Social Media Marketing- The Time Is Now

Social media marketing, it’s time to take the plunge.

Social media presses itself upon your lips and lurks in the corners at the back of your mind.  Consciously or not, you engage with social media so often that you barely come to recognise its presence anymore.  That tap of the send button, that opening of the app, social media has saturated the market so seductively that it gets you wet before you acknowledge that it has even happened.

So why are businesses still reluctant to use social media to be, well, social?   

Admittedly, it is a tad difficult to give an explanation that fits each and every company or person perfectly, but what we have found is that the two most common answers to the above question are as follows: “why do we need social media marketing?” and “we have tried it before and didn’t see a return on investment, so why do we need it at all?”

Both answers are questions that have been put forward to us from clients, and because we like to be as transparent as the shower curtain in our bathroom, we have always answered openly and honestly. Firstly, you need social media marketing just as much as you need your website.  Secondly, as frustrating as it has been to watch your efforts not work out, it doesn’t mean that you should shut the door on them forever.  Remember that first time you thought you were only dipping your toe in the water at the pool as a child but you actually ended up swirling around in circles in the middle of some rapids?  That’s pretty much what happened when you dive bombed into posting on Facebook without a corresponding image… you left behind the one thing that will keep your head even remotely above water.

Social media marketing is more than just a set of armbands however; it is a platform that facilitates income generation, so you can think of it as an integral part of your company’s preservation.  From awareness to advocacy, social media increases customer retention whilst successfully targeting new audiences. It Is the modern-day version of the Avon rep having a brew with your Nan and showing her next-door neighbour the catalogue over the back fence at the same time. Two different audiences, one shared interest, two different approaches to selling. 

It doesn’t matter how many segments your audience is broken down in to, each one of them will respond differently to different stimuli.  Social media marketing allows each customer group to be targeted in multiple ways to sell not only your products and services but your brand’s ethos as well.  It is worth remembering that it doesn’t matter how compelling your call to action is, it won’t be getting any if all you do is sell, sell, sell.

So, what does social media marketing consist of? 

Aside from the obvious, social media marketing takes time and it has to be done correctly.  Here is a very simple breakdown of the day to day mechanics:

Writing and editing 

Both of these are done in your brand’s tone of voice throughout, staying in line with your brand guidelines to avoid confusion and ambiguity.  Whether the nature of the text is a caption alongside an image or it is a lengthy blog post, words matter. 

SEO

Search Engine Optimisation rolls freely from the tongue of all MDs.  You want to make sure that the time and money you spent preparing and constructing your website is replicated by the footfall that skips through its sleek looking pages. Social media content that has a high social reach and gets a lot of interaction positively impacts your Google rankings.  The use of effective and relevant keywords being displayed in, and engaged with, in each segment of your audience across your social platforms, is looked upon favourably by Google’s algorithms.  

Design and photo editing

With 65% of a message being remembered when there is a visual alongside copy, the images that are used must be of a good quality and on brand. They also need to be the correct sizes for the social media platforms that they are presented on.  Only 10% of a post’s message is remembered by the consumer when it is lacking in the image department. 

Video creation

It is predicted that within the next five years up to 80% of all internet traffic will be video content.  Whether it be Instagram Stories or Facebook Live, video content needs to be optimised for each social media channel.

Customer service 

Internet users are taking to social media for their complaints and enquiries, and over 70% of people who tweet their complaints expect a response within one hour.  Now, don’t forget the internet is a 24/7 kind of deal, so having measures in place to ensure optimum response time is imperative.  Another stat to digest is that 67% of consumers use social media to resolve their problems and find answers to their questions about a company’s services and products. This means that a company’s online manner and reputation is always on display, so being proactive and responsive alongside providing exceptional customer service will not only look great but it encourages people to be three more times likely to recommend your brand to a friend.  

Isn’t being social just brilliant! 

On top of regular monitoring and reporting, large amounts of time are invested into research and planning.  Social listening is also a key element of social media marketing, and it is an important tool when considering paid advertising such as PPC and Facebook Ads. 

So, not all is doom and gloom.  The world of social media changes all of the time, its backdrop dips and curves on a daily basis but it is continually growing and evolving.  Incorporating new technologies with traditional methods, social media marketing is an exciting and innovative machine that demands to be recognised and seeks to be explored.  

Contact us to see how our bespoke service can help you and your business conquer the social landscape within your allocated budget. 

Social media marketing- Isn’t it time you took the plunge? 

Written by Keeley Sawdon-Molloy