Social media marketing is the secret ingredient to achieving success in the online marketplace. It honestly doesn’t matter whether you are selling widgets, wardrobes, or warlocks, as long as you are hooked into at least one of the popular social media channels and correctly reaching your audience.
Many business people believe in the theory of ‘if you build it, they will come.’ While it may have worked in Field of Dreams, it very rarely works when you create a web page. There are very few brands who can set up shop somewhere on the internet and attract people without a social media marketing campaign.
Go to Where Your Prospects Are
The savvy marketer goes to where their target audience is. Roughly 63% of Millennials get updates on their favorite brands through social media. 51% of Millennials say that the opinions of their friends and even brands themselves influence their purchase decisions. 46% count on social media when they are preparing to buy something online. (Leaderswest.com)
Who Listens on Social Media? (Nearly)Everyone
Even when you are not talking about Millennials, 85% of B2B buyers believe that companies should present their information via social networks. Over 8 in 10 of those marketers are listening, using at least one social media channel to distribute content. (Newscred)
Chances are you’ve read about the insane numbers of people that use Facebook. At last count, there were 1.393 billion active monthly users (Expandedramblings). Parlaying even a tiny fraction of those users into customers would be a boon for your business. It is your job to capture those users and turn them into cheering fans.
A few more statistics:
- 72% of all internet users are now active on social media. (Jeff Bullas)
- 70% of US online adults use some form of social media networking. (Heidi Cohen)
- LinkedIn is the top social network for B2B marketing. 83% of marketers say they prefer to use LI for distributing B2B content, and more than half of vendors say they have generated sales through LI. (Realbusinessrescue)
How to capitalize on social media marketing:
It is one thing to know that social media marketing is the secret ingredient, but it is another to be able to use that secret ingredient to its greatest potential. Here are a few guidelines for helping your social media campaign become a success.
- Think Long Term
There are many social media marketers out there who think in terms of this campaign or that campaign. They will run a full blitz on one channel, run out of steam, and then go silent. It is better to be consistent over time than have that one flash in the pan and then be overwhelmed.
- Think Simple
There’s always something more that you can do. You can always add another platform. You can always post one more thing. You can always add more blog posts to your repertoire. Start with the simplest thing that you can do – let’s say, one Facebook post every week. Then, when you are sure that you can handle it, broaden those horizons.
- Think Research
Social media marketing is a research project. Run A/B tests and test platform against platform. Look to see what your competitors are doing when it comes to social media marketing and how successful they are. Promise yourself that you will try the approach for a month then evaluate.
- Think Consistency
When you do decide on a platform, it is important that you stay consistent. If you are putting up a note every Tuesday, keep putting that note up. Building your audience takes time, and they want something they can count on.
- Think Social
Yes, this is what it is all about, but there are many companies which only think about what they can bring to the conversation. Social media marketing involves talking with other brands, other people, and otherwise connecting with them to overall improve your brand. Social Media Marketing is collaborative and social, not simply your brand with a megaphone.
Social media marketing is the secret ingredient to gaining online business success. Talking with people, talking with other brands, and communicating your message while still engaging your readers, and that is where the secret sauce is.
About the Author:
Emily Hunter is a SEM Strategist and Outreach Supervisor at the Marketing Zen Group. She loves designing strategies with her team and is excited about spreading the Zen gospel. In her spare time, she cheers for Carolina Crown and Phantom Regiment, crafts her own sodas, and crushes tower defense games. Follow her on Twitter at @Emily2Zen
