Why Overlooking Social Media Strategy Could Mean the End of Your Business

The rise of social media has revolutionised the way the marketing industry works. Now, there are many different channels of social network, the most market-dominant of which include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn to name a few. These platforms have escalated in popularity across the globe and reaching any type of demographic has never been easier.

According to ‘Socialmediatoday’, 50% of small businesses have increased time spent on social media compared to last year and have reported gaining new customers and better business. This illustrates that you can’t set up a social media account and leave it – you need to develop a concise social media strategy and invest time into your processes.

The fact is, if you’re not developing a thorough approach to your social channels, you are missing out on a great marketing opportunity. Here’s why:

You’ll Miss Out on Relationships

When you incorporate customer service into your social media strategy, you are likely to increase customer satisfaction. Social media can be a powerful tool of communication between you and your audience. It allows you to respond quickly to customers, resolve various issues and receive feedback.

On your social channels, respond to any forms of customer feedback you receive. Whether this is a review, a customer query or a complaint. The interaction you have on social media is an opportunity for you to engage with your customers, enrich your brand, develop customer rapport and illustrate customer appreciation.

By responding efficiently and effectively to customers, you not only engage with your existing audience, you also open doors to new leads. A recent study by ‘Bright Local’ found that 30% of consumers take note of local businesses’ interactions with reviewers and use it as a metric when deciding whether to use the company.

Potential customers appreciate the relationship you have with your existing network and are more likely to try your business as a result.

You’ll Gather Less Customer Insights

Your social media strategy should incorporate interaction with your customer base. By reading through your audience’s channels, you gain insights into what their daily lives and behaviours consist of.

You can find information about what products they are buying, what hobbies they have and what kind of posts they share. With this information, you can refine your customer personas and shape your marketing accordingly.

When you understand your customers, you can write better content and more compelling posts, which leads to more traffic to your website. The benefits can also exceed your marketing strategy, as it helps you identify customer pain points and refine your product strategy.

You’ll Gain Less Brand Awareness

‘SEOexpertbrad’ found that following a brand on Twitter is extremely meaningful to users. 72% of people who follow brands on Twitter are likely to purchase items or services from them. It is therefore vital that you make use of your social channels to increase brand awareness.

Creating content that inspires interaction is vital within your social media strategy. When your existing audience share your content, it will benefit your social exposure and allow your content to reach many more users than just your followers.

Ensuring that your content is unique and of value will encourage more social media users to read your posts, like your page and visit your website.

You Won’t Target Your Audience

Incorporating advertisements within your social media strategy is hugely beneficial to your business. Social platforms such as Facebook offer highly specialised ads which can target customers on several factors such as age, location, education level, industry and even user behaviour.

Using targeted ads within your strategy allows you to gain visibility among your target audience and is an inexpensive way to help you reach the right people and generate genuine leads.

Doing this will allow you to grow your customer following and grow your business accordingly.

When you start using social media as a method to connect with your customers, it can transform your brand. With this increased exposure comes serious ROI.

As an integrated marketing agency, we deliver and tailor our services to meet your individual needs. Our social media and content team use intricate methods and strong strategy in order to get the best out of social media.

If you are considering outsourcing your marketing and would like to invest into your social strategy, please contact us on 0121 355 8092 or email info@edge-creative.com.

SOURCES:

• https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
• https://www.disruptiveadvertising.com/social-media/be-in-the-know-2018-social-media-statistics-you-should-know/
• https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-statistics/
• https://seoexpertbrad.com/social-media-marketing-statistics/
• https://www.avasam.com/59-social-media-statistics-you-need-to-know/