first possibility – which is, naturally, better – here are some ideas on how to use social media for your business.
Locate the Users
Getting active on social media – mostly Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Vine and LinkedIn – can get you from relatively successful to very successful in several easy and logical steps, but the first one should be getting to know your users/clients/customers: the target audience.
This is a two part process, as you first have to get visible online and on social media, and then you can track your visitors, followers and users. That way, you can – via specialized software or by mere research – learn about their demography, age, spoken languages, trends, preferences and so much more, and then use it to tweak your offer and adapt to the general likings and, consequently, attract more clients.
Be Ready to Change
Once you’ve created online support and achieved acknowledgement, you can move to the next step and start advanced marketing via social networks. The key is not to abandon “regular” marketing strategies, but to incorporate viral ones and make a new platform that will channel your PR efforts on social media.
Post your slogans on Facebook, retweet reviews via Twitter, upload a video to YouTube and get some picture ads on Instagram – this will ensure that you gather a wider audience, expand your existing client base and make you appealing to new people, which is vital in smaller business.
Feedback and Support
One of the best, if not even the single best, feature of online marketing and social media appearance is the ability to connect to individuals and persons your business ultimately depends on. Everyday people are not in a position to contact big companies and corporations and ask them why their car is humming or their TV’s picture is not as advertised, but being able to reach your small business will mean the world to the clients.
And you can achieve this more than easily – set up a support page on Facebook and an official Twitter account where you will give advice and take suggestions, feedback and provide information regarding your business. You will create free communication with clients and be not only friendly and open, but also helpful.
Make a Name and a Statement
Finally, what your social media presence will come to is a visible recognition of your brand and an established name for yourself. Your business will become, in the eyes of your users and clients, more interesting, appealing and visited. When people search for local companies and offers, they tend to pay attention to the social media presentations of selected brands and read what other users think and form their opinion that way.
You can also choose to learn from the best, and by using specialized tools to gather social media data, you can be up to date with the latest trends, and keep an eye on the competition. Furthermore, if your social media accounts include not only information regarding your business, but also specific personalized messages for users, your brand will be legitimate, trustworthy and frequently shared.
The Result
Social media coverage will make your company stand out and be seen as more open and ready to interact with people, provide information, give feedback, take criticicisms and change to accommodate clients, which is positive and good. Finally, social media presence will benefit the potential future and provide you with much needed support for further projects and expansions – it’s always easier to build upon something already existing and palpable.
Norah Martin is somewhat of a novice in the marketing world, but is learning quite fast. She is passionate about social media campaigns, even though she was against using Facebook and Twitter for a long time. She devotes a lot of time to researching past and present-day marketing campaigns and success stories which turned an unheard of small company into a household name.
