Successful Social Media Marketing for Every Business
As of January 2014, 74% of Internet Users use social media platforms (Pew Internet, 2014).
source: Pew Internet
As of January, 2014
source: Pew Internet
As of September 2013:
- 71% of online adults use Facebook
- 17% use Instagram
- 21% use Pinterest
- 22% use LinkedIn (Pew Internet, 2014).
source: Pew Internet
As of 2014, infographic about major social media platforms
source: Leverage
Organizations whether they are profitable or non-profitable, B2B or B2C in any industry need be on social media platforms. If the world is online, your organization need to be online. If you see social media as a sales channel, heavy direct marketing channel (especially push approach) or a channel with no value for your organization because of your business field has no relevant business content to post on social media, you are seeing social media not correctly. Organizations need to understand why people are on social media platforms in the first place. Social media is a great indirect marketing channel. You should see it as branding, Touchpoint, exposure, fan club of a brand, SEO enhancement (to be found online), pool of loyal customers, customer service, consumer insights, and customer experience improvement.
Steps to set up a good social media-marketing plan:
- Identify goals and objectives.
- Identify the target market.
- Identify where they live online and what social media platforms they use.
- Identify why they are online and using social media platforms.
- Identify their behaviors, needs, wants and interests (consumer insights).
- Identify buying cycle of the target market.
Now you can tailor your social media content to your target market and keep them engaged, interested, like you (positive experience) and always remember your business.
A great example, a dentist who has 340k followers on Instagram, Mohammed Alssefi (@abdoty_). The success behind his Instagram account is high quality content that some people are interested in. He shares content (mostly videos) about health, oral health, life lessons and other topics. His purpose is to be beneficial and helpful person.
Touchpoint:
For example, on Instagram, your potential target market/prospects see your business name and logo when you post a content with a hashtag. Your Instagram followers’ followers see your followers’ feed: “just follow you,” “like you” or comment on your post where they see your business name and logo and maybe click on it. Your Instagram content might be shared through “mentioning” or other sharing methods. Every time your business name and logo are seen, it’s counted as an exposure (Touchpoint). When a customer or prospect who is following you, or has seen your business name and logo on social media think of buying a product/service in your field, you might come first on top of their mind in the first step of the buying decision process (Problem/need recognition).
SEO:
The more you are active with high quality content on social media, the more you are to be found online.
Fan club and customer experience improvement:
On social media platforms, you are building a personal relationship, trust and positive experience between your business and your customers or potential customers. In addition, you provide customer service; collect feedback from and consumer insights about your target market.
Therefore, it’s very important to tailor your content to your target market interests and not what your business is interested in selling. You should post a few indirect promotions in an interesting and creative ways (ex. benefits of a product/service in a funny content). Nowadays, consumers have most of the power in the buying decision process. The goal is to stay positively relevant in consumers’ minds, create exposure and to be found. Social media is not about you, it’s about your target market.