What can social media marketing do? The short answer: for the individual, more fame. For a business, more revenue. But don’t be fooled, it is lot more complex than that!
The bottom line of business is money. In order to make money, you need consumers. You have to tempt these consumers to buy your product/service, make sure they are happy with your product/service, and keep them coming back for more. All the while you have to deal with competitors who are constantly trying to steal your customers away with innovative tricks.
Social media marketing won’t only help you get the attention of consumers; it will empower you with knowledge about your consumers, peers and competitors.
Here are three things social media marketing can do for your business.
Brand awareness:
Hey look at us! We are hip and happening. Follow us on Twitter or Facebook, check out our crazy new website, drop us a mail or watch our kickass viral video on YouTube.
Now that is the kind of business that people take notice of! You don’t have to sound like a whacky company on some kind of acid trip – just let people know you exist and are ready to play ball.
Consumer awareness:
What do your consumers really want? Do they think your products suck and your service is poor? And who exactly are your consumers?
What can social media marketing do for me in this regard?
It can help you find out what your customers say about you online. How many “likes” do you have on Facebook VS snarky comments posted on your wall? Are people reposting your tweets to their friends and spreading the word about you? How many people are following your blogs and what type of comments are they leaving?
Peer awareness:
Do you know who the people are online that share your business interests? Are you connected to like-minded individuals? Do you converse regularly and share ideas?
Say for instance you come across someone on LinkedIn who is also a major fishing enthusiast. You own a bait-and-tackle shop and he has some magic bait recipe. You start talking and find a mutual beneficial relationship – he will make the bait and you can sell it. He tells his friends at the fishing club about you and before you know it there are a lot of extra feet in your shop!
Social media marketing can do wonders for your business. Without it, you’re just another small fry trying to brave the raging waters of consumer fatalities.
