The document discusses how companies can benefit from social media by creating brand awareness and increased revenue through community building, personalization, and engaging target audiences on popular platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. It recommends that companies use social media to create buzz around their brand, focus messaging on positive exchanges to stay aware of customer interests, and develop effective strategies tailored to each network's audience.
Social media is all about interaction. When a company starts posting and responding on web sites they become are implementing the” human factor”. I know this is a contradiction, but when you interact with people they start viewing you as “one of us”. Take into account the recent tragedy of Paul Walker’s death. A new Facebook page was started for people to share their grief and connect with others that were feeling the loss they were feeling, and it has received over 294,000 “likes”. His original Facebook page has over 21 million “likes”. This is an example of how strongly people come together on the internet. They read about news items, current events, and what is happening in their friend’s lives. Social sites give us the opportunity to stay in touch with others when our schedules vary. When we have time to relax, we sign on and see what is happening and what the latest trends are.
According to the web site FindTheBest.com, social sites are inundated with visitors on a daily basis. It used to be common that the majority of the traffic on social media sites were teenagers and college students but this trend has definitely shifted. Sixty-six percent of the people on Facebook are over 35 years old. On Twitter the percentage is 56 and it raises to 80% on LinkedIn. The numbers you see above are how many people are using these sites each month. Over 80% on all three sites mentioned have at least some college education. These sites are attracting consumers that want to gain knowledge about businesses. They go to these sites to learn what others are saying about products and services. Constantly, when on these sites, they are seeing advertisements and posts that will influence where they will spend they will make purchases. This is where branding comes in. This is where you want to have a presence.
Many people are not aware of the purpose of using social media for marketing. The most important thing you can do is getting the name of your business out to as many people as possible as often as possible. Gaming apps do not take out ads in the newspaper; they put their ads on Facebook and on other games because they know that is the place they are going to be seen. Some of these games have become very popular and are earning a healthy revenue because (1) they are advertised on social sites and (2) people see their friends playing them and posting about them. This is a relatively low cost way to get a company name out there. Many of these sites have no fees associated with having an account. You want to get current customers to link to your site so that all of the people they are connected with will have the opportunity to see your name pop up on their home page.
We have come a long way since the Department of Defense first began communicating data on the internet. We have seen the transformation from a few scholastic pioneers exchanging data to worldwide use by the majority of citizens. Social sites are now the norm for sharing just about anything. Early social users were sitting at their desk-top computers chatting it up with people that had similar interests. Today people are snapping photos and instantly posting their new purchases, their favorite restaurants, and their latest hair styles so they can share it with everyone they are connected to. Technology continues to make it easier for consumers to use the internet to search for information on products and services, and for them to share their experiences. No longer are internet users tethered to a desk using a machine the size of an oven. We are mobile and very often getting our information on the run..
The key to finding the sites that would offer the most effective exposure for your clients is not as difficult as it initially seems. Since you are already working with them you know their target audience. What you will want to do is position them so they will be in a high traffic area that is frequented by their select clientele. The most important factor is to make sure there is a plan for staying current with their blogs, posts, responses, or whatever necessary for the type of social interaction they have opted for. As mentioned previously, a lot of sites have no charges affiliated with having an account. Take advantages of them all and create pages. There are tools available, such as Blog It! or Ping.fm that can help to manage posting to all of the sites so that it does not become a full time job in itself. Working with a consultant that specializes in web design and management can reap wonderful benefits.
You may not be aware of it but your company is already on social media sites. Someone, somewhere, has had an experience at your business that they have shared with their connections on one or more social sites. It is important to be aware of what type of attention is being given to your company. You have the power to open up communication and exchange information. You can take control of most of the content that is being shared and make it positive. Let people know that you are present, you are aware of what is happening in their world, and that you care enough to show up. By presenting an upbeat, positive demeanor you will attract attention. By having people that you are already connected with “like” your page and follow you, you will be connected to everyone they are linked with. A common phrase used to inform someone of a connection is to say “We are friends on (insert name of social site). This is automatically a positive connection because of the use of the word “friend”.
A lot of business owners/managers believe that their company is too small or too large to benefit from social media marketing. The truth is that it can benefit any sized company. No one is too big or too small to create their own positive publicity. Another objection is that they “don’t know where to begin”. And there are options for this. A company can hire a consultant to advise them, a web designer to create their own site, and a marketing firm to manage their social activity. They can opt to start off with a company doing most of the networking and gradually have an employee of the company take over when it is comfortable for them. It is a process that can be adjusted according to the client’s level of comfort and expertise. If you are diligent in your marketing strategies, a company is almost guaranteed to see an increase in traffic which will lead to an increase in revenue.
