Social Media marketing is all the rage at the moment, but is it for everyone? Let’s assume, as an example, that you are localized type of business, such as a bar. You only draw customers from about 3 miles around the physical location of your business. Will platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter do the trick for you? What if you are a big business that has operations in various cities across Australia? Can you draw on the power of social media to get more customers for your business? And is there a role for Influencer Marketing in this mix? If you need answers to these and other questions, then continue reading this article!
Social Media is all about engagement
Social media marketing is all about engagement. To be frank, most individuals do not have the kind of critical mass, in terms of friends and followers, that is needed really make a difference. We cannot all be the Kim Kardashians of this world! However, all is not lost. For businesses, it’s still possible to get the most out of Social Media by harnessing the power of Influencer Marketing. So, does social media work for businesses? Yes it does, in the following ways!
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Social media helps you keep existing customers informed and engaged
Every business knows the importance of maintaining a relationship with existing customers. Instead of just letting them go, why not use various social media platforms, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to keep them engaged. Let’s take the example of an insurance company operating somewhere in Brisbane. This type of business can benefit a lot from maintaining a relationship with existing customers. It’s easier, as an example, for such a business to get the word out about new products and services to people who have already signed up for one or more products.
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You can use social media to generate new leads
Apart from existing customers, businesses can also use social media to generate new leads. That, in any case, is the objective for almost every business that’s out there. Just having a presence on such platforms as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram gives you the kind of visibility that you need to get on top of your game.
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Social Media offers free marketing opportunities
The great thing about having a presence on social media is that your business gets free marketing through shares, likes and retwits! Take Facebook as an example. If, as you should, you have created a Page for your business, then you can use this platform to reach out to people who would otherwise not have heard about your business.
Let’s take the example of someone who runs a pet grooming service. One way through which you can reach out to new customers is by creating a video featuring cute puppies (everybody loves puppies, right?). Share this on your Facebook Page and on Twitter, and you can be sure that many of your friends and followers will share it with their own friends and followers. Your business, at the end of the day, gets much needed free publicity!
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You can do paid advertising on Facebook and other platforms
Need to take it a bit further in terms of promoting your business using Social Media? Well, the good news is that most of the platforms that are out there allow you to run paid ads. Let’s take Facebook as an example. Other than having a free Facebook Page, you can make your business even more visible on the platform by running paid ads. Facebook Ads come with a number of advantages;
- They are cheaper to run in Australia, as opposed to the U.K and the U.S.
- Facebook provides you with all the tools that you need to precisely target your audience. This gives your ads a higher than normal CTR.
- You can learn how to create your own Facebook Ads.
- Facebook is huge, meaning ALL businesses will be able to find their audiences on the platform.
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Social Media helps you create a hype about new product launches
Launching a new product is never easy. That’s particularly the case if you are a small to medium sized business that does not have a limitless marketing budget. But all is not lost! Here is where social media really comes into its element: it allows you to create and sustain a hype about new products launches.
Let’s assume, as an example, that you own a wedding venue somewhere in Melbourne, Australia. Maybe you have just launched a discounted product that is targeted at those that wish to celebrate their anniversaries. If that is the case, you would then go to a platform such as Facebook, where you would create ads that are directed at people whose anniversaries are coming up within 30 or 60 days.
Not only that, but you can also create a hype free of charge using your Facebook Page, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms. You could also go further by holding a Facebook Live session, during which you would give people more information about the product(s) that you are launching.
Yes, Social Media Does Work Wonders for Business!
To those that are still vacillating, we can only reiterate here that Social Media does work wonders for businesses. If this is something that you have already not done, you need to get off your behind and create a Facebook Page for your business right now. You also need to make sure that your business is well represented on Twitter and on other social networking platforms! That is the only way through which you can maintain the kind of engagement that is needed to turn your business into a success in today’s challenging environment.