There's no doubt that social media has reached an ultimate high in building relationships between businesses and consumers. Social media has moved from an optional marketing tool to a must-have for all businesses. But it takes a bit of work to make it effective in your plan for success. There's a few things businesses need to understand when integrating social media into their marketing strategy.
Consistency There has to be a commonness shared with all media channels chosen for a business. If using print or video ads, there should be an indication to a social media site that will elaborate more on the brand. Driving traffic to a business's Facebook fan page or acquiring followers on Twitter, helps the consumer get a better understanding of the type of industry that's being marketed and what other consumers trust this brand. Consumers need to be constantly reminded of that brand, getting your name out there by being all over the internet in as many ways as possible is the most beneficial to the business, while of course keeping the message consistent.
Building Hype By using the power of social media to promote brand launches, you're able to build a lasting hype about the brand. Inviting consumers to take part of virtual contests, or inviting them to special events creates excitement about the brand before and after the launch.
Investing Although social media is perceived as being "free", there's still a good amount of investing that has to take place. First with time and in some cases money, depending on the individual business need. For social media marketing to be successful, there's usually a team that dedicates all of their time to monitoring social media. While in smaller businesses, they should dedicate anywhere from 5-10 hours a week.
Measuring ROI How else would you know if your social media marketing tactics are working? In terms of consumer engagement, brand loyalty and profits there should be a measuring system to determine what works and what doesn't.
These keys concepts are a good start to integrating social media into a brand's marketing strategy. In today's digital world we have to stay on top of the latest trends to make brands stand out among others and increase profits. Marketing is essential to a booming, successful business and social media is marketing's gem in our generation. It must be used wisely.
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Great post Claudia! I completely agree with what you are saying. Mainly, I wanted to comment on consistency and how essential it is in terms of Social Media. Consistency, should not only be in terms of strategy but also time management. Followers have come to expect when and how you are keeping them updated, if you aren't consistent, it might confuse them. I enjoyed reading your post!
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ReplyDeleteI agree, great post. I would like to add to your post, i think spending the right amount of research time before beginning a marketing campaign is crucial to success. Targeting to a specific audience is extremelly important.
ReplyDeleteI think ROI very important when it comes to social media. No matter what you do, you have to prove that it is working and effective. The thing with marketing is that you have to prove that everything you do is working. Whether it's traditional marketing or online/social media marketing, you have to have proven results to be successful.
ReplyDeleteI agree that you need to have a clear, consistent message. A lot of companies flood their audience with a ton of different messages such as "we have the best quality" and "we provide the most discounts" that have make for conflicting images. Also, it is important to have measurable results. Facebook Ads are a great way to market via social media because they provide you with insight as to how your campaign is working. Great post!
ReplyDeleteAlyssa