You may be using social media marketing to announce events, share articles or present new products, but is there something more you should be doing? There are some pretty great strategic ways to use social media as a part of your more comprehensive marketing plan. Here are three you should consider:
Social Media Marketing as a Brand Experience: When developing your social media strategy, you should think more broadly about the customer experience. Many of the visitors you get on social media are likely looking for more than just what you sell, your pricing and product availability. They want to know your company values, your culture and whether you’re involved in the community.
As you design your social media calendar, think about your posts and the brand experience you’re offering your followers. Your content should be designed to build loyalty and trust with followers, as well as send clear messages that tell what you’re about.
And if you’re a B2B company, the advice is exactly the same. B2B buyers are still people that appreciate doing business with those that share the same values and have compatible cultures.
Social Media Marketing as a Customer Touchpoint: A TELUS International survey demonstrated that engaging with customers on social media is a powerful connection point; 53% of consumers said that a like or comment on their posts from a company would make them more likely to make a purchase from that company.
It’s also a great way for your leadership to shape their image as being authentic and accessible. The 2021 Marketing Engagement Tracker from TEAM LEWIS found that only around 6% of CEOs had social media accounts and were actively involved in their company’s social media presence. When you consider that the same report found that 66% of Gen Z believed it was valuable for a CEO to be involved with a societal cause, you can see how social media could play a role in sharing CEO community involvement.
Social Media Marketing as a Community Builder: Social media has become a popular place for consumers to rally, either to support a brand or criticize it. While that may sound risky, it is much riskier to not participate at all and appear to be completely out of touch with your audience.
Offering compelling posts that initiate conversation or lend a bit of humor to your brand can be great ways to get conversations going and provide a setting for your customers to connect. You can even create groups in Facebook and LinkedIn that give you opportunities to ask customers for feedback and advice about your current offerings and what they want to see in the future.
Having a strategy helps you both make the most of social media marketing and avoid some of the most common mistakes. Not sure how to get a strategy in place? No problem. SJC Marketing is here to help. Contact us and let’s get started making much more of social media’s role in your growth plans.