Success stories stand tall as long as they get the space and recognition to grow and flourish. In any business, right from introducing a product, to drawing profitable sales, there is one word that makes all this possible, marketing. Over the years, marketing has elevated the strategies for advertising and creating an image in the market. Today, the most effective marketing strategy is social media marketing.
Social media marketing is the process of gaining website traffic through social media sites. This can also be defined as a type of internet marketing designed to gain brand image and successful goals of marketing communication with the help of social media. Basically, this is advertising and creating market space and image with the help of social media sites such as Facebook, blogs, twitter, LinkedIn and MySpace. Here are the top 5 keys to creating effective social media network marketing strategies.
1. Target the right audience
The very first key to effective marketing is to understand your target audience. You have to know and understand who the target people are and above all how they use internet. Social media habits’ of the retired golfer are totally different from those of the young suburban mom. Your text and your account must speak to your target audience and capture their attention. For example, combing several platforms such as Linkedln, Twitter and Facebook is important for the professional photographer, but may not be necessary for a local ice-cream shop owner. Just hang out where your target people spend their time and then observe their interactions before you engage them in any conversation.
2. Entertainment
One of the many reasons that people regularly log in to their social media network is for entrainment. People view photos of their friends, share funny video clips or report entertaining headlines from news sources. One important strategy for effective social media network marketing is to incorporate entertainment. Don’t just post content or boring video clips, provide entertaining and engaging content to your visitors. The posts should sparkle, photos should be clear and compelling and the video footage must be crisply filmed and well edited.
3. Provide solutions
One amongst the best ways of attracting potential customers is by providing a solution to problems associated with your own business. We all have problems and if someone provides a solution to even one of them, we will definitely go back. Also engage your potential customers through Facebook and Twitter by asking and also answering their questions directly, even is the questions are not related to your own products and services. This will portray you as the expert in the field and as a person who provides positive information to the internet community.
4. Covert visitors to customers
Social media marketing is all about creating new customers. This means you have to convert your visitors to customers. This can be done if you create a personal connection with them and interact with them directly. Include your buying options or some subscription forms on the homepage and then link this to the social media platforms. Capture their attention with informative content. You can include tips, news updates, industry profile and any other good content so that the visitors feel they have gained something by just visiting your accounts. You can also gather some email address on the mailing list and give them valuable reasons to return and buy your products and services.
5. Be transparent
Transparency is extremely important when engaging with the people online. Spam radars are quite strong on individuals who use the social network regularly, and sending them promotional emails will just turn people away. Be honest and very authentic when engaging people online, just like you would deal with a good customer or a friend in a social setting. If a person posts something negative about your products and services, respond as soon as you can and be professional. Fix the problem immediately and be nice to the customer. Such fast respond shows the other potential clients you really care about them.
By following the aforementioned tips, you will be amazed on the many benefits linked to social media marketing. This is one way of gaining new customers, interacting with your customers, creating a brand personality and above all reducing marketing expenses.